The contents for this general issue range from practices of students who are learning languages beyond the classroom, learning strategies favoured by self-regulated learners, one-on-one coaching to help learners transition to self-access environments, engaging learners in a ‘7-Day Challenge’ to introduce them to self-directed learning, provisions for languages other than English in self-access centres in Japan, and facilitator reflections on a ‘Maker Conversation’ project in a SALC. The range of topics highlights the increasingly diverse areas of research related to self-access learning.
{"title":"Introduction","authors":"J. Mynard","doi":"10.37237/140201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37237/140201","url":null,"abstract":"The contents for this general issue range from practices of students who are learning languages beyond the classroom, learning strategies favoured by self-regulated learners, one-on-one coaching to help learners transition to self-access environments, engaging learners in a ‘7-Day Challenge’ to introduce them to self-directed learning, provisions for languages other than English in self-access centres in Japan, and facilitator reflections on a ‘Maker Conversation’ project in a SALC. The range of topics highlights the increasingly diverse areas of research related to self-access learning.","PeriodicalId":43678,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49295651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Gardner, K. Lau, M. L. Tseng, Li-Tang Yu, Yun-Pi Yuan
Framed by the notion of Learning Beyond the Classroom (LBC), the study reported here examines the underexplored area of learners’ perceived obstacles to LBC and their locus of control when autonomously engaging in learning or practicing English beyond the classroom. One hundred and seventy-three EFL students from a mandatory General English programme in a Taiwanese university participated in the study by completing a written reflection on their autonomous-learning experiences which included details about the learning affordances they made use of, their successes and struggles, their attitudes, and their motivation. This paper focuses on the obstacles they encountered. Findings show that there were broadly eight types of obstacles reported by the participants, with language difficulties, affect and motivation most frequently mentioned. Although there is no clear-cut pattern of associations between the obstacles participants reported encountering and the language learning affordances they reported using, it is apparent that certain obstacles were more closely related to particular limited uses of affordances.
{"title":"Language Learning Beyond the Classroom in an Asian Context: Obstacles Encountered","authors":"D. Gardner, K. Lau, M. L. Tseng, Li-Tang Yu, Yun-Pi Yuan","doi":"10.37237/140202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37237/140202","url":null,"abstract":"Framed by the notion of Learning Beyond the Classroom (LBC), the study reported here examines the underexplored area of learners’ perceived obstacles to LBC and their locus of control when autonomously engaging in learning or practicing English beyond the classroom. One hundred and seventy-three EFL students from a mandatory General English programme in a Taiwanese university participated in the study by completing a written reflection on their autonomous-learning experiences which included details about the learning affordances they made use of, their successes and struggles, their attitudes, and their motivation. This paper focuses on the obstacles they encountered. Findings show that there were broadly eight types of obstacles reported by the participants, with language difficulties, affect and motivation most frequently mentioned. Although there is no clear-cut pattern of associations between the obstacles participants reported encountering and the language learning affordances they reported using, it is apparent that certain obstacles were more closely related to particular limited uses of affordances.","PeriodicalId":43678,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48833927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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.
{"title":"Maker Conversation: Successes and Challenges in a University SALC","authors":"Jamison Taube-Shibata, Andria Lorentzen","doi":"10.37237/140207","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37237/140207","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":43678,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46957471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
For many English-language learners around the world, how to make meaningful progress outside of the classroom is an ongoing challenge. Many learners feel that they want to study on their own but lack the resources or knowledge on how to proceed effectively. Thus, this paper reports on an initial investigation into a seven-day independent learning challenge where learners were set the task of completing five independent learning tasks across a single week with the intention of establishing a habit of studying English. The study took place at a Japanese university with non-English majors and represented the culmination of a series of independent learning tasks. Results focus on the nature of tasks completed throughout the challenge as well as learners’ perceptions of it and the feasibility of independent learning tasks across the semester. Broadly feedback was positive, and findings suggest that learners felt they made progress with their English and in establishing a study habit. Recommendations for future research and applications to other classroom contexts are presented.
