Do socioeconomic determinants influence metalinguistic awareness of multiple language learners? A case study in the multilingual region of South Tyrol

Research on multiple language learning has shown that through the interaction of several language systems, high-level metacognitive features such as metalinguistic awareness (MeLA) are particularly pronounced. MeLA, as the ability to consciously reflect on language, has proven to be a catalyst for further language acquisition and language maintenance, closely tied to an awareness of the intricate relationships between language systems. However, this triggers an exploration into whether additional factors may affect the development of MeLA as a pivotal metacognitive characteristic in multiple language learning processes. The present MeLA-SES study, following a longitudinal investigation in South Tyrol, explores the potential relationship between adolescent multiple language learners' MeLA and their socioeconomic status (SES). The primary focus of the longitudinal study was to examine the MeLA development across the three curricular languages and investigate how learners with different metalinguistic skills decode a novel language system. While the initial study revealed an interconnectedness of metalinguistic knowledge, demonstrating a facilitative effect on decoding strategies, the present investigation, indicates a link between participants' MeLA development and their families' SES. Positive correlations were found among several SES factors, with the most robust association identified between the books-at-home measure and participants' MeLA scores. Additionally, the study revealed that the participants with a migration background, who constituted a small minority in this research, had low SES values on average but medium to higher MeLA scores. In these cases, it was assumed that despite less favorable SES factors, MeLA could develop well due to the interaction of even more language systems that these participants have in their minds.