What students of LCTLs want their teachers to know

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What students of LCTLs want their teachers to know

• Anna Uhl Chamot
• Jill Robbins
• (thanks to Laura Blythe Liu, Kristen DAvolio,
  Candice Michalowicz)
• The George Washington University/ National
  Capital Language Resource Center
• Washington, DC

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BACKGROUND

• National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC)
  one of 15 foreign language resource centers in U.
  S.
• Since 1990 NCLRC has conducted research on
  language learning strategies, both identification
  and classroom applications studies.
• Learning Strategy Resource Guides produced for
  elementary immersion, high school, and university
  language teachers and students.

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PURPOSE OF CURRENT NCLRC STUDY

• Explore how US college students learn
• Arabic
• Chinese
• Japanese
• Korean

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RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY

• Most learning strategy research on Western
  languages.
• Good language learners (of Western languages) use
  similar strategies.
• Effect of non-Western writing systems on strategy
  use?
• Impact of unique grammar and non-cognate
  vocabulary?

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PARTICIPANTS

• College learners of Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or
  Korean.
• Low Intermediate (fourth semester) level at two
  U.S. universities.
• 11 students of Arabic.
• 10 students of Chinese.
• 6 students of Japanese.
• 4 students of Korean.

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QUESTIONS

• What are the challenges in learning (language) ?
• What strategies do you use to overcome these
  challenges?
• What advice do you give to other students of this
  language?
• How are you learning the target language culture?

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METHODOLOGY

• Record and videotape focus group interview
  protocols.
• Transcribe interviews verbatim.
• Analyze transcripts for learning challenges and
  responses.
• Identify student perceptions of effective and
  ineffective instruction.

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FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW STRUCTURE

• Writing task with think-aloud prompts.
• Questions on
• Speaking
• Reading
• Listening
• Vocabulary
• Culture
• Advice to a new student of the language.

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How students study the language Why students
are studying the language Student perceptions
of effective language instruction
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ARABIC - HOW

• Online listening repeat many times (text
  materials)
• Listen to music online
• Online authentic materials use images to guess
  meaning
• Use the strategy of inferencing for live
  listening

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CHINESE - HOW

• Distributed Practice

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CHINESE - HOW

• Using boxes for reading

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CHINESE - HOW

• Working with NS friends
• Watching movies
• Using online listening
• Using online games quizzes (Quia)

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CHINESE - HOW

• Listening with an iPod)

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JAPANESE - HOW

• Study radicals to understand kanji

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KOREAN - HOW

• Use an online translator

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KOREAN - HOW

• Use Imagery

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ARABIC - WHY

• Becoming more bankable
• A mission to learn
• Getting a profound sense of the Middle East

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CHINESE - WHY

• Go into International Politics
• Just want to speak the language enjoy the
  culture
• Fascinated with China
• To learn more about my heritage

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JAPANESE - WHY

• Interest in pop culture anime
• Career involving Japanese or business with Japan
• Go for a homestay in Japan

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KOREAN - WHY

• To get in touch with my identity
• To communicate with my parents or relatives
  better (adopted child who wants to meet birth
  mother)

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ARABIC - INSTRUCTION

• Students dont feel they are getting enough
  listening practice must puzzle out what the
  teacher is saying through her gestures
• Knowledge of grammar is simple

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CHINESE - INSTRUCTION

• Pairwork can be productive (or not)
• Partners can let you down
• Managing time together is crucial
• Limited knowledge of structures restricts
  creativity
• Choral reading is mind-bogglingly slow

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JAPANESE - INSTRUCTION

• More reading wanted

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JAPANESE - INSTRUCTION

• Should start with kanji earlier
• Transition from HS to college the jump was
  hard because there was more review in HS
• Students shouldnt be allowed to NOT speak
  Japanese in class

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KOREAN - INSTRUCTION

• Understanding teachers questions is difficult
  and stressful Students under pressure stop
  listening and guess what she must be asking

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NEXT STEPS

• Continue data analysis.
• Develop descriptions of learning strategy
  applications for each language.
• Produce resource guide for teaching learning
  strategies to students of Arabic, Chinese,
  Japanese, and Korean.

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FUTURE RESEARCH

• Ways to teach learning strategies for
  language-specific challenges.
• Effects of strategies-based instruction (SBI) on
  student achievement/proficiency, attitude, and
  motivation.
• Instructional model for SBI for non-Western
  languages.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Please visit the NCLRC website for free
  resources on language learning strategies and
  other topics
• http//www.nclrc.org
• Special thanks to our transcribers Laura Blythe
  Liu, Kristen DAvolio, and Candice Michalowicz