Exploring the link between metalinguistic awareness and reading skills in migrant learners of Spanish

Authors

  • M.ª Pilar Núñez Delgado University of Granada https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2837-8577
  • María Santamarina Sancho University of Granada (Corresponding author)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.viXV.33634

Keywords:

metalinguistic awareness, reading comprehension, multilingualism, THAM-2, focus group.

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a research study aimed at determining the levels of metalinguistic awareness among students of different nationalities in compulsory secondary education, specifically in the first year of ESO. It then explores the correlation between these levels and students’ reading competence. The instruments used included the THAM-2 test of metalinguistic skills and a reading comprehension assessment, both administered to two groups from the same school (a total of 64 students), as well as a focus group composed of three students—each representing one of the three levels of metalinguistic awareness established by the test. These students, originally from Spain, Ukraine, and Morocco, also enabled a comparative analysis based on differences in L1. The data were analyzed using content analysis and the Constant Comparative Method (CCM) applied to participants’ discourse. These findings, combined with the statistical results from the THAM-2, reveal a positive relationship between reading comprehension and students’ metalinguistic skills, as well as the significant influence of multilingualism.

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Author Biographies

M.ª Pilar Núñez Delgado, University of Granada

Degree and PhD in Hispanic Philology (University of Granada). Lecturer in the Department of Language and Literature Didactics at the Faculty of Education Sciences (University of Granada). Member and director of the Research Group HUM-508: Didactics of Language and Literature.

María Santamarina Sancho, University of Granada (Corresponding author)

Graduate in Early Childhood Education Teaching. Degree in Psychopedagogy. Master's Degree in Research and Innovation in Curriculum and Training and PhD in Educational Sciences. Speciality in Language and Literature Didactics. Assistant Professor at the Department of Language and Literature Didactics of the Faculty of Education Sciences (University of Granada). Member of the Research Group HUM-508: Didactics of Language and Literature.

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Published

2025-11-30

How to Cite

Núñez Delgado, M. P., & Santamarina Sancho, M. (2025). Exploring the link between metalinguistic awareness and reading skills in migrant learners of Spanish. Porta Linguarum. An International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning, (XV), 301–319. https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.viXV.33634

Issue

Section

xv Special Issue "An overview of Spanish as a foreign language: teaching and transfer as an additional language"