Self-access Learning Center Research Articles

Integrating Scientific and Everyday Concepts: Student Leadership in a Language Learning Community

This study examines the role of everyday and scientific concepts in developing student leadership in a self-access learning center (SALC) in Japan. For this purpose, data from three student learning community leaders and one SALC faculty member participating in an 18-month ethnographic case study of the Learning Group (LG), a student-led learning community within a university-based SALC in central Japan, was reexamined according to a framework informed by concept-based learning. Data was first coded inductively utilizing reflective thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) and subsequently deductively using communities of practice theory and the themes of scientific and everyday knowledge. This data highlights numerous ways three leaders of the LG had internalized concepts introduced to them through a SALC-based leadership course administered by a learning advisor (LA) and how this influenced not only their individual learning trajectories, but also the path of their community. Furthermore, the LG leaders were able to develop coherent management/facilitation guidelines for themselves and for future generations of leaders from the social mediation that collaborative group reflection and intentional reflective dialogue afforded. The implications of this study highlight the potential value within SALCs of learning advisors engaging in concept-based instructional approaches where explicit instruction is internalized through dialogic and communicative verbalization and through finding avenues for learners to apply scientific concepts to everyday practice.

Self-Access Language Learning Support in Europe: Observations and Current Practices

This research examined the practices and spaces for self-access language learning (SALL) support, such as self-access learning centers (SALCs), learning resources, other learning spaces, advising, learner development, and social learning opportunities in leading institutions in Europe. The researcher analyzed how language learner support is conceptualized, operationalized, and evaluated at three institutions in Italy and one in Germany. The research was conducted through systematic observations during site visits, document analyses, and semi-structured interviews with staff and students in the four institutions. The researcher also drew on findings from the recent literature, insights from recent conference presentations, and discussions with colleagues based elsewhere in Europe to make observations about current trends in SALL in Europe. Six themes emerged from a thematic analysis of this data. The research offers perspectives for students and teachers interested in supporting learning outside the classroom in Europe and elsewhere.

Function and Importance of Self-Access Learning Centers (SALC) in the University of Veracruz.

Function and Importance of Self-Access Learning Centers (SALC) in the University of Veracruz.

There is Something About Affirming SALL: An Everhard and Gardner and Miller Review

This article reviews Everhard’s (2022) response to Gardner and Miller (2021), which included her position on the evolution and growth of self-access language learning (SALL), her reflections on Gardner and Miller’s (1999) seminal self-access handbook, and the possible futures of SALL. I concur with Everhard and her response to Gardner and Miller (1999; 2021) that the future success of self-access learning centers (SALCs) is uncertain because of technological advances in learning spaces and materials. Moreover, Everhard and Gardner and Miller (2021) noted a trend of reappropriating SALC spaces for other academic projects and uses of the structures. However, I also agree with Everhard and Gardner and Miller (2021) that there is something about SALL; it may not be the same as we know it in the future. The reason is that SALL adapts to its users, so SALCs will most likely survive if their institutions support them. However, there will undoubtedly be more automatized services and fewer faculty and staff to support learners.

Linguistic Diversity in Self-Access Learning Spaces in Japan: A Growing Role for Languages Other than English?

In line with foreign language instruction in general, foreign language provision in self-access learning centres (SALCs) has been dominated by English language learning. This is largely due to the nature of the internationalisation agenda in Japan, termed kokusaika, which emphasises English as the most important international language, the learning of which can facilitate Japanese economic advancement (Hashimoto, 2017; Kubota & Takeda, 2021). Largely missing from this narrative is a promotion of multiculturalism within Japan between different migrant populations, for many of whom English is as much a foreign language as it is for Japanese nationals (Tsuneyoshi, 2018). In order to truly internationalise, Japan must understand and embrace the linguistic and cultural diversity within its borders. Therefore, international education should focus on more than simply English education. This is as true for self-access facilities as it is for the mainstream curriculum. While there is some provision in some facilities for languages other than English (LOTE), as yet, no systematic investigation into the degree and nature of this provision has been conducted. Using data from a survey administered with coordinators of SALCs across Japan, this study investigated the degree to which SALCs in Japan are focusing on LOTE and the different ways in which they support these languages. The results revealed increasing focus on LOTE in some SALCs, in terms of materials and services offered, and significant linguistic diversity among SALC staff. However, common heritage and indigenous languages in Japan are largely absent, and a tendency to see language provision primarily as the appropriate balance between English and Japanese still persists in some SALCs.

