“All the time learning... three months are equal to one year” : second language learning in a target-language community
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2009
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Australia hosts thousands of English language learners every year and one of
the reasons learners give for this is their belief that living in the target language
community naturally avails them of more language learning opportunities than
are available in their homelands. In fact, learners actually learn faster and more
effectively compared to the limited gains in their respective countries.
Believing that the target language community has a strong role in language
learning, this research focuses on the factors and opportunities which enable
students to develop their language skills in informal settings outside the school.
Due to the vast scope of the research area, six different types of data collection
methods have been used so that a wider spectrum in SLA could be investigated.
These include an exploration of learner beliefs about their language learning
experiences and a study of authentic social activities and linguistic engagements
within those activities.
The outcome of this research suggests that language learning is not first initiated
“in the head”, but starts with the social activities in which learners participate
and the qualities of the linguistic challenges and opportunities within these
activities. The research draws on sociocultural theory (Vygotsky 1962, 1978),
ecological approach to learning (van Lier 1999) and register theory (Halliday
and Hasan 1985), and also on a range of research within second language
acquisition studies.
The study illustrates that language learning occurs in the context of activitybased
communication experiences in authentic contexts, and the more the
constant challenge and varied linguistic opportunities exist in the learner’s
ecology, the more and better the chances to learn language. An overall approach
to understanding independent language learning and a conceptual framework for
examining informal language learning opportunities, have been developed. The
study concludes with some implications for pedagogical practice in English
language classrooms.
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