Eliciting students' stories: Student perspectives on anecdote materials

Abstract

AbstractThis article provides critical student perspectives on a set of instructor‐created materials in which students ultimately delivered a spoken anecdote in a class presentation. The research was conducted qualitatively through the lens of narrative inquiry. Data were gathered from six participants, all undergraduate English majors at a Japanese university. Results found that participants experienced various difficulties related to the materials and task, primarily due to their unfamiliarity with anecdotes and vocal prosody. However, participants reported benefits of these lessons such as perceived second language (L2) development and real‐world relevance. Participants also applied lessons learned from the materials in a variety of contexts including study abroad and job interviews, demonstrating that telling anecdotes about themselves can be a highly authentic task. The findings advise instructors to consider students' backgrounds, introduce anecdote elements, and provide ample feedback and repetition. The article also suggests that material developers should consider student feedback as an essential component when designing classroom materials.