Brian J Birdsell, Institute for the Promotion of Higher Education, Hirosaki University, Japan
Birdsell, B. J. (2024). Crossing language boundaries on campus: Using a SALC as a learning space for interactive homework. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 15(4), 420–441. https://doi.org/10.37237/150404
Abstract
This small-scale study investigates the experiences of students engaging with a Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) at a Japanese university. The study focuses on students’ interviews with international exchange students in the SALC and subsequent reflections on these experiences as part of an English course assignment. Thematic analysis of the reflections reveals four main themes: curiosity to broaden one’s mind, overcoming anxiety and low self-efficacy, positive affect from connecting with others in English, and motivation and perseverance to learn English. The findings highlight the complex interplay of emotions, motivation, and language-learning experiences in the reflections. Despite initial challenges and some negative emotions, many students reported positive outcomes, including increased interest in foreign cultures, improved language confidence, and enhanced motivation to continue learning English. The study underscores the importance of SALCs in facilitating meaningful language learning experiences outside the traditional classroom.
Keywords: SALC, thematic analysis, basic psychological needs
Self-Access Learning Centers (SALCs) have been present in Japanese tertiary institutions for decades. However, they are still considered non-traditional learning spaces, which means that many students, faculty members, and office staff are not familiar with them and are uncertain about how they can enhance student learning. Therefore, one of the main challenges of running a SALC is to raise awareness among students and others about the learning opportunities it offers. Unlike a traditional classroom, a SALC is a self-directed learning environment where students are responsible for their own learning. Despite pamphlets, a website, and other marketing materials developed over the years to inform the students about the space, I have been frequently asked during my 12 years of experience working at one, “So, what can I do there?” There is a major difference between reading about the SALC in a pamphlet and actively using the space in a meaningful way. Therefore, it is important to provide students with opportunities to use the SALC firsthand and to experience this type of learning environment. The experiential route is likely a more effective way to raise students’ awareness of the facility and how it can improve language learning outcomes. However, this situation presents a challenge – how can teachers encourage students to visit the SALC for the first time? One possible solution is to have students complete an assignment for their English course that requires them to do an activity in the SALC. In this article, I explore this possibility.
The article is structured as follows. First, I review key theoretical issues relevant to the topic. Then, I describe the integration of Hirosaki University’s SALC into the English curriculum. After that, I discuss a SALC homework project and results from a thematic analysis that investigated students’ experiences using the facility to complete this project.
Literature Review
In this literature review, I introduce themes that emerged from the experiences of students who used the SALC to complete the SALC homework project. The goal is to shed light on the emotional, cognitive, and motivational processes that arise from entering a SALC and using the open conversation space in the facility to interact with and interview an international exchange student who works there as a language supporter (referred to as “EL Supporters” in the context of this SALC).
Using a SALC: Emotional Responses and Self-Efficacy
Encouraging students to use the SALC for the first time may trigger a mix of positive and negative emotions. For instance, using a foreign language can evoke a range of emotions, from interest and enjoyment to shame and anxiety (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2016). Research on emotions in foreign language learning has grown significantly in recent years. Early studies by Horwitz and colleagues (1986) focused on the negative impact anxiety had on language learning. More recent meta-analyses have confirmed that L2 anxiety negatively affects language learning outcomes and language performance (Teimouri et al., 2019; Zhang, 2019), as well as reducing motivation to learn the language (Papi, 2010).