Maker Conversation: Successes and Challenges in a University SALC

This paper discusses the implementation of Maker Conversation, a self-access learning space in a university’s Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) during the 2022 academic year. Maker Conversation is aimed at promoting English language use among students through science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) activities and is based on the Maker Movement. After introducing the maker concept and explaining the rationale for adapting maker principles to fit into the university’s SALC, two facilitators who participated in Maker Conversation reflect on their experiences during the academic year. This paper highlights the successes of Maker Conversation for both students and facilitators, as well as the challenges that facilitators faced. Future plans that address these challenges are discussed. The facilitators felt that Maker Conversation provides valuable learning opportunities and plan to further develop and enhance the program for students and facilitators. This paper may benefit educators at other institutions who are interested in implementing their own version of Maker Conversation in their SALC.

A Review of the RILAE Advisor Education Program 2022 Graduation Symposium

This brief review describes the main elements of the second online RILAE Advisor Education Program Graduation Symposium. Representatives of Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) described the history of KUIS and self-access learning centres, along with good teaching practices. Details of the learning advisor course and its teachers followed this introductory section. The main parts of the symposium involved three groups graduating and five experts holding speeches, each of which concerned relevant issues: language advising, well-becoming, sharing-and-caring, mindfulness, and ALMS.

The Future Role of Online Consultations Within Self-Access Learning

In response to COVID-19, Japanese self-access learning centers (SALCs) rapidly shifted their in-person consultations entirely online. While online consultations were scarce prior to 2020, there still existed few attempts. Yet, this prior history has not been considered in recent studies. Additionally, while researchers have recently addressed the role of online consultations, there is insufficient data from students regarding their experiences and future needs. Instead, the discussion has positioned online consultations as a temporary solution without considering their continuation. Therefore, this study assesses the effects that online consultations have had on students and addresses their future role, considering the history while soliciting students’ perceptions. Data collection included a survey consisting of closed and open-ended questions administered to eighteen students at a university in Japan who voluntarily participated in multiple online consultations at a self-access facility. The main findings indicate that students would still prefer to attend online consultations in the future and see them as playing an integral role in their self-access learning. Additionally, students’ experiences with online consultations have been positive, and motivation and language learning are unhindered.

A Self-Directed Teaching Method to Improve English Skills

In this study proposes integrating a Self-Access Learning into classroom or activities to improve English instruction. Students can learn English independently in library areas or English-only spaces at the Self-Access Learning Center. In the Self-Access Learning, counseling teachers help students listen and talk in English according to their interests, English skills, and learning styles.
 Several European, Hong Kong, Japanese, Singaporean, and Australian Self-Access Learning employ self-directed learning to improve English fluency This may be a great example for English education in our nation and encourage self-directed English language study.
 This study developed a five-stage self-directed English hearing and speaking instructional model: orientation, pre-test, learning plan, counseling, and self-study.
 Most participants' self-directed English learning increased during the 4-week Central University College of Education field application. The program taught individuals to study independently and customize their learning. The study recommended reward and follow-up strategies for self-directed instructional-learning models and field application.
 Foreign languages need self-directed learning. Learner-centered education lacks self-directed learning. Teacher-centered education reduces self-directed learning, motivation, and learner expectations. English private schools are societal issues.
 This chapter highlights our nation's major English education concerns and study goals. is also needed to understand why English accounts for a considerable amount of private school costs.

Reframing Self-Access: Reviewing the Literature and Updating a Mission Statement for a New Era

This paper documents part of the process of preparing to fully reopen the physical Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) in a university in Japan after being somewhat interrupted during two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-access is becoming increasingly complex, multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary and it is necessary to revisit SALC mission statements periodically, particularly after major events or changes. A group of language educators working at the university examined literature and theories from a range of perspectives in order to inform the future directions of the SALC. In a series of meetings over a one-semester period, one or two team members led a guided discussion based on some key papers, talks or other resources related to eight themes. After a semester of such discussions, they returned to the mission statement and re-examined it, making it more theoretically robust and specific, acting as a guide for SALC services for a new era.

