scholarly journals Editorial

2014 ◽  
pp. 315-319
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Regulatory Strategies ◽  
Directed Learning

The idea for this special issue on self-regulation in foreign language learning arose from a symposium we held from December 7-8, 2013, at Shimonoseki City University. We convened the symposium with the support of a grant-in-aid for scientific research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. This grant was awarded to help with the investigation of the use of supplementary learning materials designed to develop language learners’ self-regulatory strategies, a four year research project that is nearing conclusion. The aim of the symposium was not so much to showcase our own work, but to create an opportunity to learn from others and to share findings from practice and research. Through our participation at various conferences reporting on the results of our project, we had come to realize that there was significant interest in the application of self-regulated learning to foreign language studies, and, indeed, that there was a growing body of people engaged in research and educational practices related to this topic. We also noticed that many people involved in learner autonomy and self-directed learning were reporting findings similar to our own, so we were interested in achieving some sort of collaboration or discussion between educators working in these fields. The symposium brought up many issues which have influenced our own research and practices, and we hope that by sharing this with the wider community that the conversation will continue to grow.

scholarly journals Understanding Self-Regulated Learning: Thoughts from Attending the Self-Regulated Learning Symposium in Shimonoseki

2014 ◽  
pp. 460-465
Author(s):  
Katherine Thornton
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
Regulated Learning ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
And Performance

As a learning advisor who has been working in self-access learning for six years, I consider myself to be familiar with the field of learner autonomy and self-directed learning, drawing on the work of Henri Holec (1981), David Little (1991), Phil Benson (2011), Anita Wenden (1998) and others in my advising practice, curriculum design projects and research. From time to time in my work, I have come across the concept of self-regulation, as opposed to self-direction, and have had the opportunity to attend several presentations on the subject, where I have found myself in a familiar-sounding yet ultimately different universe. Some of the constructs used were familiar to me, but the terms used to describe them (such as forethought and performance monitoring instead of planning and reflection), and the researchers most referenced (typically Zimmermann and Schunk (2011) as opposed to Holec or Benson) were notably different. I was thus eager to take part in the symposium at Shimonoseki City University, Yamaguchi, entitled Self-Regulation in Foreign Language Learning: Shared Perspectives, to learn more about it. The symposium ran for two days, with only one presentation room, which meant that every participant was able to attend all the presentations. This and the relatively small size (around 40 participants over the weekend) created a friendly and supportive atmosphere, conducive to discussion and the sharing of ideas.

scholarly journals Self-directed learning as related to learning strategies, self-regulation, and autonomy in an English language program: A local application with global implications

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 445-469
Author(s):  
Melissa Williamson Hawkins
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Research University ◽  
English Language ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Language Program ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
Educational Environments ◽  
Directed Learning

English language tutoring and/or self-access centers are services commonly offered as curricular support to English language program students in educational environments worldwide. This paper argues that the theory of self-directed learning (SDL) from the field of adult education should be considered alongside the equally-important areas of language learning strategies, learner autonomy, and self-regulated learning in the setup of these types of tutoring/self-access academic support centers. The proposition is examined by applying it to a particular case in an English language program of a major research university in the southeastern United States. The paper explicates the commonly-known theory of SDL (Grow, 1991) and relates it to models by put forward by Nakata (2010) and Oxford (2011, 2107). Empirical evidence from studies on encouraging SDL for English language study is summarized from a range of research projects conducted worldwide, and the author concludes by offering implications for educators in any institution-based, adult English language program. 

scholarly journals Promotion of Student Autonomy in Learning the German Language. University Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-253
Author(s):  
Sidona Žvaliauskienė
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
German Language ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Student Autonomy ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
University Lecturers

SummaryThe concept of learner-centered teaching is very popular in modern foreign language didactics. Specialized literature emphasizes repeatedly how important it is to enable individual and self-directed learning processes and to support them with advice. It is obvious that autonomy can be seen as a key competence that is urgently needed in a constantly changing world of work. With the principles of learner orientation and learner autonomy, the roles of university lecturers and students are also changing. So it seems to be essential for lecturers to answer the following questions: Under what conditions can self-determined, efficient and successful foreign language learning take place in a university-learning environment? How much freedom students can or want to endure in a foreign language class? What are the limitations of learner-oriented teaching in foreign language classes? This article reports on the implementation of the pedagogical concepts of learner orientation and learner autonomy and shows why the use of the didactic principle of learner autonomy in universities is a challenging task for both teachers and learners. The statements are based on the insights gained during the BA seminar on contemporary German language at Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University.

scholarly journals The use of Self-regulated Language Learning Strategies Among Vietnamese English-majored Freshmen: A Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tran Quoc Thao ◽  
Nguyen Chau Hoang Long
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
English Language ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Language Learning Strategies ◽  
Efl Learners