In contrast, positive emotions may also arise from attempts to communicate with others in the SALC, especially those from overseas, as such interactions can stimulate students’ curiosity, interest, and enjoyment. Curiosity, for example, is an inner force that drives people to explore their surroundings. It involves interest in novel events, stimuli, or situations, which leads to a desire to expand the self (Silvia, 2006). Fredrickson’s (2001, 2006) broaden-and-build theory provides a framework for understanding this process. According to Fredrickson (2001), positive emotions such as interest and joy broaden an individual’s awareness by promoting exploratory action. This broadening effect helps build a repertoire of resources, including important skills and knowledge that enhance health, survival, and fulfillment. The resulting growth generates more positive emotions, creating an upward spiral of positive emotions in the individual (see Cohn & Fredrickson, 2009, p.16 for a visual representation of this process). These emotions “broaden people’s momentary thought-action repertoires and build their enduring personal resources,” spanning physical, intellectual, social, and psychological domains (Fredrickson, 2001, p. 219). As a result, curiosity and interest not only enhance knowledge but also foster positive emotions, creating a feedback effect. This cycle of positive emotions and expanding knowledge enables individuals to pursue further challenges and seek new experiences and information.
In addition to experiencing negative and positive emotions such as anxiety and interest when using a SALC, language learners may also be confronted by an internal belief system that informs them whether they can successfully perform the specific task (e.g., using a foreign language with exchange students in the SALC who speak a different first language). This psychological construct is referred to as self-efficacy, developed in Albert Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory. Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s capacity to execute a particular action effectively, rather than a measure of one’s true skills or abilities. High self-efficacy is associated with increased motivation, perseverance, and the willingness to take on challenging tasks. Conversely, low self-efficacy can lead to hesitation or even avoidance of doing the activity.
Using a SALC: Motivational Processes and Grit
Research on motivation in a foreign language context is broad and extensive, and, in this section, I do not plan to review this extensive literature, but instead, frame the research in this article by considering intrinsic motivation and the Ideal L2 Self. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), motivation is multidimensional and falls along a continuum from amotivation, being not motivated, to various types of extrinsic motivation (e.g., doing something for an external reward or social approval) to intrinsic motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Intrinsic motivation occurs when people engage in an activity (e.g., a sport, learning a language, working) because they find it interesting and enjoyable, and thus perform the activity for its own sake. Research based on a meta-analysis has shown intrinsic motivation to be uniquely important for future academic success of high school and university students (Taylor et al., 2014). Additionally, intrinsic motivation improves the individual’s well-being (Ryan & Deci, 2017). In the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), Dörnyei (2005) developed a tripartite theory of the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSSS). First, there is the L2 Learning Experience, which includes the actual experience of being engaged in the learning. Second, the Ought-to L2 Self encompasses the social pressure and obligations to learn the L2. Finally, the Ideal L2 Self represents the internal desire to become an L2 speaker in the future.
Recently, there has been a growing interest in “grit” as a psychological construct in social and educational psychology. It refers to both “perseverance and passion for long-term goals,” especially when confronted with challenges and setbacks (Duckworth et al., 2007, p. 1,087). Thus, grit has the dual construct of perseverance of effort and consistency of interest, and in the L2 context, language-specific grit has been found to be positively related to learner motivation and L2 achievement (Teimouri et al., 2022). This suggests that having this perseverance and passion towards achieving fluency in the L2 leads to positive learning outcomes for the individual. Thus, motivation and grit are complementary constructs that sustain learning over time. Motivation provides the drive to engage in an activity, such as learning a foreign language, because it is enjoyable and interesting or one has internalized the L2 learning into their self-system (ought-to or ideal self), while grit helps one overcome various obstacles during the learning process and sustain this interest over time.
SALCs can be unfamiliar spaces for university students, particularly first-year students in Japan, where a foreign language (usually English) is used as the primary means of communication. As a result, students may feel a range of emotions, from anxiety to curiosity, when they enter the facility to complete the assignment. Additionally, using English in a semi-natural environment may motivate students as they compare their skills to those of their peers in the space or realize the importance of English while interacting with others in a non-Japanese learning environment.
