Student Satisfaction with Using Independent Study Logs as Part of English Classes

Abstract

Journals and diaries have been used in many different kinds of courses in a variety of disciplines so that students can reflect on their learning experience and make it more personal. This paper involves a modified version of diaries in which students briefly record the work they have done using English as a foreign language or coming into contact with the language along with their reactions to the experience, so that the teacher can give them individual feedback with a view towards helping them to become more autonomous in their learning. It describes the results of a questionnaire given to students upon completion of their English courses to determine their impressions about doing study logs in two different class settings, both at the university level. The results for one of the groups reveal that the learners were highly satisfied with the experience, while the other group had mixed reactions. The nature of the two groups and the procedure followed in the two cases suggest that varying approaches to different kinds of groups might improve the experience for the students involved.