Self-Access Language Learning: Students’ perceptions and choices David Gardner Kevin Yung Centre for Applied English Studies, HKU

Outline Context Methods What the data shows Discussion Future improvements

Context: The course SALL component of an EAP university course Course = 24 contact hours 8 course hours devoted to SALL The SALL component has been researched previously (Gardner, 2007; Gardner and Yung, forthcoming; Lai, 2011; Lai, Gardner & Law, 2013) Integration has been researched (e.g. Cooker and Torpey, 2004; Fisher, Hafner and Young, 2007; Morrison, 2008; Toogood and Pemberton, 2002)

SALL within the Course Proof-reading test Needs analysis + personal needs / wants Proof-reading Test STRAND 2 SALL Self-Access Learning -personalised learning plan 30% Oral Input -pronunciation sessions -discussion groups -feedback Speaking Test Individual Pronunciation Assessment STRAND 1 Speaking 40% Teaching and Learning Outcomes Pre-testing Guidance Assessment Value Writing Input -lessons -teacher feedback -Writing Clinic Journal Article STRAND 3 Writing 30% (dealt with in previous course)

Context: The participants 77 undergraduate students (56 male, 21 female) All L1 Cantonese or Mandarin All with similar educational backgrounds Year 2 Faculty of Science students From within 5 classes

Methods Participants all taught by the same teacher Data collected ethically Voluntary participation (77 out of 80) Anonymous online questionnaire survey Invitation to be interviewed 4 semi-structured individual interviews

Analysis Questionnaires: – Mean scores for comparison of likert scale questions – Frequency lists for open-ended questions Interviews: – Tagged using Weft QDA to identify themes

What the Data Shows Generally positive attitude to SALL Students perceptions of: – Their language skills proficiency – The need for English Students’ SALL goals Students’ choice of learning activities

Positive Attitude Towards SALL RankMean 1It gives me flexibility in learning English.73.4% 2It lets me learn how to learn English by myself.70.1% 3It pushes me to learn English.62.7% 4It inspires me to keep learning English.61.4% 5I prefer a teacher teaching me English.54.9% 6It is a good thing, but I just can't do it.53.9% 7It arouses my interest in English.49.4% 8SALL is a waste of time.33.1%

Perceptions of Proficiency RankAreas of proficiency Mean proficiency 1Reading ability61.10% 2Listening ability60.45% 3Grammar ability53.63% 4Writing ability49.03% 5Vocabulary ability48.38% 6Speaking ability47.45%

Students’ SALL Goals Rank Goals relating to proficiency areas Proportion Grammar 92.31% 1 Speaking 65.38% 2 Vocabulary 51.28% 3 Listening 42.31% 4 Writing 29.49% 5 Reading 23.08% Other 5.13%

Comparison: Proficiency Area Self-evaluation of proficiency 1 = most proficient Self-ranking of goals 1 = most important Speaking61 Vocabulary52 Grammar3NA* Listening23 Writing44 Reading15 Self-ranking of goals vs self-evaluation of proficiency

Students’ Choice of Learning Activities Rank Degree of Popularity Popularity %Activity 1 Highly Popular 80.5Watching videos (e.g. TV, movies, news, short video clips) 274.0Reading grammar books or doing grammar exercises 368.8Reading newspapers or magazines 4 Popular 54.5Doing exam papers 550.6Listening to English materials (e.g. songs, speeches) 6 Quite Popular 42.9Speaking more English in daily life 735.1Reading non-academic books (e.g. fictions, novels) 832.5Reading academic materials (e.g. journal articles, textbooks) 9 Not Popular 27.3Keeping a vocabulary notebook Using Apps Reading dictionaries Using the course website / VEC Reading aloud Writing more English in daily life (e.g. blogs) 15 Un-popular 7.8Self-recording 166.5Group discussion sessions at LRC 173.9Other 182.6Keeping a diary in English 191.3Individual consultation at LRC

Students’ Choice of Learning Activities Rank Degree of Popularity Popularity %Activity 1 Highly Popular 80.5Watching videos (e.g. TV, movies, news, short video clips) 274.0Reading grammar books or doing grammar exercises 368.8Reading newspapers or magazines 4 Popular 54.5Doing exam papers 550.6Listening to English materials (e.g. songs, speeches) 6 Quite Popular 42.9Speaking more English in daily life 735.1Reading non-academic books (e.g. fictions, novels) 832.5Reading academic materials (e.g. journal articles, textbooks) 9 Not Popular 27.3Keeping a vocabulary notebook Using Apps Reading dictionaries Using the course website / VEC Reading aloud Writing more English in daily life (e.g. blogs) 15 Un-popular 7.8Self-recording 166.5Group discussion sessions at LRC 173.9Other 182.6Keeping a diary in English 191.3Individual consultation at LRC

Overall comparison Rank Degree of Popularity Activity Proficiency Area (Self) Ranking as SALL Goal (Self) Ranking of Proficiency 1 Highly Popular Watching videos (e.g. TV, movies, news, short video clips) Listening32 2 Reading grammar books or doing grammar exercises Reading51 3Reading newspapers or magazinesReading51 5PopularListening to English materials (e.g. songs, speeches)Listening32 6 Quite Popular Speaking more English in daily lifeSpeaking16 7Reading non-academic books (e.g. fictions, novels)Reading51 8 Reading academic materials (e.g. journal articles, textbooks) Reading51 9 Not Popular Keeping a vocabulary notebookVocabulary25 11Reading dictionariesVocabulary25 13Reading aloudReading51 14Writing more English in daily life (e.g. blogs)Writing44 15 Un- popular Self-recordingSpeaking16 16Group discussion sessions at LRCVocabulary25 18Keeping a diary in EnglishVocabulary25

Discussion Consistent: Self-evaluation of proficiency vs SALL goals Inconsistent: Self-evaluation of proficiency / SALL goals vs Preferences for SALL activities

Speculated reasons Ignoring language needs – They self-assess their needs – They set relevant goals – They choose unrelated activities Using preferred activities to meet the SALL requirement Constraints – Time – Availability of resources – Task difficulties

Examples of Preferred Activities “I think actually when I’m doing something related to English, I’m not thinking too much about SALL. I just want to do it for like they are fun and for like watching the videos and movies. No matter there is SALL or not I will do it, I want to do it, for entertainment. I think it will improve English also.” (Nancy) “Actually I have a habit to read some literature works or history books for an hour or half hour per day, so I think that if I can keep this habit then it should be a kind of SALL.” (Billy)

Examples of Constraints “I find that lack of time is most important factor in doing the SALL… I find that only one hour a week is not enough definitely and as I the rules set by the CAES course I just finish the task and then I just let it be.” (Tony) “because of other workloads from the core subjects I cannot allocate more time to SALL.” (Billy)

Conclusion & Implications Inconsistency: Perceptions vs behaviours SALL system – a failure? The purpose of SALL? Relationship between SALL goals and actions Students’ choices based on good reasoning? Teachers’ roles

Future Improvements What can be done to enhance the SALL experience? Continuous dialogue between the teacher and the students – improve input on planning – improve monitoring – provide feedback and support

Q & A