This presentation explores the social aspects of language learning in an autonomous learning context through the lens of actor-network theory (Latour, 2005). It follows an Exploratory Practice (Allwright & Hanks, 2009) project, which puzzled about why students were required to incorporate a social element in their autonomous English course. The project's result problematised the idea of social learning as distinct from other forms of learning. This result inspires the study at hand, which uses Latour's work to frame students' reflections on their learning. Latour disputes a pre-ordained category of the social, arguing instead that the social is recreated with every new association made. He also includes associations involving non-human actors, such as objects and ideas, as potentially part of a social system.
This project thus brings Latour's theory into conversation with the associations students make in an autonomous English course in higher education, where they are required to plan, carry out and evaluate (Holec, 1981) a programme of work with the help of a language advisor (Mynard & Carson, 2012). The data is collected via the language advisor's reflective journal, a practitioner-research approach which uses reflective practice (Bolton, 2001) and writing as a method of inquiry (Richardson & St. Pierre, 2005) to bring theory into dialogue with practice.
The aims of the study are to gain new insights into the idea of the social in language learning by examining who and what students interact and associate with on their language learning journeys. The study also aims to shed light on the advisor-researcher's conceptions of the social and suggest ideas for future practice.
Allwright, D., & Hanks, J. (2009). The developing language learner. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bolton, G. (2001), Reflective Practice. London: Paul Chapman.
Holec, H. (1981). Autonomy and foreign language learning. Oxford: Pergamon.
Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network Theory. New York: Oxford University Press.
Mynard, J., & Carson, L. (2012). Advising in language learning. Dialogue, tools and context. Harlow, UK: Pearson.
Richardson, L. & Pierre, E. A. S. (2005). 'Writing: a method of inquiry'. In The Sage handbook of qualitative research, pp. 959-78. Thousand Oakes, CA: Sage.
