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20230718T083020230718T1615Europe/Amsterdam[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphereHybrid Session (onsite/online)AILA 2023 - 20th Anniversary Congress Lyon Editioncellule.congres@ens-lyon.fr
A systematic review of methodologies in ISLL from 2000 to 2020
Oral Presentation[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphere10:00 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 08:00:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 14:15:00 UTC
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the methodological approaches used over a span of twenty years in research on informal L2 usage, based on a systematic review of ISLL research. 218 studies published between 2000 and 2020 were analysed with regard to a number of criteria such as aim, terminology used, underlying theoretical framework, methodology employed and links to the formal sphere. This paper presents findings from the methodology section of our analysis focusing on the various methodological approaches, study designs, data collection methods and quantitative and qualitative data analyses employed in these papers over the last two decades. As such, our work will inform the research community on methodologies that both have and have not yet been used, which may impact choices for future study designs.
Research into Informal Second Language Learning (ISLL) has grown substantially over the past two decades. This increased interest in L2 use in informal contexts has produced findings on a multitude of variables, such as L2 development (vocabulary, complexity, accuracy, fluency, pronunciation), autonomy, engagement and willingness to communicate, among others (e.g. Arndt, 2019; Kusyk, 2017; Lee, 2019). A number of methodological approaches have been used to invetigate these variables, such as questionnaires, case studies, focus groups, tests and language diaries. While present findings appear to offer a promising avenue for future research in this relatively new field, it is also clear that a certain amount of terminological confusion and overlap has emerged. Indeed, rather than operating under one umbrella construct, researchers across the world have investigated this phenomenon under multiple labels (Extramural English (Sundqvist, 2009), Informal Digital Learning of English (Lee & Dressman, 2018), Language Learning Beyond the Classroom (Benson & Reinders, 2011), …), each possessing its own nuances. In order to gain a clearer picture of these different research strands and how they may differ or overlap, a systematic review was conducted. This systematic review investigated 218 scientific texts (journal articles, anthologies, monographs, dissertations) published between 2000 and 2020. They were analysed according to criteria such as aim of the paper, terminology used, underlying theoretical framework, variables investigated, methodology employed and links to the formal sphere. This paper presents findings from the methodology section of our analysis. In particular, our results will focus on the various methodological approaches, study designs, data collection methods and quantitative and qualitative data analyses employed in these papers over the last two decades. In addition, we will also report on aspects such as geographic location of study, participant demographics (age, school type, course of study) and the L1 & L2 of the participants. The aim of this paper is thus to provide an overview of the methodological approaches used over a span of twenty years in research on informal L2 usage. This presentation and discussion of past and current methods will inform the research community on methodologies that both have and have not yet been employed, which may impact choices for future study designs.
References Arndt, H. L. (2019). Informal second language learning: The role of engagement, proficiency, attitudes, and motivation (PhD thesis). University of Oxford, Oxford. Benson, P., & Reinders, H. (Eds.) (2011). Beyond the language classroom. Houndsmill, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Kusyk, M. (2017). The development of complexity, accuracy and fluency in L2 written production through informal participation in online activities. CALICO Journal, 34(1), 75–96. Lee, J. S., & Dressman, M. (2018). When IDLE hands make an English workshop: Informal digital learning of English and language proficiency. TESOL Quarterly, 52(2), 435–445. Lee, J. S. (2019). EFL students' views of willingness to communicate in the extramural digital context. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 32(7), 692–712. Sundqvist, P. (2009). Extramural English matters: Out-of-school English and its impact on Swedish ninth graders' oral proficiency and vocabulary (PhD thesis). Karlstad University, Karlstad.
