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Article published In:
Narrative Inquiry
Vol. 28:1 (2018) ► pp.56–74

Learning English in Catalonia

Beliefs and emotions through small stories and iterativity

| Universitat de Lleida
| Universitat de Lleida

The aim of this study is to unveil English learners’ beliefs and emotions regarding the English language education received in Catalan schools. For that purpose, data from 5 focus groups with 31 university students have been analysed through a combination of MCA and small stories analysis. The findings reveal that the participants are dissatisfied with the English language education provided, and they believe that the teachers and/or the system are to blame for their (low) level of English. In the main story analysed, boredom, demotivation, irritation and frustration are emotions attached to English learning in high school, which are also present in most of our subjects’ small stories; it is the repetition (iterativity) of small stories, beliefs and emotions across participants that leads us to the detection of a discourse of victimhood, by which students identify themselves as the victims of their English teachers and/or the education system.

Keywords: learners’ beliefs, learners’ emotions, MCA, positioning, small stories, iterativity
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Learning English from a sociocultural approach: Beliefs and emotions
  • Learning English in Catalonia: Theory vs. practice
  • The study: Data and methodological aspects
  • Findings
    • Level 1.Yolanda’s story and the “present-simple teacher”
    • Level 2.Expressing emotions and negotiating discourses
    • Level 3.The discourse of victimhood
  • Discussion and conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 27 September 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.17029.die
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