Analyzing Capital to be Developed In Language Learning Among Graduates: A Case Study to Employ Bourdieusian Stances

Language and culture are indispensably inseparable in language learning. The development of capital during language learning is of growing importance in Vietnam’s sociocultural context. However, there are very few studies that have explored Vietnamese learners of English use of capital to enhance their employability skills. This qualitative study examined five selected language learners who were graduates with various degrees from higher education institutions and were employed in different jobs. We sought to examine the reflections of participants from different disciplines regarding their capital construction and development, which occurred during English language learning. Drawing on Bourdieu’s (1986) stances on capital and field, data collection primarily concentrated on semi-structured interviews that were thematically analyzed. Findings suggested that students utilized various forms of learning in order to negotiate their capital and think that field acts as a driver force behind their use of certain strategies. Language learners were observed as cultural-beings able to make informed decisions on how to develop certain types of capital, based on their sense of agency and formation of multiple identities available in their academic, professional, and social fields. The findings are discussed and implications are presented.

Download Full-text

Reflecting Translanguaging in Classroom Practices: A Case Study

Journal of English Language and Culture ◽

10.30813/jelc.v7i1.1019 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Magdalena Kartikasari Tandy Rerung

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Language Production ◽

English Language ◽

Classroom Practices ◽

First Language ◽

Language And Culture ◽

Speaking Skill ◽

Listening And Speaking ◽

Bahasa Indonesia

Strategies comes from Greek word “strategia” which means the art of planning and directing. Regarding to language learning, a strategy is used to achieve their goal depends on the skill they obtain. Specifically speaking skill is one of the productive skills that can be a challenging thing for university students who majored in English. Besides vocabulary, other element that support their language production is motivation. Avoiding in using Bahasa Indonesia can make them unmotivated sometimes. If this is the case, therefore the students might be passive learners in the classroom. Translanguaging is a strategy in language learning that can motivate students keep learning the language by combining their first language with the foreign one. The following case study is intended to observe how do students use translanguaging. The study was a class observation involving four students majored in English Language and Culture Program at Bunda Mulia University. They were in fourth semester and enrolling in the Listening and Speaking Class. Apparently the result shows that students who use their first language in the speaking task help them in delivering information and telling stories. Keywords: translanguaging strategies, speaking skill, language learning

Download Full-text

THE INFLUENCE OF CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE ON TEACHER BELIEF SYSTEMS: NEW FRENCH SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT PROGRAM OPTIONS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

McGill Journal of Education ◽

10.7202/1058418ar ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Katy Arnett ◽

Callie Mady

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Belief Systems ◽

Learning Difficulties ◽

Teacher Belief ◽

Longitudinal Case Study ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Teachers Beliefs

This longitudinal case study examines four new FSL teachers’ beliefs regarding the best and worst FSL program for English language learners and students with learning difficulties; the data are drawn from qualitative semi-structured interviews that occurred at the end of the participants’ Bachelor of Education program and near the end of each school year of their first three years of teaching. The case study considers how the teachers did or did not change their views as they gained experience in the classroom.

Download Full-text

Yemeni EFL Learners’ Identity Conflicts: An Exploratory Case Study

International Journal of English Linguistics ◽

10.5539/ijel.v9n3p268 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 268

Author(s):

Rais Ahmed Attamimi ◽

Nasser Omer M. Al-Tamimi ◽

Jon Andrew Chittick

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Case Study Research ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Target Language ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Exploratory Case Study ◽

Identity Conflicts ◽

High Level

The importance of the concept of “identity” in the context of language learning is unassailable. Stemming from this premise, the current study is intended to explore the identity conflicts of a group of Yemeni learners who were studying English, as well as the techniques and strategies used to mitigate and/or lessen the conflicts between their actual identity and the identity associated with the target language, i.e., English. This research project used a qualitative exploratory case study research design with a sample of 20 students who were requested to write their journal diaries. Following that, semi-structured interviews were conducted using the double-sampling technique to select 10 of the previously sampled students who were proven to have written the most stimulating and intriguing journal entries. From the results of the study, tangible identity conflicts between the Yemeni culture and society at large and the implied behaviors and conventions accompanying the intensive study of the English language became apparent. The students exhibit a high level of motivation and they also exert their efforts using different techniques and strategies to excel at the learning and/or acquisition of the speaking skill of the English language. These conflicts may be consciously or subconsciously realized by the language learners, but what has been proven is that their attitudes, motivation and general inclinations towards the goal of speaking with a native or a native-like accent are unquestionably genuine. Lastly, the study suggested or recommended a revamp of the current textbooks giving teachers more training sessions in order to improve their individual repertoire, as well as a higher degree of awareness upon the part of the Yemeni society at large that these conflicts can interfere with the strong motivations, both aspirational and actual, to achieve the learning outcomes of the nation’s most promising future leaders and pioneers.