Launching a Tutoring System Within a Restructured Self-Access Language Learning Center in Japan Amidst a Pandemic

This paper examines the inaugural year of a rebranded and restructured self-access learning center (SALC), launched at a provincial university in Japan towards the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on implementing, promoting, and managing a tutoring system, both online and face-to-face, while facing the challenges and limitations imposed by the pandemic. Even though the pandemic has forced most traditional face-to-face classes and on-campus activities online, there is still little research concerning online self-access services in Japan, as also noted by Davies et al. (2020). Existing research on SALL in the pandemic tends to focus on well-established SALCs. This paper aims to fill this gap in the literature by also discussing the challenges of online tutoring and revealing the solutions to overcome those challenges over the course of a whole academic year in a new SALC. Finally, it hopes to provide an insight into the management process, together with the administrative challenges faced by the researcher, acting as the sole tutor and coordinator of the SALC.

“Our Voices Matter”: The Learner Profile of UTech, Jamaica Students and Implications for a Virtual Self-Access Learning Centre

Since the establishment of the Self-Access Learning Centre (SALC) at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech, Ja.), students, particularly those enrolled in academic writing modules, have been utilising it to improve their communicative competence. However, the centre has recently encountered various challenges, chief among which are the lack of resources and restricted access to students, pushing the centre to the brink of obsolescence. This led to a revisioning of the centre, a central part of which is the creation of a virtual learner-driven SALC that focuses on the key areas in English and writing that students find challenging. For such a centre to be effective, it needs to be founded on students’ demographic, psychographic and behavioural traits. Using the results of a cross-sectional survey of 278 UTech, Ja. students, we present a learner profile of the typical student and the implications of such a profile for the creation of the virtual SALC. The results reveal that the typical student is teacher-dependent, extrinsically motivated and possesses low levels of academic exertion, low capacities for independent work and high levels of technology consumption. Based on this profile, heavy use of images, games and gamification elements, auto-rated activities, and interactive tutorials are central to the VSALC.

“The SALC is mine!”: Supporting the Development of Learner Agency and Reconfiguration of Language Learning Environments Beyond the Classroom

This study explores the process of how a learner recognises the value of a Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) and takes charge of her own learning through self-reflection of her language learning environments beyond the classroom as well as her ideal future self-image as a motivational factor. A university student who majors in English drew a mind map as a tool to reflect on her learning activities beyond the classroom before and after engaging in various reflective activities. Employing a qualitative narrative case study approach, multiple data sources, which included two mind maps, written descriptions of them, and a follow-up semi-structured interview, were analysed from an ecological perspective. The findings show that the learner’s self-reflection on her learning environments beyond the classroom, as well as her stronger image of ideal future-self, guided her to step forward to take action to engage with the SALC to create a meaningful space to achieve her goals. The learner’s self-reflection on her engagement with the environments, strategic advice from her friends, and a clearer image of her ideal future self are seen as key factors for the development of her learner agency. The benefits of teachers including self-reflection during class time on learning beyond the classroom as an aid to develop learner agency are also outlined.

A Report on The 6th RILAE Lab Session, Landmarks in Self-Access

To commemorate the 50 years of research into self-access learning as well as the 20th anniversary of the Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS), the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy (RILAE) held its 6th annual conference under the theme of “Landmarks in SALC Contexts.” This article details the 15 presentations from the conference and is a companion piece to Mynard et al. (2021), which gives a brief overview of the conference and highlights past works from the self-access research.

Editorial

We are pleased to announce the publication of Volume 4, Issue 2 of Relay Journal. On June 25, 2021, the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy Education (RILAE) at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) held its sixth online LAb session: Landmarks in SALC Contexts: Thinking Back, Moving Forward (incidentally, recordings of the session can be viewed at https://kuis.kandagaigo.ac.jp/rilae/lab-sessions/6th-lab-session-friday-june-25th-2021/schedulelab6/). The timing of the session was chosen to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) at KUIS, one of the most prominent self-access centers in Japan. The moment provided a timely opportunity to reflect on five decades of research in self-access language learning as well as other anniversaries of important milestones in the field of language learner autonomy, such as the 40th anniversary of the publication of Holec’s (1981) Autonomy on Foreign Language Learning. For this current issue of Relay Journal, in conjunction with the LAb session, we are fortunate to be able to present six articles focusing on the same themes as the event. Our two featured articles directly relate to the June event, and the other four articles address issues highly relevant to self-access contexts.

