English Learning Experience Research Articles

Understanding Language Learning Motivation from a Dual Analytical Lens: Combining Activity Theory and Life Capital

AbstractSecond language (L2) motivation has long been regarded as one of the requisites for and predictors of success in L2 learning. The scholarship on L2 motivation has grown steadily over the past 60 years, yielding several theories through a range of methods. Building upon this tradition, this paper proposes a methodological contribution to the thriving L2 motivation research arena. Specifically, we suggest a new analytical approach which combines Activity Theory with the methodological lens of ‘life capital'. We illustrate this approach through an L2 learner's narrative, taken from a larger study, with a focus on their experience of learning English over thirteen years. We argue that adopting life capital as an additional analytical layer alongside Activity Theory not only allows us to tackle methodological challenges previously associated with Activity Theory, but also offers a more nuanced understanding of motivational trajectories in L2 learning.

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF USING DEEPL AS MACHINE TRANSLATION IN ENGLISH LEARNING

Technological advances influence the development of educational support with various facilities offered to students such as DeepL as a translation machine that can be used as an alternative by students to understand English texts. This study aims to describe students' perceptions of the use of DeepL in English learning in Jabodetabek. The population of this study is 210 students who have had the experience of learning English by utilizing DeepL. This study is descriptive quantitative research using a questionnaire. In collecting data, this study used a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire to determine students' perceptions of the use of DeepL for learning English. The results of this study show that the mean of this study was over 3.5 reflecting good and very good perception. A total of 57.35% of students strongly agreed and 39.71% of students agreed that DeepL helps in understanding English texts, although the use of DeepL has impacts or drawbacks. DeepL helps students improve their vocabulary, and understanding of English and saves time in doing assignments, and students think that using DeepL to translate things or do assignments is ethical.

Essential Skills in Teaching English to Children: A Comprehensive Overview and Research-Based Analysis

Teaching English to children presents unique challenges and requires a specific set of skills distinct from teaching adults. Children acquire language naturally through real-world interaction, play, and sensory experiences. This article examines the essential skills that teachers need to effectively teach English to young learners and optimize their language acquisition. It also incorporates findings from existing research to highlight the effectiveness of various teaching methodologies, stressing the role of motivation, interaction, classroom management, and technology in fostering successful English learning experiences for children.

Exploring English self-concept and investment of successful EFL learners from a Chinese secondary school

Academic self-concept, a central psychological construct that powerfully explains learners’ varied motivations and learning behaviors, needs to be further explored to deepen our understanding of language learner psychology. Drawing on self-reported learning histories, this study investigates the English self-concept of successful English as a foreign language (EFL) learners and their mediated learning behaviors from the theoretical lens of personal investment theory (Maehr & Braskamp, 1986). Data were collected from 12 students at a key secondary school in Shanghai using retrospective narratives and semi-structured interviews. The analysis revealed three categories of cognitive and affective characteristics in the learners’ English self-concept and the corresponding investment features with subtle differences identified. Participants espoused average to high competency beliefs and moderate to strong positive affect toward English learning, nurtured by positive self-beliefs such as interest and self-efficacy formed through early English learning experience. Their sustainable, targeted, and resilient investment in English learning was also underpinned by the perception of mastery and performance goals appropriately afforded by teachers, parents, peers, or the school. Practical implications for parents and educators are discussed in terms of what they can do to help learners build positive self-perceptions as EFL learners.

In between the neoliberal reality and the humanities imagination: a narrative inquiry of an English major’s identity construction in China

ABSTRACT This study reports an ethnographic case study of a Chinese female English major of a working-class background – Faye (pseudonym) and her English learning and use experience in an elite community in the Chinese context. Drawing on the data collected from a 13-month longitudinal inquiry, the study employs Darvin and Norton’s [2015. ‘Identity and a Model of Investment in Applied Linguistics.’ Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 35:36–56. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190514000191] model of investment to explore her identity transformation through English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) practices. Findings suggest that Faye’s investment in EFL practices appeared to transform with her evolving perceptions of EFL learning and imagined identities, which were shaped largely under the influence of neoliberal and humanities discourses. The study argues for a critical interrogation of the impact of neoliberalism on EFL learning and humanities education, cautioning against its tendency to constrain identity potentials and sustain structural inequalities. Pedagogical implications are suggested at the end of the article.

