Chapter 9
The impact of learner perceptions of
interlocutor individual differences on learner
possible selves during a short-term experience
abroad
A dynamic shift in second
language (L2) research (de Bot, 2015a) has revealed
L2 motivation and learner self-concept as
temporally dynamic and multidimensional traits
that continually emerge in interaction with
context (Mercer, 2016; Ushioda, 2015). However,
interlocutors have received scant attention under
a Complex Dynamic Systems Theoretical
framework.
To bridge this gap, this
study explores the dynamic interaction between
learner selves (Dörnyei, 2009) and
interlocutor individual differences (IDs) over a two-week experience
abroad. A case study approach focused on three L2
learners and one heritage speaker who completed a
daily interaction log, Likert-scale questionnaires
targeting daily, weekly, and monthly changes in
self-concept, and journal reflections focused on
daily interactions in Spanish. Interlocutors
(e.g., host families, teachers, Ecuadorian
university students) completed a questionnaire
tapping several IDs (e.g., language background).
Results revealed fluctuation in learner
perceptions of self, which interacted with their
perceptions of interlocutor IDs.
Article outline
- Introduction
- Background literature
- CDST and learning context
- Learner affective outcomes and
interlocutors in study abroad settings
- Context and the self as complex dynamic
systems
- The current study
- Method
- Participants
- Focal learners
- Focal learner 1: Julia
- Focal learner 2: Leah
- Focal learner 3: Jenna
- Focal learner 4: Raquel
- Learner perceptions of self: Quantitative measures
- Learner perceptions of self: Qualitative measures
- Study context
- Study abroad interlocutors
- Results
- Patterns of change in learner perceptions
of self
- Factors affecting the perception and
construction of self
- Discussion
- Conclusions and future directions
-
Notes
-
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