A social-ecological exploration of autonomy, beliefs and identity
Date
2013
Authors
Kehrwald, J.L.
Editors
Benson, P.
Cooker, L.
Cooker, L.
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Book chapter
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Source details - Title: The applied linguistic individual: sociocultural approaches to identity, agency and autonomy, 2013 / Benson, P., Cooker, L. (ed./s), Ch.7, pp.90-103
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Abstract
Situated within the broad domain of Soc iocultural Theory, this chapter examines the social and discu rsive con struction of learn er autonomy, beliefs and identity in second language learning. The research presented here represents an attempt at 'widening the investigative lens' (Benson and Cooker, Chapter I, this volume) to understand the indiv idual's language learning experience by simultaneously focusing on the social, cultural and historical contexts in which the learner particip ates. The projec t was aimed at deve lop ing learner autonomy within a specific language learning context, through the selfexp loration ofthe learners' beliefs.The participants ofthe project were second language learn ers at a New Zea land tertiary inst itution who were enrolled in a compulsory English for Academic Purposes programme as a component of their Bachelor oflnternational Studies. Learners created a series ofvisual representations of their beliefs and experiences as language learners, including their language learning history, the ir goals and motivations and their conceptions of the ir roles as language learners. After a present ation of the relevant theoretical concepts which underpi nned the project, the resu lts as they pertain to one of the partic ipants in the projec t, Mayu, are presented and discussed. The results not only provide some insights into Mayu's own representations of her beliefs (her identity) and autonomy as a language learner, they allow us to see the socially mediated nature of her develop ment as a language learner with regard to these concepts. Finally, we see that it is Mayu 's vision of her imagined future self which provides the impetus for her to seek out and join particular learning communities and social contexts.
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Copyright 2012 Jane Kehrwald