Impact of English Teaching on Students’ Academic Performance at Higher Secondary School Level

The current study investigated the diverse dimensions of English teaching that influence students' academic performance at the higher secondary level, with a focus on refining teaching methodologies and tackling challenges in English learning experiences. Using a methodical research approach, the study focuses on the critical role that teachers play in English instruction for both students and teachers from government higher secondary schools in the Dir Lower area of KP. The use of a quantitative research strategy, in conjunction with a pilot study and a specially created questionnaire, guarantees the validity of data gathering and analysis. Through the use of SPSS software, data analysis can yield a wealth of information on students' perceptions and experiences with learning English. The results emphasize the value of good teaching strategies, the advantages of integrating technology, and the necessity of continual professional development for teachers. Regression analysis also shows a significant relationship between better academic achievement and improved English teaching methods. The recommendations of the study supported various efforts to enhance vigorous teacher training with improved and latest technology. The study has provided very useful information for the development and improvement of instructional strategies for English teachers at upper secondary schools.

When EFL learner identity intersects with their investment: Stories from Indonesia

Current research has looked at learner identity as a single construct and is studied as a separate entity from English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ investment in learning. While the issue has gained much attention in recent times, there is an urgency to explore the intersection of learner identity and investment in English as a foreign language learning. To fill this lacuna, the present study employed a narrative inquiry to understand four Indonesian EFL learners’ identity construction and their investment. Data were garnered from individual semi-structured interviews that discerned the participants’ prior English learning experiences, present perspectives on learning English, and their future aspirations. In analyzing the data, we followed Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step analysis procedure. Findings suggest that learners’ prior learning experiences, current perspectives about the role of English in global communications, and their participation in the community of practice serve as mediators in their identity construction process and investment practices. In addition, investment influenced the way the participants constructed their identities as EFL learners. This study suggests the incorporation of identity-awareness pedagogy into the ELT curriculum in order to create more inclusive EFL teaching and learning practices.

The Photovoice Project: Fostering Students' Autonomous, Collaborative, and Authentic Business/Engineering English Learning Experiences

This perspective article elaborates an instructional approach to business English learning utilizing a photovoice project as a strategy to promote a real-world learning encounter. In professional and vocational colleges, project-based learning (PBL) is an instructional strategy for promoting autonomous, collaborative, and authentic learning nuances. This article sheds light on how photovoice project fosters the students’ technical and business English learning experiences. The project empowers students to take charge of their learning, work collaboratively, and engage in real-world business context. This paper presents the concept of photovoice, learners’ autonomy and collaboration towards photovoice, authentic business English learning encounters, technology-integrated photovoice, project evaluation, and case studies on photovoice project. On top of that, language teachers can utilize project-based photovoice as a valuable tool for promoting innovative and engaging business English learning activities, thus providing students with contextual-based learning environment and preparing them for the real business world. It also brings several implications: 1) for vocational English teachers, implementing photovoice projects offers a powerful tool to create innovative and engaging learning activities, 2) for students, these projects provide a contextualized learning environment that prepares them for the real business world by developing practical language skills and industry-specific knowledge, and institutions will benefit by fostering an educational approach that bridges classroom learning with real-world applications, thereby enhancing the overall quality and relevance of their programs.

Refashioning the Relationship with the Social World: A Nexus Analysis of a Japanese Queer Immigrant’s English Learning in Canada

Drawing on ethnographic data, this article chronicles a Japanese queer immigrant’s English learning experiences in a metropolitan area in western Canada. Informed by sociocultural theories and identity-centred approaches to Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research, I highlight the significance and interconnection between social identity, ideology, and language learner agency in second language (L2) learning, teaching, and education. Over a seven-month span, I investigated two research questions targeting the ideological constraints and potential coping strategies in the key participant’s English learning. Nexus analysis is applied as the methodological framework. Following a three-step procedure, I first illustrate my positionality as a researcher and the rationale of the project. I then conduct critical discourse analysis delving into two featured social actions selected from the database generated through ethnographic observations, semi-structured interviews, and participant’s reflective journals. I conclude with a discussion of how SLA researchers and educational practitioners can better support marginalized immigrants’ L2 learning. Building on this case, I propose an allyship-centred approach in L2 teaching and researching and a model of collaborative working between researchers and educational practitioners to provoke more equitable nexuses of practice in immigrants’ L2 education.

