Students’ perception of the impact of (meta)linguistic knowledge on learning German

Abstract German university degrees, at least in some countries, offer students only German literature courses in addition to language courses. Linguistics is often not a core component of German degree programmes. As a result, students who are not familiar with basic linguistic terminology do not kow how languanges work, including their mother tongue, or do not reflect on the differences and similarities between their L1 and L2. This can make learning German more challenging, especially in a university setting where language instruction is often quite explicit. This paper examines students’ perceptions of linguistic instruction and its impact on their language skills, German proficiency, and linguistic reflection. In order to assess these aspects, three groups of students, who attended linguistic modules with different content, completed a feedback questionnaire after their respective courses. The results indicate that most students, regardless of course content differences, viewed metalinguistic instruction positively, finding it beneficial for enhancing their language skills, learning German more effectively, and encouraging language reflection.