JUNKO UENO (UNION COLLEGE) NYS TESOL 35 TH ANNUAL APPLIED LINGUISTICS WINTER CONFERENCE MARCH 1 ST,2014 ESL Learners’ Autonomous Development of Communication Strategies Through Conversation Exchange

Purpose of this study To examine the learning process of ESL learners through the conversation exchange How the conversation exchange contributes to their autonomy To explore a possible way to help learners get engaged in a more active and independent learning

Beliefs of natural language acquisition abroad Learners’ beliefs in general – an extended time abroad is a necessity for successful language learning (Ryan & Mercer, 2011). Spending time in a country of the target language -> the ultimate, autonomous, independent learning experience (Amuzie & Winke, 2009; Malcome, 2011). Attributing agency to the learning environment (i.e. being abroad) may demotivate and dispower learners (Ryan & Mercer, 2011).

Natural language acquisition abroad Study abroad program’s positive impact on students’ language development (Reynolds-Case, 2013; Yager, 1998) The quality of interaction with the native speakers -> within chance encounters (Allen, 2010; Kinglinger, 2008) The key of success in an immersion setting -> interacting with native speakers

Conversation exchange project ESL participants – 3 native speakers of Japanese Conversation exchange (Japanese – English) based on short readings over the period of ten weeks A weekly meeting with a partner (30 minutes to an hour) with a submission of a weekly reflection journal (1 page long) An exit interview

Interview Questions How have you been studying English besides this conversation exchange? In your opinion, what are the overall gains from the conversation exchange? How did the conversation exchange session help you in terms of your nervousness about interacting with native speakers? How do you think the conversation exchange has changed your self- confidence in using the language? How has this experience affected you with regard to your engagement with native speakers outside of this conversation exchange? Have you noticed any change in terms of your speaking/listening skills and your use of speaking/listening strategies over the course of the conversation exchange sessions? What suggestions do you have regarding how to improve this conversation exchange project in the future?

ESL participants’ backgrounds Spouses of Japanese engineers Temporary stay in the U.S. (6 months to two years) Children go to an American school. Receiving some ESL instruction that mainly focused on grammar Participant A – ESL class (once a week) + informal conversation class (once a week) Participant B – ESL tutorial (once a week) Participant C - ESL class (three times a week) + informal conversation class (once a week)

Findings and discussion (1) Overall gains from the project An opportunity to speak with a native speaker (all) Having an ‘imperfect’ partner (participant A) Increased motivation towards reading and speaking (participant C) Confidence/nervousness Nervousness decreased slightly (all) More confident (participant A), no change in confidence (participants B and C) More confidence and less anxiety -> a possible foundation on building learner autonomy

Findings and discussion (2) Finding communication strategies they want to continue using beyond this conversation exchange Requesting to repeat (all) Stopping translating from Japanese to English (participants A and C) The use of shorter sentences (participant A) Rephrasing/ circumlocution (all) Guessing the meaning by connecting the words they understood (participants B and C) Focusing on key words in listening (participants B and C) Autonomous process of developing their own strategies Enhanced metacognition -> stand back and assess their learning and how they go about it (Ridley, 1997)

Conclusion and pedagogical implications The importance of an environment where learners need to be independent Creating opportunities for the learners to experiment with the target language and to assess themselves (Ridley, 2003) Learner collaboration may also be helpful to certain students – a need to consider cultural variation in the concept of autonomy (MacIntyre et al, 2009) Learner anxiety may be a factor that hinders student autonomous learning.