Using a SALC: Social Spaces for Learning
SALCs are widely seen as social language learning communities (e.g., Murray & Fujishima, 2013; Mynard et al., 2020). They are designed for interaction. For example, the conversation space in most SALCs is intended to create a relaxing space with sofas and chairs for students to feel comfortable where they can openly connect with others, communicate, share experiences, and, over time build friendships. Students learning English as a foreign language in a classroom might feel alienated from the social and global community of speakers of it, as classrooms tend to be more artificial, test-focused, or rigid regarding language use. SALCs, on the other hand, develop a micro-community for students to feel connected with people who are the same age. Using the language in a casual setting with peers from various countries, they can also develop a sense of ownership and identity with the language. One of the basic psychological needs in SDT is the need for relatedness (along with autonomy, competence, and novelty) (Ryan & Deci, 2017; see Birdsell, 2018 for research specifically applying SDT to student use of a SALC). When these needs are satisfied, students are more highly motivated, resulting in improved learning outcomes and overall well-being. Relatedness is the feeling of belonging or being connected to others within a social context. It emphasizes the importance of language as being something situationally emergent between people. Thus, when students use the SALC, they are entering into a social space where their need for relatedness within an EFL context could be satisfied.
Hirosaki University’s SALC Integration into the Liberal Arts English Curriculum
The SALC at Hirosaki University, where the research was conducted, opened in April of 2012. Despite being in operation for over a decade, first-year university students tend to be unfamiliar with self-access learning. In contrast, students in Japan have years of experience in the traditional classroom and thus have built up a rich conceptual frame for education. This, for them, likely involves taking classes, classes are credited, and progress is measured through formal tests. Yet, SALCs do not typically require student attendance, the interaction between student-student and student-teacher is fluid, tests are rarely used to measure progress, and credit is not usually provided for using the space. Therefore, SALCs for many students, teachers, and administrators are viewed with some uncertainty.
Changing the belief systems of students, teachers, and administrators towards new and innovative learning paradigms can be a challenging task. For instance, Deslauriers et al. (2019) conducted a study using a randomized experimental approach with two groups of students who learned identical content materials. One group was taught through a traditional passive lecture, while the other group was taught using active learning. The researchers collected two sets of data: students’ perceptions of learning and actual learning outcomes. The researchers found a negative correlation between the two data sets. Specifically, students’ perceptions of learning were higher in the passive lecture group than in the active learning group, despite the active learning group outperforming the lecture group. The researchers suggest that this is due to the increased cognitive effort required in active learning. Other possible interpretations may include the following: students’ preference for the familiar (e.g., as a teacher-led classroom is still the widely used teaching method in many schools) and the persistent belief in a teacher-centered orientation to learning and teaching (see Samuelowicz & Bain, 2001). This study demonstrates the challenges of altering students’ perceptions of learning and the discrepancy between what teachers consider important, such as autonomous learning and using active learning methods, and students’ belief systems.
In short, the mere presence of a SALC at an institution does not guarantee its active use among the student body. Students may be unaware of its existence, uncertain about its purpose, hold different views on autonomy compared to teachers, and have a fixed belief system regarding learning, such as the belief that it optimally occurs in a classroom through lectures. Developing ways to initially get students into the SALC has been a major challenge for practitioners working at SALCs.
In 2022, Hirosaki University established a new English curriculum in the Center for Liberal Arts Development and Practices. This was partially based on The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan (MEXT, n.d.) recent measures to enhance a “zest for life” mentality among students. Some of these basic measures focus on increasing the use of active learning in the classroom (e.g., Basic Measure 8) and others on building students’ global competencies (e.g., Basic Measure 16). This latter one includes strengthening foreign language education, increasing opportunities for communication with international exchange students, developing learner autonomy, and building the students’ positivity.
The curriculum moved away from the older approach that taught English based on separate skills (e.g., Listening, Speaking, etc.) to a more holistic approach that focuses on communication. English teachers evaluate student performance using the following three categories: classroom participation; examinations, presentations, papers, and projects; and assignments and self-study. Therefore, in this new curriculum, English teachers are encouraged to use the SALC by incorporating activities for students to do there (e.g., join the conversation circle, attend a seminar, do extensive reading, etc.) that can then be included in the self-study or project category of the grade.