Beyond age and intensive exposure: Initial proficiency effects on adolescents’ second language proficiency in an international school

This study investigates the effects of biological age and intensive exposure on L2 learning in an International School context as regards variability in learning rate and L2 development among pre- versus mid-adolescent learners. Longitudinal data collection at three time-points over one year involved semi-guided interviews and written productions among 28 L1-French learners of English in two age groups, either 11 years or 15 years of age. The data were investigated using quantitative measures of accuracy, fluency and holistic proficiency, and analysed with robust repeated measures ANOVAs and ANCOVAs. The findings suggest that the one-year intensive experience of English learning in the International School promoted significant gains in accuracy and holistic proficiency, but only one aspect of fluency, i.e., speech rate. When initial proficiency as Time 1 performance was controlled, the 15-year-old learners performed better than their younger peers only in written proficiency, while the 11-year-olds showed a faster learning rate in some aspects of oral accuracy and fluency. However, initial proficiency eclipsed age and exposure effects on L2 proficiency development during the one-year intensive experience. These results suggest that, for the introduction of short intensive programs in instructed contexts, learners’ initial proficiency and biological age should be considered.

NARRATIVE INQUIRY: AN ADVANCED USER’S STRATEGY TO SPEAK FLUENTLY IN ENGLISH

Speaking skills mastery is often perceived as a parameter of success in language learning. Following this situation, numerous studies and practices related to teaching speaking are continuously conducted in an attempt to best facilitate learners in developing their speaking skills. However, it catches our attention when one of our students can outperform others in speaking. This situation yields a question, “What makes him so different from the other students?”. As an attempt to elicit information about his English learning experience and strategy, especially in developing his English-speaking skills, we decided to conduct a Narrative Inquiry Research. Our research, therefore, addresses the following questions: (i) How is the advanced user’s perception of language learning? and (ii) How did the advanced user build the strategy to speak English fluently? The result of interview revealed that extramural English and some affective factors contribute to his English fluency. Investigating this phenomenon gives us insightful information, especially for language learners who want to be successful in language learning. The finding of this study is also expected to help teachers in their instructional design and practice.

The cognitive-emotional dialectics in second language development: speech and co-speech gestures of Chinese learners of English

Abstract This study examines the cognitive-emotional dialectics of Chinese learners of English in terms of both speech and co-speech gestures in their second language development within the lens of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. This qualitative study focuses on Chinese learners of English in different learning contexts and analyzes data from interviews and emotional narrative tasks in the English learning experience. Overall findings showed that learners’ emotion and cognition interacted in different learning contexts, and speech and co-speech gestures worked to influence the cognition-emotion dialectics in participant’s perezhivanie. This study implies the inextricable unity of emotion and cognition in second language development, and emphasizes the role of speech and co-speech gestures in shaping second language learners’ perezhivaniya.

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the L2 Savoring Beliefs Inventory

The rise of positive psychology (PP) in applied linguistics has led to a focus on the role of positive emotional functioning in second language (L2) learning and teaching. This field has identified key constructs from PP to understand how to replace negative emotions with positive ones in L2 learning. Despite these advancements, there is a need for a specific framework and scale to foster and measure positive emotions in this context. The concept of savoring, which involves recognizing and embracing positive emotions, addresses this need. The paper investigates the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Language-Specific Savoring Beliefs Inventory (L2SBI) through exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). The results revealed that the bifactor ESEM solution is the most suitable model for assessing L2SBI. In other words, the L2SBI can be better represented by a comprehensive general component of L2 savoring beliefs, distinct from the three specific factors of anticipating progress in learning English, savoring the moment while learning English, and reminiscing about experiences in learning English. The study confirms the consistency of the L2SBI across genders and language levels, offering insights into varying belief patterns among learners and explaining differences in positive learning outcomes.

Analysis of Motivation in My English Learning Experience

In recent decades, China has witnessed great developments in its economy, intercultural communication, and English education. English was a compulsory course taught in secondary schools and first two years of universities as a foreign language in most places. The large number of English learners leads to many sophisticated researches focusing on English education in China. Motivation is an essential factor in mastering a second language. This essay aims to investigate the motivation in my 13 years’ English learning and its influences on my actual learning process, and thus promote English education in China. Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self System was chosen as a guided theory since it combines a lot of important theoretical L2 approaches and elaborated motivation in a rather comprehensive way. In this essay, I will first briefly discuss the concept of L2 Motivational Self System. Then, I will analyse how the motivations affect my learning process with the guidance of L2 Motivation Self System. Finally, I will explore the effective application of this theory in teaching English to Chinese speakers.

