Résumé:
Foreign language instruction has increasingly emphasized the development of learners‘ cognitive
and metalinguistic abilities such as linguistic terminology and grammar rules. This study aims to
explore the correlation between metalinguistic knowledge and academic writing achievement
among first -year Algerian EFL students. Metalinguistic knowledge, operationalized as
knowledge about the language, in this regard, is closely linked to many cognitive functions such
as language awareness and analysis. Guided by this perspective, the present study aimed to
investigate the relationship between foreign language metalinguistic knowledge and academic
writing achievement of first-year EFL students at the English Department of Mohammed Seddik
Ben Yahia University, Jijel. It was hypothesized that there is a significant positive correlation
between learners‘ foreign language metalinguistic knowledge and their writing achievement.
Given its descriptive nature, the study adopted a quantitative approach, utilizing two research instruments , namely, a metalinguistic knowledge test and a writing test. The two were administered during the second semester of the 2024/2025 academic year to a random sample of 51 first-year license students in the Department of English at the University of Jijel. The assessment findings revealed that most participants demonstrated mastery of foreign language metalinguistic knowledge. However, noticeable differences in scores were observed among individual students, resulting in having high-achieving and low-achieving writers. The correlational analysis (Pearson correlation) revealed that students who passed and achieved higher scores in the writing exam generally demonstrated greater levels of metalinguistic knowledge
compared to those who failed to meet the exam requirements. Hence, the statistical results also confirmed the positive relationship between foreign language metalinguistic knowledge and students’ writing achievement, concluding that teachers should focus more on developing students’ metalinguistic knowledge. On the basis of these findings, further discussions and pedagogical recommendations were provided.
