METALANG. Protocolo franco-español de exploración de habilidades metalingüísticas en niños de 6 a 9 años: un estudio preliminar

In this work are described the principles of functional-pragmatic and the reasons for developing an exploration protocol for natural metalinguistic abilities. This study explains the base hypothesis and structure of METALANG protocol. This protocol consists in a Test and a Questionnaire for parents with two different scales: A = Ability, B = Frequency. Each element of the protocol has 6 sections and 40 items. It is performed a preliminary contrast with 12 subjects aged 6 to 9 years. Among the 12 subjects, 4 were diagnosed with dysphasia. METALANG shows high scores in reliability and internal consistency. This result confirms the hypothesis that it is possible a joint exploration of different capacities or metalinguistic abilities with children from 6 to 9 years. Differential scores are obtained for the group of people with dysphasia, but not about the age of the people. By comparing the results of the test and each of the scales of the questionnaire we can observe significant differences between the test and the B scale (Frequency), and when we comparing the two scales of the questionnaire together. These results confirm that the frequency of use of metalinguistic abilities depends on other factors in addition to the acquisition or presence of a particular capacity or ability.