Presenters Meryl Kusyk Research & Teaching Faculty Member, Karlsruhe University Of Education
An international comparative study of learners in input-rich settings with different starting ages of formal English instruction: Results presented considering methodological concerns in international ISLL projects
Oral Presentation[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphere08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 14:15:00 UTC
Findings from research on the role of age in foreign/second language (L2) learning are inconclusive (Cadierno et al., 2020; Jaekel et al., 2017; Muñoz, 2014; Unsworth et al., 2015) and very few studies include possible learning from engagement in Extramural English activities (EE, Sundqvist, 2009). Sweden and Flanders (Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) are comparable societies with similar education systems and access to English, but different starting points for English instruction in school: early in Sweden (grade 1/2/3) but late in Flanders (grade 7/8). In this presentation we present results from a study involving a sample of 197 participants (124 in Sweden, 73 in Flanders) at two age levels, ages 11–12 (group 'Younger', n = 141) and ages 15–16 ('Older', n = 56). Data were collected through an EE-questionnaire, an age-appropriate listening comprehension test, and the Picture Vocabulary Size Test (Anthony & Nation, 2017). Data were analyzed quantitatively. Participants' engagement in EE was similar for the Younger and Older groups in both settings in terms of frequency and types of preferred EE activities. Surprisingly, the late Flemish starters scored higher than the early Swedish starters on vocabulary (significant difference for Younger). As expected, the early starters scored significantly higher on listening, but only for Younger. Implications for English language teaching and educational policy will be discussed. Additionally, we will discuss the methods for capturing EE that are currently employed in two ongoing sister projects (The STAGE Projects) in Flanders and Norway (a country similar to Sweden), plus how we capture EE among very young learners in grade 1 (ages 5–7). References Anthony, L., & Nation, I. S. P. (2017). Picture Vocabulary Size Test (Version 1.2.0) [Computer software and measurement instrument]. Tokyo, Japan: Waseda University. Retrieved from http://www.laurenceanthony.net/software/pvst Cadierno, T., Hansen, M., Lauridsen, J. T., Eskildsen, S. W., Fenyvesi, K., Hannibal Jensen, S., & aus der Wieschen, M. V. (2020). Does younger mean better? Age of onset, learning rate and short-term L2 proficiency in Danish young learners of English. Vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 57-86. http://vialjournal.webs.uvigo.es/pdf/Vial-2020-Article3.pdf Jaekel, N., Schurig, M., Florian, M., & Ritter, M. (2017). From early starters to late finishers? A longitudinal study of early foreign language learning in school. Language Learning, 67(3), 631–664. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12242 Sundqvist, P. (2009). Extramural English Matters – Out-of-School English and Its Impact on Swedish Ninth Graders' Oral Proficiency and Vocabulary. (Diss.), Karlstad University, Karlstad. Unsworth, S., Persson, L., Prins, T., & de Bot, K. (2015). An investigation of factors affecting early foreign language learning in the Netherlands. Applied Linguistics, 36(5), 527-548. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amt052
Investigating extramural English: young L2 learners’ exposure, grammar knowledge and writing proficiency prior to English instruction
Oral Presentation[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphere08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 14:15:00 UTC
In recent years, the relationship between learners' out-of-school engagement with English (or Extramural English (EE); Sundqvist, 2009) and their English language proficiency has been gaining traction. Research has shown the benefits of EE for language learning in instructed settings (e.g. Lindgren & Muñoz, 2013; Sundqvist & Wikström, 2015), as well as for learners with no prior English instruction (e.g. De Wilde et al., 2020; Puimège & Peters, 2019). While EE effects on most language proficiency measures – vocabulary in particular – have been largely investigated, little is known about the link between EE and grammar knowledge and writing performance (see De Wilde et al., 2020, for an exception on an integrated reading-and-writing test). The present study aims to enhance our understanding of the role of EE in young EFL learners' language acquisition process, by examining whether extramural exposure is related to their English grammar knowledge and writing proficiency prior to formal instruction. We investigate the effect of different EE types (e.g. watching TV, music, gaming) and a number of learner-related variables (e.g. monolingual vs. multilingual learners, SES). Furthermore, we will tap on the methodological issues occurring when measuring EE. Data were collected with Dutch-speaking children in grade 6 (age 11-12), who had not received any formal English instruction (n = 440). Both a learner questionnaire and a language diary were used to measure EE, which will allow us to elaborate on the benefits and pitfalls of both instruments. In order to measure English language proficiency, participants were administered an English grammaticality judgement test (Pfenninger, 2014) and a writing test (European Commission, 2012). Based on our pilot data, we hypothesize that extramural English is positively related to EFL learners' grammaticality judgement. Furthermore, we expect to find a positive relation between EE and writing proficiency, in line with Sundqvist and Wikström's (2015) study on gaming, as the pilot comprised a large proportion of gamers and suggested that some participants already obtained an A2 or B1 level according to the CEFR.
