Making Thinking Visible: Metacognitive Teacher Talk and Literacy Growth for Upper Elementary Multilingual Learners

• In Event: Evaluation of the Impact of Interventions and School Characteristics on Reading and Literacy Achievement

Abstract

This mixed-methods study examined how metacognitive scaffolding in teacher talk supports multilingual learners’ (MLs) growth in metalinguistic outcomes (i.e., morphological awareness and text structure) and knowledge-based outcomes (i.e., vocabulary and content knowledge). Participating teachers implemented a structured reading comprehension curriculum, allowing us to investigate variations in metacognitive scaffolding across a variety of curricular lessons. Using Zepeda et. al's (2019) metacognitive support framework, our analysis revealed that student outcomes were not only influenced by the quantity of metacognitive teacher talk but also by its structure and emphasis. These findings highlight the importance of sustained metacognitive scaffolding in fostering MLs’ strategic reading and language processing skills.

Authors

• Haleema Khalil, North Carolina State University

• Jackie E. Relyea, North Carolina State University

• Dennis S. Davis, North Carolina State University

• Xinyan Fu, North Carolina State University

• Corrie Dobis, North Carolina State University

• Bethany P. Lewis, University of Alabama

• Becky H. Huang, The Ohio State University