Download Full-text

English Medium Instruction and the Internationalization of Higher Education in Latin America: A Case Study from a Colombian University

Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning ◽

10.5294/laclil.2020.13.2.8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 339-367 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Isabel Tejada-Sanchez ◽

Mario Molina-Naar

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Language Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Internationalization Of Higher Education ◽

Learning Support ◽

Internationalization Process ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

English Medium Instruction ◽

Contextual Awareness

This study discusses the implementation of English medium instruction (EMI) at a Colombian university. First, the paper reviews the rise of EMI in the internationalization of higher education. Second, it illustrates how one university incorporated EMI as part of an internationalization process. Third, it identifies the perceptions that a group of administrators, faculty, and students have regarding the EMI initiative. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis were conducted. Findings suggest that EMI is tied to the structuring of an internationalization office, curricular reforms, and English language learning support. Participants’ perceptions are associated with their imaginaries, identities, experiences, and obligations in relation to the English language. The study concludes that the implementation of EMI within the internationalization of universities is inevitable, yet a sustainable EMI strategy requires contextual awareness and articulation amongst its participants.

Download Full-text

COLLABORATIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: SOME REFLECTIONS FROM INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PAIRS

Trabalhos em Linguística Aplicada ◽

10.1590/010318138653439430941 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 58 (1) ◽

pp. 259-286

Author(s):

Laryssa Paulino de Queiroz Sousa ◽

Fernanda Franco Tiraboschi ◽

Neuda Alves do Lago ◽

Francisco José Quaresma de Figueiredo

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Collaborative Writing ◽

Essential Elements ◽

Esl Students ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Audio Recordings ◽

Learning Development ◽

Collaborative Language

ABSTRACT The focus of this study is on the interactions five pairs of students had in order to carry out a collaborative writing activity. The research was conducted in a language school of Goiânia, in Goiás, Brazil, with ten EFL/ESL students, in 2015. The objectives of this investigation are: a) to observe and discuss the elements that stand out during the students' interactions; and b) to investigate these learners' perceptions of the experience. This study is grounded on sociocultural theory (DONATO, 1994; HALL, 2001; VYGOTSKY, 1978) and collaborative language learning (FIGUEIREDO, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2015; OXFORD, 1997). The theoretical assumptions that guide this research consider interaction and collaboration as essential elements for language learning development. This is a qualitative case study (GODOY, 2006; TELLES, 2002), and the sources used to generate the data are questionnaires, audio recordings of the students' interactions and semi-structured interviews. The elements that stand out in this investigation are related to the potentialities of dialogic interactions, which foster scaffolding, mutual support, and the promotion of learners' autonomy. In addition, the learners highlight some positive aspects they could perceive from the experience, such as each other's help and the possibility to access more ideas; as negative aspects, they point out disagreements and conflicts they had to handle during the interactions.

Download Full-text

AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN ACADEMIC WRITING

Jurnal JOEPALLT (Journal of English Pedagogy, Linguistics, Literature, and Teaching) ◽

10.35194/jj.v9i1.1298 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Restu Winarsih ◽

Urai Salam ◽

Dwi Riyanti

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Learning Strategies ◽

Language Learners ◽

Academic Writing ◽

Writing Skills ◽

Writing Strategies ◽

Language Learning Strategies ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

English Academic Writing

This research was aimed to investigate students’ writing strategies in enhancing their English academic writing skills. This case study interviewed two students from English Department to reveal students’ strategies in academic writing. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and document reviews. The findings showed that the two students who categorized as good language learners in writing skills employed all five writing strategies as proposed by Mu (2005) in their writing process. The data showed that metacognitive strategies and social/affective strategies were used most by the students. The strategies were organizing strategies, resourcing, setting goals, reviewing and editing, and avoidance strategies. The data also indicated that the two students were not achieving the goal of learning instantly. They employed strategies effectively in their individual learning in enhancing their writing skills.