Self-regulation of learning plays a vital role in improving second/foreign language learning as it can encourage the development of autonomous learners. It is seen that, nevertheless, ESL/EFL learners in different contexts are not fully aware of the importance of self-regulated language learning (SRLL) strategies in their English language learning. The present study, therefore, aims at investigating the use of SRLL strategies by English-majored students at a university in Bac Lieu province, Vietnam. This study involved 100 English-majored freshmen in answering a closed-ended questionnaire. The results showed that students sometimes used SRLL strategies, and they used SRLL strategies for keeping and monitoring records and seeking social assistance more often than for other purposes. The findings imply that students lacked knowledge of how to use SRLL strategies and get engaged in using SRLL strategies. This study recommends that students’ awareness of SRLL strategies should be seriously taken into account in order to facilitate their learner autonomy.

scholarly journals STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN DEVELOPING TRANSLATION COMPETENCE

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (3) ◽  
pp. 46-59
Author(s):  
Liudmyla Krainiak ◽  
Oleksandra Duda ◽  
Svitlana Rybachok ◽  
Tetiana Piatnychka ◽  
Nataliia Rybina
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Translation ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning Motivation ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Language Learning Motivation ◽  
Regulated Learning

Students’ language learning motivation is an important factor to ensure the quality of higher education in Ukraine in the context of its integration into the European Higher Education Area. The present study reveals the findings that showcase both pedagogical and psychological factors influencing students’ foreign language learning motivation in translation competence. The authors used a set of basic theoretical research methods to analyze, synthetize and classify scientific and methodological sources on the research problem; empirical methods of questionnaire surveys with direct and indirect questioning to represent learning motivational characteristics, statistical analysis to summarize the research results. Both psychological and pedagogical diagnostics of the socially heterogeneous respondents’ motivation made it possible to determine the external socio-cultural and internal self-concept motives in their self-improvement and self-regulated learning. It is established that the respondents’ external motives have arisen due to such stimulating factors as "competitive advantage in the labor market" and "career growth potential". Internal motives are mainly related to the satisfaction of a student’s personal needs in the foreign language learning (interest, awareness of the insufficient level of communicative competence, internal belief in the need for self-improvement of foreign language translation skills, etc.). Analysis of the diagnostics results provided an opportunity to distinguish the obstacles to the self-development of respondents in translation education. Experimental testing of the learning motivation within the internal and external mediation allowed to reveal the dominance of internal motives over external ones in all categories of respondents. Insufficient or low level of independent self-regulated learning has been identified as the main obstacle to self-improvement of foreign language translation competence. The paper contributes to the current understanding of translation education, especially in the context of Ukraine, by investigating factors influencing students’ learning motives and their pedagogical and theoretical implications.

Supporting Learning Self-Regulation through a PLE

2016 ◽  
pp. 1129-1156
Author(s):  
Iolanda Garcia ◽  
Begoña Gros ◽  
Ingrid Noguera
Keyword(s):  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Virtual Spaces ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
Regulated Learning ◽  
Directed Learning

In the knowledge society, autonomous and Self-Directed Learning (SDL) have become particularly important for professional development and lifelong learning. This kind of learning can take place in physical and virtual spaces that may belong to formal institutions but also to extended communities and networks. In virtual spaces, self-directed learning and self-regulation skills and capacities play an important role in learners' performance. For this reason, it is highly recommended to empower students to design and deploy educational spaces and projects able to fuse formal and informal contexts. The use of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) can support learners to gain control over their experiences through Web-based tools and a task-orientated environment. It is known that time management is one relevant component of self-regulated learning. There are many Web-based tools that can be used to control time investment and promote planning but little research that takes into account time management in the design and use of PLEs. This chapter describes the results of the Just4me project1, aimed at designing and developing a PLE to support self-regulated learning dealing with time management as an important dimension in lifelong learning. From this perspective, this chapter contributes to the operationalization and analysis of the time factor in online learning regarding time management in self-regulated learning processes supported by PLEs.

scholarly journals Researching Self-Regulated Learning and Foreign Language Learning

2014 ◽  
pp. 430-442
Author(s):  
Paul Collett
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
Situational Contexts ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Regulated Learning ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Testing Potential ◽  
Potential Methods

Self-regulation of learning is a topic of increasing interest for foreign or second language educators. Understanding how we can help our learners develop the strategies and capabilities that contribute to self-regulated learning (SRL) requires a firm grounding in existing research and theory, and a commitment to researching and testing potential methods within the situational contexts of the learning environment. Ensuring valid, replicable research results requires attention to a number of important factors in research design and implementation. This article provides an overview of some key issues of concern for research, ideally serving as a starting point or guide for those interested in expanding our knowledge of best practices for enhancing SRL in the language learning classroom.

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