From a learner to a user? Exploring learning in language counselling through the lens of linguistic mudes

Abstract

This practitioner-research (PR) paper examines Finnish university students’ learning experiences in an autonomy-focused English course through the lens of linguistic mudes. Mudes have been described as the change from being a learner to being a user of a language, an idea also common in learner autonomy. Following language counselling (also known as advising) sessions, the author recorded and reflected on student stories in a counselling journal, examining how the concept of mudes mapped on to students’ learning experiences in the course. The study employs Exploratory Practice (EP), Reflective Practice (RP), and Narrative Inquiry (NI) to develop a pedagogically sustainable and context-sensitive approach to PR, particularising mudes to the author's counselling practice. Reflexive thematic analysis of the journal generates four distinct learning narratives, corresponding and contrasting with the idea of mudes. These narratives illustrate how PR approaches can contribute both to local knowledge and practices and to wider research and practice communities.