Instructors of Foreign Languages Perspective

Instructors of Foreign Languages Perspective of Self-Directed Learning at College Level

Self-directed learning in foreign language classes

According to Leslie R. Beach, writing during the first flush of excitement about self-directed learning at the college level, "The small interactive human group has come into its own. We are realizing something of the power and the potential which lie in the resources of a small group of intelligent adults thrown into close, continuing encounter with one another. Developments in applied group dynamics, group therapy and the encounter culture have amply demonstrated the benefits people may derive from such small group experience - sometimes with a designated leader present and sometimes without a leader" (Beach 1974: 187). In other words, advocates of self-directed learning believe there is something uniquely beneficial for adults taking control of their learning, setting their own pace, and managing their learning without or with minimal direction from a teacher, such as at a language table, where individuals must speak spontaneously in a foreign language. According to Beach, in a comparison of two classes, one section of which was entirely taught in a self-directed manner, the other of which was conducted in a conventional lecture format, the learning outcomes of both classes were the same (Beach 1974: 190).

Today, self-directed learning is often praised because "individual learners can become empowered to take increasingly more responsibility for various decisions associated with the learning endeavor" although it is acknowledged that "self-direction is best viewed as a continuum or characteristic that exists to some degree in every person and learning situation," and self-direction "does not necessarily mean all learning will take place in isolation from others" or the teacher (Hiemstra 1994). Self-directed learning is not ideal or even appropriate for all aspects of a subject matter, such as learning introductory grammar or pronunciation when learning a foreign language but the most highly motivated learners "appear able to transfer learning, in terms of both knowledge and study skill, from one situation to another," from classroom to life and self-directed study can involve various activities and resources that are complementary to the lecture format such as independent reading, participation in discussion groups and electronic message boards, and journaling, depending on the needs of the students (Hiemstra 1994). While some research has explored the value of student-directed learning alone, not all self-directed learning lacks instructional oversight, in fact, "effective roles for teachers in self-directed learning are possible, such as dialogue with learners, securing resources, evaluating outcomes, and promoting critical thinking" (Hiemstra 1994). As more older adults go back to school and students go to school part-time or must juggle busy work and school schedules, "some educational institutions are finding ways to support self-directed study through open-learning programs, individualized study options, non-traditional course offerings, and other innovative programs," even if the self-directed feedback in say, a language lab cannot supplant face-to-face tutoring, correction, and guidance (Hiemstra 1994).

Most students come to university-level study somewhat familiar with self-directed learning from in-class contexts such as doing labs, constructing dialogues, doing team worksheets, and other in-class assignments and from out-of-class assignments such as "doing assigned reading, doing written assignments and other homework, and preparing for a test" (Thomas, Strage, & Curley 1988:314). These experiences promote student ownership of their own: "For example, we know from laboratory research that cognitive-monitoring activities are important for proficiency at certain reading-comprehension tasks, and that children and early adolescents frequently show deficiencies in recognizing that they do not understand (Thomas, Strage, & Curley 1988:318).

Students' ability to judge their ability to engage in self-directed learning often varies widely, even on a university level. Guglielmino's Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale is one of the few instruments identified in the literature for the purpose of measuring self-direction in learning. Students rate their own quality of learning, which is then compared against actual course performance. Even though the scale has been widely used, validation of the test has yielded widely variable results. There are significant racial differences in SDLRS scores, for example, between student self-ratings and the grading of teachers that must be explored. Ratings of faculty members and student's SDLRS scores and age and previous educational level also yield notable discrepancies, and the causality of these examples must be studied further (Long & Agyekum 1983: 77; 84). Also, culture can have a significant impact on individual's ability to enjoy and fully engage in the self-directed learning experience, if it was not a part of the student's previous educational context.

Still, collaborative learning in language classrooms is largely deemed essential, given that language itself is a collaborative art: "In both education and language learning, emergent theory and practice emphasize the social aspect of learning. The learner is expected to negotiate meaning with others while helping to direct and reflect upon his or her own learning experiences" (Hughes & Source 1997:529). Team learning in the classroom, creating a challenging yet nonjudgmental environment is ideal, so students can deploy new language concepts in a realistic setting, and understand words and idioms in context, while still scaffolding new learning upon previous concepts. Ideally, the classroom should motivate students to seek out situations to stretch and test their knowledge in the real world, using their newly acquired language.

Self-motivation is often seen as a particularly critical aspect of secondary language learning. One educator observed: "We should also communicate more clearly to the second language learner that he [sic] is responsible for his own learning. This is obviously more easily said than brought about. Students generally expect too much from school and college. Often they perceive these institutions of knowledge as mental filling stations where teachers and professors equipped with 'Niirnberg funnels' are replenishing empty heads. This impression has also been fostered by the proponents of psychological associationism who claim that learning is a process of habit formation. From this point-of-view the learner is seen as a more or less willing but essentially passive stimulus-response organism. This school of thought would tend to believe in programmed instruction, utilizing the language laboratory and even computer programs to expose students to carefully structured learning experiences. While this model of instruction may be useful for remedial work and some individualized programs, it does not tap the inquisitive and creative impulses or the insights of a self-directed and self-motivated language learner" (Jahn 1979: 275). The cognitive and practical advantage of self-directed activities in secondary (and primary) language acquisition is its promotion of self-mastery, inquisitiveness, and responsibility.