References De Wilde, V., Brysbaert, M., & Eyckmans, J. (2020). Learning English through out-of-school exposure. Which levels of language proficiency are attained and which types of input are important ? Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 23, 171–185. European Commission. (2012). First European Survey on Language Competences. https://doi.org/10.2766/34160 Lindgren, E., & Muñoz, C. (2013). The influence of exposure, parents, and linguistic distance on young European learners' foreign language comprehension. International Journal of Multilingualism, 10(1), 105–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2012.679275 Pfenninger, S. E. (2014). The misunderstood variable: Age effects as a function of type of instruction. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 3, 529–556. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.3.8 Puimège, E., & Peters, E. (2019). Learners' English vocabulary knowledge prior to formal instruction: The role of learner-related and word-related variables. Language Learning, 69(4), 943–977. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12364 Sundqvist, P. (2009). Extramural English matters: Out-of-school English and its impact on Swedish ninth graders' oral proficiency and vocabulary. Karlstad University, Sweden. Sundqvist, P., & Wikström, P. (2015). Out-of-school digital gameplay and in-school L2 English vocabulary outcomes. System, 51, 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2015.04.001
Presenters Elien Prophète PhD Student, KU Leuven Co-authors Pia Sundqvist Professor, University Of Oslo, Norway
Writing TV series scripts to measure learning from extensive audio-visual input
Oral Presentation[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphere08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 14:15:00 UTC
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It it has been shown that greater amounts of exposure to language input through TV, listening to music, and playing games results in higher L2 proficiency affecting L2 listening and reading comprehension (Lindgren & Muñoz, 2013). Audiovisual input, such as movies and TV series in the original version, has been proven a valuable resource for L2 development as well. Research on the topic suggests positive effects of videos on L2 listening comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and speech processing (see Montero Perez, 2022). However, most studies on the effects of audio-visual input have used strict, rarely productive tests to evaluate learning from short or extensive exposure to audio-visual input. Therefore, little is known about the potential of audio-visual input to promote elaborate output, both methodologically and theoretically. One exception that attempts to measure language uptake through language production is fan fiction analysis. For instance, Sockett and Kusyk (2015) found that those participants who watched L2 audio-visual input more frequently demonstrated significantly more use of frequent TV series constructions in their written fan fiction production. The present study attempts to explore further the possibilities of elaborate output through analysing the scripts of the TV series episode written by the L2 viewers.
In our study, 113 participants of varying L2 English proficiency levels (from A1 to C2) viewed 10 episodes of a comedy TV series with or without captions. After every two episodes, they were tested on some grammar units and expressions appearing in it. After viewing the last episode, the participants were additionally asked to produce a TV script for the next episode of the series. The participants were prompted to include as many words, expressions, and grammar from the 10 episodes of the TV series as possible. The students were given the same amount of time (20 minutes) to perform the task and the same word limit (200-220 words). The analysis will include a comparison of the scripts of the ten episodes of the target TV series, and the scripts produced by the participants with the use of a Python script. The results will further be analysed using mixed methods to establish whether the language production was affected by the participants' viewing mode (with or without captions), and their language proficiency.
In our presentation we will discuss the methodological and practical implications of using episode script writing to measure language uptake and output from extensive exposure to audio-visual input.
Lindgren, E., & Muñoz, C. (2013). The influence of exposure, parents, and linguistic distance on young European learners' foreign language comprehension. International Journal of Multilingualism, 10(1), 105-129. Montero Perez, M. (2022). Second or foreign language learning through watching audio-visual input and the role of on-screen text. Language Teaching, 1–30. Sockett, G. & Kusyk, M. (2015). Online informal learning of English: frequency effects in the uptake of chunks of language from participation in web-based activities. In T. Cadierno, & S.W. Eskildsen (Eds.), Usage-based perspectives on second language acquisition (pp. 153–177). De Gruyter Mouton.