{"title":"The 7-Day Challenge: Taking Steps Towards a Learning Habit","authors":"T. Stones","doi":"10.37237/140205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37237/140205","url":null,"abstract":"For many English-language learners around the world, how to make meaningful progress outside of the classroom is an ongoing challenge. Many learners feel that they want to study on their own but lack the resources or knowledge on how to proceed effectively. Thus, this paper reports on an initial investigation into a seven-day independent learning challenge where learners were set the task of completing five independent learning tasks across a single week with the intention of establishing a habit of studying English. The study took place at a Japanese university with non-English majors and represented the culmination of a series of independent learning tasks. Results focus on the nature of tasks completed throughout the challenge as well as learners’ perceptions of it and the feasibility of independent learning tasks across the semester. Broadly feedback was positive, and findings suggest that learners felt they made progress with their English and in establishing a study habit. Recommendations for future research and applications to other classroom contexts are presented.","PeriodicalId":43678,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47732838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this article, the authors describe two research studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring the perceptions of online advising from the perspective of learners and learning advisors working in a self-access centre at a university in Japan. Advising is a one-to-one reflective dialogue between a learner and a learning advisor with the purpose of promoting learner autonomy. Advising normally takes place in person, and this article explores user perceptions and whether advisors are able to create an autonomy-supportive climate in a synchronous online setting. Although participants in both studies acknowledged challenges, overall online advising was conducted effectively, with learning advisors anticipating the needs of learners and utilising online tools accordingly. Although initially nervous about attending online sessions, learners felt positive emotions during and after the online session and felt supported by learning advisors.
{"title":"Learner and Advisor Perceptions of Online Advising During a Pandemic","authors":"J. Mynard, S. Kato, Scott J. Shelton-Strong","doi":"10.37237/140104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37237/140104","url":null,"abstract":"In this article, the authors describe two research studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring the perceptions of online advising from the perspective of learners and learning advisors working in a self-access centre at a university in Japan. Advising is a one-to-one reflective dialogue between a learner and a learning advisor with the purpose of promoting learner autonomy. Advising normally takes place in person, and this article explores user perceptions and whether advisors are able to create an autonomy-supportive climate in a synchronous online setting. Although participants in both studies acknowledged challenges, overall online advising was conducted effectively, with learning advisors anticipating the needs of learners and utilising online tools accordingly. Although initially nervous about attending online sessions, learners felt positive emotions during and after the online session and felt supported by learning advisors.","PeriodicalId":43678,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47348760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Learning advisers have traditionally been reluctant to conduct online appointments. We compared proportional student use of online appointments over the course of the pandemic, and relative student satisfaction between online and in-person appointments in 2021. After the initial lockdowns eased and students were able to choose their preferred appointment type, online appointments have remained popular on an ongoing basis, although in-person appointments are slightly preferred overall. There was no difference in student satisfaction between modes.
{"title":"The New Normal: Student Preferences for Online Advising Before, During, and After the Pandemic","authors":"Miriam Sullivan, M. McAuley","doi":"10.37237/140105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37237/140105","url":null,"abstract":"Learning advisers have traditionally been reluctant to conduct online appointments. We compared proportional student use of online appointments over the course of the pandemic, and relative student satisfaction between online and in-person appointments in 2021. After the initial lockdowns eased and students were able to choose their preferred appointment type, online appointments have remained popular on an ongoing basis, although in-person appointments are slightly preferred overall. There was no difference in student satisfaction between modes.","PeriodicalId":43678,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48940588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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.
{"title":"The Future Role of Online Consultations Within Self-Access Learning","authors":"Shawn Andersson, Maho Nakahashi","doi":"10.37237/140102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37237/140102","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":43678,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49106626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Considering the insufficient studies of the maintenance of self-access learning support and the implementation of remote writing tutoring during the coronavirus pandemic, this article fills this gap by describing two undergraduate and two postgraduate writing centre consultants’ perceptions and experiences of synchronous virtual one-to-one tutoring via web conferencing. The four consultants’ views were elicited through individual semi-structured interviews, which were then transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis. The interview findings revealed that the four consultants all considered synchronous virtual tutoring a viable alternative to face-to-face tutoring. While the undergraduate consultants highlighted the convenience and efficiency of web conferencing, the postgraduate consultants encountered personal challenges and issues with web conferencing. Three recommendations for consultant training and tutoring are proposed: using a collaborative writing tool, sensitising consultants to skills for facilitating online interactions, and reminding students of the ‘netiquette’ for web-based tutoring. In light of the continuing technological advancement and the increasing demand for distance education, the findings and recommendations will offer a point of reference to writing centre administrators and consultants for the implementation of synchronous virtual tutoring and the inclusion of web conferencing skills in consultant training.