Despite integrating the SALC into the new curriculum, this still does not mean student numbers magically increased overnight. There is still the hurdle of getting students into the SALC for the first time. Some teachers use a form of scaffolding where students are first pushed into the SALC through a class assignment (see Parsons & Warrington, 2019) and then are pulled there throughout the semester through special events and other activities (see Croker & Ashurova, 2012). Others suggest doing interactive and collaborative activities that could be completed in the classroom before trying to complete them in the SALC to make the initial experience achievable, enjoyable, and successful (Gillies, 2010; see Mynard & Stevenson, 2017 for a more robust example of SALC curriculum integration into the university).
The goal of this article is to explore one possible way to “push” students into the SALC by having them complete a SALC Homework Project, which requires students to visit the facility and interview international exchange students who work there as conversation supporters. In the following section, I first describe the SALC Homework Project. Then, using thematic analysis to analyze student reflections about their experiences visiting the SALC, I describe four themes that emerged from these experiences.
The Present Study
To better understand the student experience of visiting a SALC and crossing language boundaries on campus (e.g., from Japanese to English), a small-scale study was conducted using student written reflections as part of an in-class action research project. The action research presented here uses thematic analysis, a qualitative research method, with the aim of informing teachers and administrators about the challenges and benefits of the SALC at this university for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students.
Methods
Design
The SALC Homework Project (hereinafter, SALC-HP) was a mid-term assignment for compulsory 1st year English classes entitled English Communication A in the first term of the 2023-2024 academic year. In total, students in three separate classes completed the SALC-HP. This assignment required students to come on their own to the SALC and do two different activities there. First, they were instructed to browse through a collection of CNN English Express Magazines and read an article of their choice, research more about the topic on the Internet, and then write a short summary about this topic. In addition, they had to include three discussion questions related to this topic. Then, in class, they read the summary to their group members and used the questions as prompts for group discussions on these topics. Reading material was used as the first part of this assignment to ease the students into the SALC by providing them with an activity they could do on their own there.
For the second part of the SALC-HP, students were instructed to go to the conversation space in the SALC and interview an international exchange student. These students are hired each semester to be conversation supporters for Japanese students and come from many different countries (e.g., Malaysia, China, South Korea, the USA, Canada, Indonesia, etc.). They are both undergraduate and graduate students studying at the university on short and long-term exchange programs. To complete this section of the SALC-HP, students interviewed an exchange student on a subject of their choice (e.g., information about their home country, reasons why they came to Japan, difficulties of living in Japan, religion, etc.). At the end of the interview, they asked the exchange student for a topic related to their home country that they could research more about on their own. Then, the students wrote about this interview and the topic they researched in a narrative format. Again, like in section one, the students shared these interview experiences in class with their group members.
The rationale for this activity is twofold. First, it was to introduce and encourage students to use the SALC facility. Second, since the focus of the class was on communication, it was designed as a communication activity that students could do outside of class time and simultaneously could be used as material for an in-class speaking activity.
For the study presented here, the students were also asked to include an additional short paragraph at the end of the interview writing section. They were asked to reflect on this experience (e.g., visiting the SALC and doing this interview) and describe what they learned and how they felt speaking English to an exchange student. The reflection part of this assignment is used as the data for this study to answer two research questions:
- What did students learn from conducting an interview with international exchange students in the SALC?
- What was their emotional response to completing this interview?
Participants
In total 77 students in three different classes completed the SALC-HP. They were students placed in upper-level English classes at the university based on a placement test and the textbook used for this course (Cambridge Unlock 4) is designed for CEFR B2 level of students. They came from various faculties (e.g., Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Technology, Agriculture and Life Sciences), but most of them were in the School of Medicine.
