The Relationship Between Children’s Metalinguistic Skills and Language Learning With Implicit and Explicit Instruction

Abstract

The present study aimed to better understand learning outcomes associated with explicit-based versus implicit-based language instruction and to determine if specific child-level characteristics predicted learning outcomes. A cross-sectional sample of 160 children between 3 and 10 years of age participated in an implicit-based or explicit-based language instruction task in which they were taught a novel verb inflection. Children also participated in assessments of nonverbal cognition, expressive language, and metalinguistic awareness. Children demonstrated better learning outcomes when taught using the explicit-based procedure than the implicit-based procedure. Learning outcomes were influenced by age, nonverbal cognition, and metalinguistic awareness. The latter relationship appeared to be due to the correlation of age and metalinguistic awareness. The present study provides further support for explicit-based language interventions and supports a connection between nonverbal cognition and learning outcomes. The results extend current research by investigating the impact of metalinguistic awareness on implicit versus explicit language intervention outcomes.