Abstract:

This study investigates the deficit in metalinguistic competence in teachers and students of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) or ESL (English as a Second Language. The aim of the study was to identify some of the incorrect cognitions or beliefs which affect English language teaching and learning in Spain. A 20-item questionnaire based on basic linguistic topics related to beliefs and metalinguistic development was used to collect data from 578 people from 56 different fields, in the provinces of Barcelona, Tarragona and Lerida, in Spain. The answers given by EFL teachers and 15 year-olds were analyzed. The results suggest that some EFL teachers hold incorrect beliefs about language in general and the English language in particular. They show a deficit in metalinguistic awareness. which is the ability to consciously analyze language and its subparts, to know how they operate and how they are incorporated into the wider language system.

Keywords:

Metalinguistics, beliefs, language, cognitive dissonance.