{"title":"Establishing an Online Writing Centre: Understanding Writing Consultants’ Perceptions and Experiences of Synchronous Virtual One-to-One Tutoring","authors":"Y. Kwan","doi":"10.37237/140103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37237/140103","url":null,"abstract":"Considering the insufficient studies of the maintenance of self-access learning support and the implementation of remote writing tutoring during the coronavirus pandemic, this article fills this gap by describing two undergraduate and two postgraduate writing centre consultants’ perceptions and experiences of synchronous virtual one-to-one tutoring via web conferencing. The four consultants’ views were elicited through individual semi-structured interviews, which were then transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis. The interview findings revealed that the four consultants all considered synchronous virtual tutoring a viable alternative to face-to-face tutoring. While the undergraduate consultants highlighted the convenience and efficiency of web conferencing, the postgraduate consultants encountered personal challenges and issues with web conferencing. Three recommendations for consultant training and tutoring are proposed: using a collaborative writing tool, sensitising consultants to skills for facilitating online interactions, and reminding students of the ‘netiquette’ for web-based tutoring. In light of the continuing technological advancement and the increasing demand for distance education, the findings and recommendations will offer a point of reference to writing centre administrators and consultants for the implementation of synchronous virtual tutoring and the inclusion of web conferencing skills in consultant training.","PeriodicalId":43678,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46222477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This essay is a diary account of learning French, as well as exploring eight other languages in six-months through the app, Duolingo, and how exposure to this diversity of languages has enriched my possession of cultural capital. My perspective is that of a sociology lecturer from Malaysia, specialising in ethnic studies, who also teaches Malaysian, international, and French exchange students among others, and is thus exposed to a cornucopia of languages. During the global pandemic, global trends such as the shift towards online learning and ‘levelling up’ through enhancing one’s skills, brought me to the idea of learning ‘foreign’ languages in an informal but guided sense, replete with a structured syllabus. I now recount, post-six months, my journey in learning French, my completion of two other language ‘courses’, as well as my exploration of several others, all through Duolingo. I contextualise my experience within the phenomenon of super-diversity (Vertovec, 2007), and encapsulate my benefits within Bourdieu’s (1984) concept of cultural capital in the linguistic domain.
{"title":"Six mois sur Duolingo pour apprendre le français, le chinois, et d’autres langues : An Experiential Diary Account of Linguistic Diversity","authors":"Rachel Suet Kay Chan","doi":"10.37237/140106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37237/140106","url":null,"abstract":"This essay is a diary account of learning French, as well as exploring eight other languages in six-months through the app, Duolingo, and how exposure to this diversity of languages has enriched my possession of cultural capital. My perspective is that of a sociology lecturer from Malaysia, specialising in ethnic studies, who also teaches Malaysian, international, and French exchange students among others, and is thus exposed to a cornucopia of languages. During the global pandemic, global trends such as the shift towards online learning and ‘levelling up’ through enhancing one’s skills, brought me to the idea of learning ‘foreign’ languages in an informal but guided sense, replete with a structured syllabus. I now recount, post-six months, my journey in learning French, my completion of two other language ‘courses’, as well as my exploration of several others, all through Duolingo. I contextualise my experience within the phenomenon of super-diversity (Vertovec, 2007), and encapsulate my benefits within Bourdieu’s (1984) concept of cultural capital in the linguistic domain.","PeriodicalId":43678,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46060564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article presents the results of an analysis made to some process models that have been used to introduce autonomous learning in EFL contexts. The purpose of this analysis was to explore the processes these models followed to reach such a goal. This was done because the authors of this paper considered that knowing the steps that were taken to foster autonomous learning may help to create or adapt a process model to implement this approach to learning in other contexts.
{"title":"Processes Employed to Introduce Autonomous Learning","authors":"Secundino Isabeles Flores, María Magdalena Cass Zubiría, Raphael Hubert Elie Sebire","doi":"10.37237/130404","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37237/130404","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents the results of an analysis made to some process models that have been used to introduce autonomous learning in EFL contexts. The purpose of this analysis was to explore the processes these models followed to reach such a goal. This was done because the authors of this paper considered that knowing the steps that were taken to foster autonomous learning may help to create or adapt a process model to implement this approach to learning in other contexts.","PeriodicalId":43678,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70054940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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