The Role of Metacognitive Knowledge and Task Type in Improving Morphosyntactic Structure Learning among EFL Learners

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Mohammad Sadegh Ghalibafan ¹

Shadab Jabbarpoor ²

Bahram mowlaie ³

¹ ¹Ph.D candidate in TEFL, Department of English Language, Tehran South Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

² Assistant Professor in TEFL, Department of English Language, Garmsar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Garmsar, Iran.

³ ³Assistant Professor in TEFL, Department of English Language, Tehran South Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22067/lts.2025.89906.1290

Abstract

This study explores how task-based activities with varying cognitive loads affect EFL learners’ acquisition of morphosyntactic structures, specifically phrasal verbs and verb phrases. It also examines how metacognitive knowledge predicts learners’ ability to identify and produce these structures. Ninety Iranian EFL learners (58 females, 32 males; aged 18–24) were assigned to three groups: reading (A), reading with textual enhancement (B), and reading plus text reconstruction (C). Grammaticality judgment and text editing tests measured recognition and production. ANOVA, correlation, and structural equation modeling showed that Group C, performing the highest-load tasks, outperformed others. Production was linked to procedural knowledge, while recognition related to declarative knowledge. Structural equation modeling confirmed the role of metacognitive knowledge in both recognition and production across tasks. Findings highlight the value of cognitively demanding tasks and metacognitive awareness in improving learners’ mastery of complex morphosyntactic structures.

Highlights

 

Keywords

Cognitive Load

Task-based Activities

Metacognitive Knowledge

Morphosyntactic Structures

Subjects

• Language Education

---

 

References