The LANG-TRACK-APP: Measuring informal language use through experience sampling
Oral Presentation[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphere08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 14:15:00 UTC
Measuring everyday language use is of central importance for Informal Second Language Learning (ISLL) research. Many past studies have employed questionnaires which require learners to estimate their 'typical' level of informal language use, or to report the extent to which they engaged in informal activities in the past (e.g., over the last month). This implies that ISLL is a relatively stable 'trait variable', even though longitudinal research suggests that it tends to vary considerably over time (Kusyk 2017). Some ISLL researchers have used daily surveys or diaries as an alternative method for collecting data on informal language use. While better suited to capturing the dynamic nature of ISLL, they also require participants to recall and summarise their experiences (albeit across a shorter time span). Psychometric research shows that people's ability to recall, summarise, and generalise their past experiences is limited by a range of cognitive biases, such as overestimating the duration and frequency of past events and giving more weight to more recent and emotionally salient experiences (e.g., Wearden 2008). Such inaccuracies can be further amplified when estimates are aggregated across many items targeting different informal activities.
The Experience Sampling Method (ESM; Hektner et al. 2007) offers an alternative approach for measuring language use, which involves prompting learners to answer short, easy-to-complete questionnaires about their current or very recent experiences several times a day, at fixed or random intervals. ESM yields exceptionally rich, highly contextualised data which can be analysed in a variety of ways, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Originating in behavioural psychology, this method holds great potential for strengthening ISLL studies, by helping researchers to investigate not only informal language use, but also the context in which it occurs and learners' concurrent mood, thoughts, and feelings. The immediacy and high ecological validity of the ESM contribute to the strong reliability and accuracy of the collected data (Hektner et al., 2007). Furthermore, the nested structure of ESM data (many data points per day, across multiple weeks) enables the study of dynamic changes in informal language use and other related factors across time and contexts.
To facilitate the application of the ESM in SLA research, we have developed the LANG-TRACK-APP, a smartphone application for signalling participants and collecting survey responses. Drawing on two recent studies of everyday language use, we show how the LANG-TRACK-APP can be used to implement the ESM in research on learning in the private sphere. We present selected findings which illustrate different ways in which ESM data can be analysed, and the ways in which it can further our understanding of the complexity of informal language use and acquisition.
Hektner JM, Schmidt JA & Csíkszentimihályi M (2011) Experience Sampling Method: Measuring the Quality of Everyday Life. Sage. Kusyk M (2017) The development of complexity, accuracy, and fluency in L2 written production through informal participation in online activities. CALICO Journal, 34(1), 75-96. Wearden JH (2008) The perception of time: Basic research and some potential links to the study of language. Language Learning, 58(Suppl. 1), 149-171.
Presenters Henriette Arndt Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Lund University Co-authors
Building Narratives of Informal Language Development: Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Synthesis (QRS)
Oral Presentation[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphere08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 14:15:00 UTC
The successful mass acquisition of second languages through informal engagement with digital media has been well-documented in quantitative studies across a wide range of international settings and contexts in the past two decades. But an additional set of questions also exists, not about outcomes but about processes, or about how individuals acquire/learn new languages through digital media. These questions require fine-grained examination of qualitative, ethnographic data (interviews, logs, diaries, field notes) and the tracing of narratives across time and multiple contexts, to generate a global, generalized narrative of informal language development (ILD).
Our methodology follows the seven-stage "primer" for Qualitative Research Synthesis (QRS) described by Chong and Plonsky (2021; see also Chong & Reinders, 2021). First, we have designed two research questions:
Is there a general narrative and timeline for ILD that can be traced from nascent exposure to a new language through levels of development?What salient geographic, demographic, and formal educational variables (e.g., national context; availability of digital resources; age; gender; availability of resources; co-occurring formal instruction) contribute to variations in the general narrative of ILD?
Second and third, we are currently developing a list of keywords to guide our literature search (e.g., ethnography/ethnographic; case study; naturalistic language learning; autonomous language learning; OILE/IDLE/EE; qualitative; narrative) from two sources: 1) a set of studies from a pre-selected comprehensive review of databases on ILD between 2000 and 2020; and 2) an updated review of databases from 2020 to June 2022. In the fourth stage, we are narrowing our list of studies to mixed-method and ethnographic, qualitative studies that include case studies and narratives of individuals learning a language informally. Our preliminary review of these studies shows that they are geographically divergent but demographically and educationally convergent and include studies from nearly every world region and continent.
In the fifth QRS stage, we will extract the narrative portions of ILD from each selected study, along with any contextual variables named in each study, with attention to which portions are "raw data" and which are "interpreted findings" (p. 1030). In the sixth stage, we will begin to synthesize this data using grounded theory and three rounds of coding: initial, focused, and axial, to generate thematic narratives of ILD. In the latter stages of coding, we will rely on constant comparative (Glaser, 1965) methods to synthesize a general narrative and differentiations according to salient contextual variables.