Group Dynamics and Resilience in the Process of L2 Socialization: A Longitudinal Case Study of Japanese University Students Visiting an English Lounge

This paper documents the socialization process of beginner-level Japanese university students into an on-campus English lounge over a year. Although initially feeling highly stressed, ten out of 37 students successfully continued their bi-weekly visits to the English lounge over a full academic year by going there as a small group of three to four students. Although the visits were originally encouraged as part of their elective homework, two of them made frequent visits to the lounge beyond the homework requirement. The reflective journals which these ten students wrote after each visit provided an emic view of their socialization processes into the English lounge. The author conducted an inductive thematic analysis of these data. Among multiple findings, the most salient was that aspects of group dynamics served to increase their resilience, or their capacity to adapt under adversity, during their socialization processes. These findings may provide insights for those language instructors and self-access language learning center staff who are in the position to facilitate students to learn in such a second language (L2) use environment, as well as learners themselves who are struggling in such a learning environment.

A Reflection on the Two-year Progress of Peer Advisor-led Events for Promoting Collaboration among Students

The authors work in the Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) at our university as student staff. Specifically, our role is as Peer Advisors (PAs), and we have supported students by having advising sessions and events related to self-directed learning. In this article, we focus on an event that PAs have organized for two years and reflect on the progress. In particular, differences between the physical and online versions of the event are mainly discussed in terms of the number of participants, topics for each session and the method for event promotion. At the end of the article, each of our personal reflections is introduced.

Modes of Identification Within a Language Learner-Led Community of Practice

Although the importance of communities for social learning within self-access centers has been recognized over the last decade, there has yet been little research exploring student-managed communities in a self-access learning center (SALC). This short pilot study investigates the ways in which members identify with the community of practice (Wenger, 1998) of a student-led learning community within a university SALC. Five members of the Learning Community (LC), an English conversation community, were interviewed three times over the course of one semester about their language learning histories and their experiences in the LC. This data was analyzed inductively and subsequently categorized according to Wenger’s (2010) modes of identification – engagement, imagination, and alignment. The findings of the study indicated that members’ identification with the practice of the LC was connected to a desire for an accessible learning environment, attaining membership in an international imagined community of English users, and the ability to negotiate sociocultural norms for their own purposes. This study highlights a bidirectional relationship between the “baggage” that members bring with them and the everyday practice developed over the course of the LC’s two-year history. Additionally, the insights gained from this exploration of the LC CoP have practical implications for SALC staff aiming to cultivate and support student-led learning communities.

Emergency Remote Support at the Self-Access Learning Center: Successes and Limitations

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has influenced many aspects of tertiary educational institutions in Japan. Many Self-Access Learning Centers (SALCs) at universities are also required to change their operation and support systems. This paper introduces how the SALC at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) has supported students during the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses successful points and limitations of the online support system, which is characterized as emergency remote support (ERS). The research analyzes survey and interview data collected from five Japanese peer advisors (PAs) who work at the SALC. We find that ERS at the SALC can sufficiently provide students with individual support in learning and practicing languages as well as some psychological support via a videoconferencing tool. However, we also identify that ERS cannot create an environment for socialization and social learning compared to the usual SALC in which students gather and socialize with others freely while developing their language and communication abilities.

The Effects of an Incentive Programme on SALC Service Engagement and Long-Term Intrinsic Motivation

Self-access language centres (SALCs) provide vital support for learner autonomy and language learning, but can struggle to attract students whose attention is divided between classes, assignments, clubs and societies, and paid work. While interested in using the facilities to improve their language skills, students may feel intimidated by an unfamiliar environment populated by people they perceive to be more confident or proficient in foreign languages than themselves, and confused about the services on offer and how to access them. To encourage these students, many self-access learning centres (SALCs) offer incentive programmes or reward schemes such as stamp cards for using the self-access facilities. These incentives can even be tied to class grades, effectively being a required element of the curriculum. This study investigates the effect of one such self-access incentive scheme through the lens of cognitive evaluation theory, a mini-theory from within self-determination theory, which addresses the role of rewards on intrinsic motivation to learn (Deci & Ryan, 2017). At one institution in Japan with a small SALC, an incentive scheme called the passport was introduced for first year students studying English as their major. Over three years, a differing level of incentive was offered, linked to student grades for a compulsory class. Data on service uptake in both the years students were offered the incentive and the following year are used to investigate the effect of introducing the incentives, and survey data from students provide some insights into their attitudes to using the passport.