Download Full-text

Emotional experiences of Mexican language learners: A qualitative study of their effects on motivation

Revista Brasileira de Linguística Aplicada ◽

10.1590/1984-639820155183 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 809-837 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mariza G. Méndez López

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Personal Narratives ◽

English Language Teaching ◽

State University ◽

Emotional Experiences ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Electronic Journals ◽

Teaching Programme

This article reports on the emotional experiences of Mexican language learners in their second year of an English language teaching programme at a state university. The aim was to identify the effects of emotions on the motivational behaviour that the students displayed in their daily classes. The instruments employed were personal narratives, electronic journals and semi-structured interviews. The results demonstrated that emotions are a source for students' development and that meta-emotions can help students to become more motivated. The study revealed that emotions, both positive and negative, can help students develop awareness, responsibility and commitment to their language learning process.

Download Full-text

A Qualitative Case Study on Changes in a Five-Year One-To-One Laptop Initiative

Handbook of Research on Individual Differences in Computer-Assisted Language Learning - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8519-2.ch007 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 144-171

Author(s):

Güliz Turgut Dost

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Qualitative Case Study ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Laptop Initiative ◽

Urban Middle School ◽

Teachers Attitudes ◽

Diverse Student Population

The goal of this qualitative case study is to understand the changes that happened to a laptop initiative implemented at an urban middle school with diverse student population. Different from existing studies, this study investigated the changes in the initiative beyond its establishment phase and focused specifically on English Language Learners (ELLs). Data is collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Three main changes were identified: teachers' attitudes towards and students' proficiencies in use of laptops, the nature and amount of laptops' use, and the consideration given to English Language Learners. Implications of the findings could inform national educational policies and school leaderships.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Students’ Beliefs about English Language Learning on Out-of-Class Learning

Relay Journal ◽

10.37237/relay/020117 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 122-136

Author(s):

Naoya Shibata

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Learning Strategies ◽

English Language ◽

Influential Factors ◽

Learning Ability ◽

Illustrative Case ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Learner Beliefs ◽

The Impact

Learner beliefs are “the beliefs that language learners have about what is involved in learning a language, how to learn it and their own language-learning ability” (Ellis & Shintani, 2014, p. 340). Although learner beliefs are considered as one of the most influential factors in utilising language strategies, and (de)activating motivation as well as autonomy, the clear relationships between learner beliefs and engagement in learning has rarely been investigated or indicated (Ellis & Shintani, 2014). In this illustrative case study, qualitative research utilising a survey with 12 open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews were conducted with two first-year students (one successful learner and one less-successful learner) at a Japanese private high school in the 2017 school year. The researcher aimed to explore the effects of learner beliefs about language learning on their out-of-class learning. Results indicated that although both learners had similar learning beliefs, their engagement in out-of-class learning and their use of learning strategies differed. Therefore, in this case study, learner beliefs and their engagement in the out-of-class learning did not demonstrate a direct relationship.

Download Full-text

TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMAL L2 LEARNING EXPERIENCE: A TRANSDISCIPLINARY FRAMEWORK

PARADIGM ◽

10.18860/prdg.v3i1.9030 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 11

Author(s):

Justsinta Silvi Alivi ◽

Wiwik Mardiana

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

Second Language ◽

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Digital Era ◽

Learning English

Technology in informal language learning is inevitably in this digital era since it offers opportunities and brings positive impacts on English language learners. Some related studies are concerned with a particular approach. Therefore, this study looks at a broader lens to investigate individuals' differences in developing a second language, and to what extent technology contributes to their second language acquisition by employing the transdisciplinary framework of Douglas Fir Group (2016). This case study involved two participants, and the data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that individual differences in learning English are influenced by social interaction (micro), environment (meso), and belief (macro). Technology is utilized not only as a medium of learning English but also as an identity construction. How ideology and technology are interrelated is further discussed.

Download Full-text