Transformasi Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris: Menggunakan Solid Model Sebagai Media Pembelajaran di MI Fathul Jannah

This study investigated the success of a solid model teaching medium with the theme “My Farm” to enhance the English learning experience among second grade students at MIS Fathul Jannah. This medium addresses the challenge of unevenly distributed educational resources. Thirteen grade 2 students participated in this community service activity. The implementation of the activity involved three stages: preparation (survey, observation, media and material adjustment), implementation (introduction, core activities, ice breaking, and reflection), and evaluation. The results showed that the solid model media fostered active participation, created a fun learning environment, and had a positive impact on the classroom atmosphere. Future research should consider expanding the content coverage and deepening the analysis to obtain more robust data as well as innovative findings.

The Implementation of HelloTalk Application in Vocabulary Teaching for Senior High School

This research aims to understand the effectiveness of the HelloTalk application in teaching English vocabulary for second grade high school students and its application in teaching English vocabulary. This research uses questionnaires, interviews and descriptive analysis methods to collect information about research and students’ experiences in learning English. The questionnaire covered what they knew about the HelloTalk application before and how they saw the application, whether the HelloTalk application was effective in teaching vocabulary and how to apply the application and the questionnaire was distributed via Google Forms after students had experience with HelloTalk. The research concluded that the Hellotalk application was effective in improving second grade high school students’ English learning, making the learning process more interactive and useful. This also helps improve the integration of applications in the curriculum to improve the quality of language learning and students’ learning experience.

Thai School Directors’ Lived Experiences and Attitudes Towards Global Englishes: Do They Impact Hiring Foreign National Teachers?

Research on language attitudes towards Global Englishes in many contexts has focused on teachers and learners. However, limited research has paid attention to school directors even though they are in a vital position to make changes at the school. This study explored the school director’s lived experiences, attitudes toward Global Englishes, and how their attitudes impact hiring foreign national teachers. Utilizing a narrative inquiry design, three school directors from different school sizes, levels, and types were interviewed multiple times per person to ensure data saturation. The findings showed that all school directors demonstrated standard language and native speakerism ideologies formed earlier in their schooling experiences, especially in English classes. Regardless of positive or negative English learning experiences, they developed an entrenched belief that English should be taught by ‘native speakers.’ Yet, the decision to hire foreign national teachers was not simply influenced by their lived experiences and attitudes toward Global Englishes. Instead, it was affected by the school budget, the level of students, and parents’ expectations. Above all, one troubled concern materialized – hiring someone who looked ‘native.’ Implications were discussed moving forward when considering implementing the Global Englishes paradigm.

제3국 출생 탈북민 자녀들의 영어 학습 동기: 회고적 모티그래프와 면담을 통한 사례연구

This research aims to explore the factors that influence the motivation and demotivation
 of third-country-born North Korean defectors in their English learning experiences, both before
 and after settling in South Korea. Motigraph and semi-structured interviews were conducted
 with two third-country-born North Korean defectors, and the transcribed interviews were
 analyzed based on Grounded theory. Overall, motivation to learn English significantly
 increased after settlement in South Korea. Prior to settlement, factors such as accessible or
 easy English classes and the aspiration to enter middle school positively impacted motivation,
 whereas memorization-oriented teaching methods decreased English learning motivation.
 Post-settlement, specific learning goals such as employment or university entrance, teacher
 encouragement, and comparison with South Korean students, emerged as motivating factors.
 However, challenges such as learning English grammar and difficulties with English language
 acquisition in a Korean-speaking environment made learning English difficult. Finally, we
 discussed strategies to assist third-country-born North Korean defectors in adapting to English
 education after settling in South Korea, focusing on practical and educational support.

Development of Soft Skills in Teaching English to Agriculture Students

This study investigates the integration of soft skills within English learning experiences for English for Business Class participants, focusing on their relevance to future careers in agriculture. A narrative research design was employed in the study to delve into participants' English learning journeys and identify the most pertinent soft skills cultivated through learning activities. Semi-structured interviews are the primary data collection technique, allowing in-depth exploration of participants' experiences. Language appraisal and emotional geography analyses dissect the narratives and discern the most relevant soft skills for agricultural graduates. The analysis reveals many soft skills, including communication, problem-solving, decision-making, digital literacy, leadership, teamwork, critical and creative thinking, presentation skills, and reflection, all essential for navigating the complexities of agricultural work environments. These findings underscore the importance of integrating soft skills into English language learning curricula, particularly for students pursuing careers in agriculture. The study has implications for updating learning methodologies, refining teaching materials, and designing English learning activities tailored to the specific needs of agricultural professionals

Analysis of Practical English Learning Experience

Analysis of Practical English Learning Experience