In the seventh, final stage, we will report our findings in three forms: 1) a written, narrative report; 2) data charts and tables; and 3) visual representations using figures and possibly animation. Our goal is to remain ethnographically focused, considering the entire range of contextualizing variables presented through narrative reportage.
Chong, S., & Plonsky, L. (2021). A primer on qualitative research synthesis in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 55(3), 1024-1034.
Chong, S., & Reinders, H. (2021). A methodological review of qualitative research syntheses in CALL: The state-of-the-art. System, 103, 1-15.
Glaser, B. (1965). The constant comparative method of qualitative analysis. Social problems, 12(4), 436-445.
Oral Presentation[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphere08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 14:15:00 UTC
While most research in the field of ISLL focuses either on measuring acquisition from informal contexts through testing, or characterising attitudes to informal learning through questionnaires and interviews, the use of corpora offers insights into a range of phenomena relating to ISLL. Three broad areas will be covered in this talk. Firstly, since much is known about the habits of informal learners, particularly their listening activities relating to television series and vlogs, an analysis of the scripts of frequently viewed television series and popular vlogs provides insights into the linguistic characteristics of these two genres and the affordances they present for language learning. The second is the constitution and analysis of corpora of texts written in informal contexts by non-native speakers. Websites such as Fanfiction.net offer extensive opportunities to analyse productions which seek to reproduce the themes and styles of film and television production and many of which are written by non-native speakers. While productions by classroom learners are likely to differ in many ways from fan fictions produced in informal contexts, it is nonetheless useful to look thirdly at corpus data gleaned from productions envisaged as bridging activities in a formal context.
The study of informal second language learning encompasses a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. While most research in the field focuses either on measuring acquisition from informal contexts through testing, or characterising attitudes to informal learning through questionnaires and interviews, the use of corpora offers insights into a range of phenomena relating to ISLL (Sockett, 2014). The availability of concordancing tools and wide range of fan activities, such as transcription, subtitling, and fan fiction production, make this dimension of ISLL study one which is particularly suited to researchers who wish to look beyond classroom learners as sources of data on informal learning. Three broad areas will be covered in this talk. The first is the constitution and analysis of written and oral corpora of language which the informal learner is likely to be exposed to (Sockett, 2011). Since much is known about the habits of informal learners, particularly their listening activities relating to television series and vlogs, an analysis of the scripts of frequently viewed television series and popular vlogs provides insights into the linguistic characteristics of these two genres and the affordances they present for language learning. Examples will be presented of corpora of the vloggers Zoella and PewDiePie, which will be contrasted with corpora from popular television series. The second is the constitution and analysis of corpora of texts written in informal contexts by non-native speakers. Websites such as Fanfiction.net offer extensive examples of productions which seek to reproduce the themes and styles of film and television production and many of which are written by non-native speakers. Although research into this area offers limited data about the authors gleaned from their profiles, such contents offer a number of advantages over studying production in a formal setting, particularly in terms of quantity of texts available and issues relating to the authors' affective filter. Examples will be presented from a corpus of Game of Thrones fan fictions. While productions by classroom learners are likely to differ in many ways from fan fictions produced in informal contexts, it is nonetheless useful to look thirdly at corpus data gleaned from productions envisaged as bridging activities (Thorne & Reinhardt, 2008) in a formal context. Productions such as fan fictions written in the classroom (Sauro, 2019) may therefore provide helpful insights into the nature of uptake from informal sources (Sockett & Kusyk, 2015). Bibliography Sauro, S. (2019). Fan Fiction and Informal Language Learning. In M. Dressman & R. W. Sadler (Eds.), The Handbook of Informal Language Learning (1st ed., pp. 139–151). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119472384.ch9 Sockett, G. (2011). From the cultural hegemony of English to online informal learning: Cluster frequency as an indicator of relevance in authentic documents. ASp, 60, 5–20. https://doi.org/10.4000/asp.2469 Sockett, G. (2014). The online informal learning of English. Palgrave Macmillan. Sockett, G., & Kusyk, M. (2015). Online informal learning of English: frequency effects in the uptake of chunks of language from participation in web-based activities. In T. Cadierno & S. W. Eskildsen (Eds.), Usage-Based Perspectives on Second Language Learning (pp. 153–178). DE GRUYTER. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110378528-009 Thorne, S. L., & Reinhardt, J. (2013). 'Bridging Activities,' New Media Literacies, and Advanced Foreign Language Proficiency. CALICO Journal, 25(3), 558–572. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v25i3.558-572
Examining L2 learners’ pronunciation using a semi-naturalistic data collection method: what do oral diaries have to offer?
