Accessing the Self in Self-Access Learning: Emotions and Feelings in Language Advising

Maria Giovanna Tassinari,Maud Ciekanski

doi:10.37237/040404

Abstract

The importance of the affective dimension and the role of beliefs, self-efficacy and learners’ voices in language learning are recognized in the literature (Arnold, 1999; Brewer, 2006; Ogasa, 2010). Although emotions and feelings seem to play an important role in self-directed language learning (Bown & White, 2010; Candas & Eneau, 2010), little is still known about how to support the affective dimension throughout the self-directed learning process (Aoki, 1999). Clearly, the cognitive and the metacognitive, the subjective and affective dimensions of learning need to be addressed, in a self-access centre, in order to support learners on their road to autonomy. Language advising provides the appropriate arena for this. Within the professional and interpersonal relationship between advisors and learners (Ciekanski, 2007), it is easier to reflect on the affective implications of learning and to help learners to cope with them. Ongoing research into emotions and feelings in advising contexts shows that affect and subjectivity occupy a large proportion of learners’ (and advisors’) discourse. This paper makes a case for integrating reflection on the affective and subjective dimensions of learning, both in the research and in the practice of language advising.

Highlights

Language advising has become an integral part of many self-access centre set-ups and is recognised as a useful way of ensuring the learners’ access to their own perceptions, beliefs and learning experiences, and of facilitating them in their self-directed learning processes
In this paper we present the first findings of a research study on the role of emotions and subjectivity in language advising, conducted with adult learners and university students in self-access settings in France and in Germany
The relationship between advisor and learner is an expert-novice relationship and asymmetric as far as place, knowledge and activity are concerned; it is essentially dialogic and interactive. In her analysis of the language advising discourse undertaken on 31 advising sessions between four learners and four expert language advisors4, Ciekanski identifies in all advising sessions: (i) pedagogical sequences, focused on the learner’s analysis of their learning activity, the advisor’s feedback, evaluation, decisions for further learning; (ii) organizational sequences, concerning making an appointment, or negotiating about resources, learning partners, etc.; and (iii) conversational sequences, consisting of more personal conversations about learning, language and about the learner’s feeling involved in the learning process

Summary

Background

Language advising has become an integral part of many self-access centre set-ups and is recognised as a useful way of ensuring the learners’ access to their own perceptions, beliefs and learning experiences, and of facilitating them in their self-directed learning processes. In this paper we present the first findings of a research study on the role of emotions and subjectivity in language advising, conducted with adult learners and university students in self-access settings in France and in Germany This study aims both at gaining a better understanding of the complex relations between emotions and cognition in self-directed language learning processes and at helping advisors to focus, at times, on affective aspects in the learners’ discourse and to address them in order to support the autonomization process. In. particular, we wanted to investigate how emotions and feelings are addressed by learners and by advisors in language advising sessions, in order to help advisors to recognize expressed and unexpressed emotional aspects in the learners’ discourse and to be able to address them in support of the autonomization process. Our first findings show that the advisors either try to counterbalance a learner’s strong emotions, mitigating frustration or asking for clear examples to explain this, or at times empathize with the learner, echoing his/her emotions

Conclusions

Findings

Notes on the contributors