Investigating L2 Explicit Knowledge and Its Reflection in Written Proficiency of Turkish EFL Learners

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between L2 explicit knowledge, both analyzed and metalinguistic, and reading and writing performances of first- and fourth-year English Language Teaching (ELT) majors studying at a state university in Turkey. A total of 233 Turkish EFL learners majoring at the ELT department participated in the present study. Instruments for the present study consisted of three tests designed to measure explicit L2 knowledge: (1) an untimed grammaticality judgment test (UGJT), a language analysis test (LAT), and a metalinguistic knowledge test (MKT); (2) a standardized reading comprehension test of English (International English Language Teaching System-IELTS); (3) and a writing task designed to assess general L2 writing proficiency (IELTS). Results showed that the fourth-year Turkish EFL learners majoring in ELT have better explicit knowledge of the English language than the first-year learners. Moreover, regardless of their year of study, these learners have more analyzed knowledge than metalinguistic ones. Furthermore, stronger correlations were found between analyzed knowledge and L2 proficiency than between metalinguistic knowledge and L2 proficiency. It was also found that analyzed knowledge and metalinguistic knowledge altogether explain the 7.2 percent of the variance in reading, and the 10.2 percent of the variance in writing among the Turkish EFL learners.

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