Oral Presentation[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphere08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 14:15:00 UTC
Many of the studies investigating L2 learners' pronunciation gather data mostly through controlled methodologies in which participants read lists of words, expressions, sentences, or texts in experimental/laboratory (pre/post-test) settings. Whilst semi-naturalistic data collection provides a set of instruction asking learners to produce utterances in which they choose their own wording (picture descriptions, storytelling, debates), naturalistic data collection on the other hand consists of recording learners' "stress-free" oral utterances, without the presence of the researcher and with no instruction, mostly outside the classroom (Erlandson et. al, 1993). To date, no study in the L2 learning/acquisition literature has phonetically and phonologically analyzed naturalistic oral data. Research in the field of informal second language learning have only investigated speech elements such as fluency and accuracy through semi-naturalistic data (Cole & Vanderplank, 2016; Kusyk, 2017). Drawing on the difference between read and naturalistic speech (Howell & Kadi-Hanifi, 1991), we conducted a pilot research using semi-naturalistic methodology and acoustically analyzed oral productions of learners who engage in informal activities. We asked a group of 18 French students to hold an oral diary (Song, 2009). The instruction was to record a summary, a synthesis or anything they like, without any written note, right after doing an activity in English (the ones they already do in their daily life). Five volunteers sent us between two to four recordings (a dozen of hours) and agreed to be interviewed. Content analysis of both oral diaries and interviews shows that these learners are conscious about the improvement of their oral skills thanks to informal activities (TV series and movies, music, and games), and also acknowledged the fact that the oral diary activity has given them the opportunity to practice their speaking skills especially at the articulatory level. Furthermore, the acoustic analysis revealed a more fluent, accurate and comprehensible speech with a pronunciation tending rather to the American accent. Segmental and suprasegmental aspects such as rhoticity, flap, nasal vocalization, rise and fall intonation, uptalk, freaky voice, etc. were largely identified within some learners (speakers 10, 3 and 14). These results indicate that oral diaries and interviews in the L2 constitute a good qualitative method to collect spontaneous spoken corpus that allows the researcher to holistically analyze L2 learners' oral productions.
References Cole, J., & Vanderplank, R. (2016). Comparing autonomous and class-based learners in Brazil: Evidence for the present-day advantages of informal, out-of-class learning. System, 61, 31‑42. Erlandson, D. A., Harris, E. L., Skipper, B. L., & Allen, S. D. (1993). Doing naturalistic inquiry: A guide to methods. Sage. Kusyk, M. (2017). The development of complexity, accuracy and fluency in L2 written production through informal participation in online activities. Calico Journal, 34(1), 75-96. Song, J. W. (2009). An Investigation into the Effects of an Oral English Diary a Using Voice Bulletin Board on English Spoken Performance. Multimedia Assisted Language Learning, 12(1), 125-150. Howell, P., & Kadi-Hanifi, K. (1991). Comparison of prosodic properties between read and spontaneous speech material. Speech communication, 10(2), 163-169.
Language learners’ creative uses of TikTok in informal spaces: an emic approach to a complex systems perspective and spatial views on informal second language learning
Oral Presentation[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphere08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 14:15:00 UTC
This presentation shows how narrative data from journal diaries and stimulated recall interviews were used to understand learning in informal spaces in a case study of five international students in Australia. It discusses students' creative uses of emerging image-based social media as resources for informal second language learning. Drawing on a complex systems perspective on learning (Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008) and spatial views on digital technology and learning (Benson, 2021; Ciolfi, 2013; Kuure, 2011), the study examined how students incorporate the use of TikTok into their language learning and lives. The findings revealed how they adapted their multimodal experience of learning into technological innovations in TikTok's features. The findings also revealed how they utilised those features as their linguistic resources in response to the afforances that emerged in everyday communicative situations and spaces. The individual language learning consisted of numerous spaces and resources that an individual used and created in the course of unique learning journey. Using narrative data, this study provides deep insights into innovative and creative ways of informal second language learning for three main reasons. Firstly, it highlights how learners made use of audio-visual learning in the latest technological innovations of the 2020s. Secondly, it reflects the current reality of informal second language learning that occurs in daily life spaces where students access social media with devices and mobilities. Adding to Sockett (2013), lastly, it shows how the data collection of emic data can best fit into the informal learning that may create the emergence of unexpected outcome and behaviours, which are not easy to collect data from the private sphere without understanding students' own perspectives and learning process.
Bibliography Benson, P. (2021). Language learning environments: Spatial perspectives on SLA. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Ciolfi, L. (2013). Space and place in digital technology research: A theoretical overview. In S. Price, C. Jewitt, & B. Brown (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of digital technology research (pp. 159–173). SAGE Publications. Kuure, L. (2011). Places for learning: Technology-mediated language learning practices beyond the classroom. In P. Benson & H. Reinders (Eds.), Beyond the Language Classroom (pp. 35–46). Palgrave Macmillan. Larsen-Freeman, D., & Cameron, L. (2008). Complex systems and applied linguistics. Oxford University Press. Sockett, G. (2013). Understanding the online informal learning of English as a complex dynamic system: An emic approach. ReCALL, 25(1), 48–62. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095834401200033X
Presenters Yeong-Ju Lee PhD Candidate , Macquarie University
A dynamic systems theory approach to informal second language learning: using retrodiction to trace back the dynamic evolution of the learner’s motivational system
Oral Presentation[SYMP48] Methodologies in Informal Second Language Learning: observing learning in the private sphere08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 14:15:00 UTC
With the introduction, in the 1990's, of the dynamic systems theory approach in human sciences research (Sauvage, 2015), new perspectives have been brought on second language learning. Evolution through time has become central and variability has become relevant. Elements constituting language are no longer seen as distinct parameters but as components of a system constantly interacting with each other and the environment (Cameron & Larsen-Freeman, 2008). This presentation aims, through the example of our own study, to discuss the methodological implications of applying a dynamic systems theory approach to informal second language learning. The purpose of our study is to explore the internal motivational dynamics of French university students, who are engaged in informal learning activities in English such as watching series or television programs, reading newspapers, or listening to music. That is to say, we are studying the evolution of the motivational sub-system of non-native English users. In order to do so, we collected data through semi-structured interviews using a retrodictive method. In other words, we tried to go back in time with the interviewees from the very beginning of their learning of English to the present day to reconstruct the dynamics of their motivation through time and the different states their motivational system went through. This type of methodology is also called retrodictive qualitative modeling (Dörnyei, 2014 ; Gillies, 2014) and aims at unraveling the signature dynamics of a system (the salient mechanisms within the system) (Hiver, 2017) by following three steps: (1) identifying types within the target population, (2) identifying individuals matching these types, (3) and identifying the salient components and the signature dynamics of the system through retrodictive interviews. Throughout our presentation, we want to highlight the challenges of applying a dynamic systems theory approach to second language learning studies, in particular by emphasizing the parameters to be taken into account when designing a study using retrodiction and seeking to describe the functioning of a dynamic system. Dörnyei, Z. (2014). Researching complex dynamic systems: 'Retrodictive qualitative modeling' in the language classroom. Language Teaching, 47(1), 80-91. Gillies, H. (2014). Researching Complex Dynamic Systems: Retrodictive Qualitative Modeling to Understand Motivation in the Japanese EFL Classroom. 都留文科大学研究紀要 (The Tsuru University Review), 80. Hiver, P. (2017). Tracing the Signature Dynamics of Language Teacher Immunity: A Retrodictive Qualitative Modeling Study. The Modern Language Journal, 101, 669-690. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12433 Larsen-Freeman, D., Cameron, L. (2008). Complex systems and applied linguistics. Oxford University Press. Sauvage, J. (2015). L'acquisition du langage : Un système complexe. Academia L'Harmattan.
Meryl Kusyk
Pia Sundqvist
Elien Prophète
Anastasia Pattemore
Maria Del Mar Suárez
Henriette Arndt
Yeong-Ju Lee