Data Analysis
Fifty-five students provided a direct response to the reflection question, while the others completed the interviews; they did not provide a reflection on their experiences. On average, the response length for the reflection was 69 words (SD = 23.45, shortest = 11, longest = 176). These responses were written in English (L2) of the students.
A thematic analysis was conducted to identify different characteristics of students’ experiences coming to the SALC and interviewing exchange students for their SALC-HP. Thematic analysis (TA) is a commonly used qualitative data analysis approach in the field of psychology (Braun & Clark, 2006). TA involves identifying repeated meanings across a data set (e.g., text, images). This allows researchers to find patterns (themes) within the data, which can provide a possible interpretation of a phenomenon. In this case, TA can be used to understand students’ experiences when visiting the SALC. TA has been used in the field of applied linguistics with studies that looked at humor in EFL using semi-structured teacher interviews (Qi & Wang, 2024) and L2 learners’ perceptions and feelings about the process of learning a foreign language (Tse, 2000).
Thematic analysis has had a significant impact on qualitative research since the early 2000s and the publication of Braun and Clark’s (2006) seminal paper. The approach has undergone further modifications and delineations over the years, as evidenced by their recent works (2019, 2021) as well as the work of Terry and colleagues (2017). For instance, Braun and Clark (2019) recognize the plurality of TA and describe a spectrum of approaches to analyzing data. The first approach, coding reliability TA, focuses on the accuracy of measurement and reliability when coding data. This approach is reliant on the positivist tradition of objectivity. Secondly, codebook approaches to TA are in the middle of this spectrum. Researchers use a codebook to conceptualize themes within the data but refrain from using positivistic conceptions of coding reliability. Therefore, researchers are aware of the artfully interpretative nature of their data coding. Finally, reflexive TA recognizes the active role of researchers as interpretive artists, as they find patterns and meaning in the data. Therefore, results can vary greatly between researchers using the same datasets.
For this small-scale study using text-based datasets collected from students, a codebook approach to TA was used. The themes were developed by first reviewing all the responses from students to become familiar with the data. Next, initial codes were generated by searching for themes in the datasets. These were then reviewed, defined, and named. Finally, a report was produced (see Braun and Clarke, 2006). The aim is to create a framework that reflects the students’ educational and emotional experiences breaking through the SALC language barrier at the university. After reviewing the datasets, four codes emerged: curiosity to broaden one’s mind, overcoming negative affect, positive affect from connecting to others in English, and motivation and perseverance to learn English (refer to Table 1).
Table 1
Codebook for Analyzing Students’ Experiences in the SALC
Discussion of Findings
Student responses to interviewing an international exchange student in the SALC varied. Some experienced positive emotions, such as enjoyment, while others struggled with negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety. Some students reflected on what they learned from this interaction, while for others, this experience motivated them to study English harder. Additionally, in a single individual response, some of these themes are intertwined. For instance, an individual may have initially experienced anxiety but later felt pleasure upon accomplishing the task. Thus, the categories used in this discussion should not be taken as isolated themes but rather as highly interconnected.
The initial theme of this dataset examines how this experience heightened students’ interest in learning more about the exchange student’s home country or, more generally, about life outside Japan. The second theme explores the challenges that some students faced while completing this activity and how they had to overcome negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, and self-doubt about their language skills to accomplish this task. In contrast, the third theme discusses the positive impact of the experience on students as they were able to communicate in English with others. Finally, the fourth theme investigates the potential impact of this experience on students’ motivation to learn English. Each theme reflects a fragment of the students’ lived experiences as they tried to negotiate meaning in a foreign language at the SALC.
Theme 1: Curiosity to Broaden One’s Mind
How students responded to visiting the SALC is complex. Some students viewed this as an opportunity for personal growth and learning. For example, Student 33 wrote, “I feel anxiety, but I could have a good time with talking with her [the EL supporter] and could broad my horizons.” This positive reaction illustrates Fredrickson’s (2001, 2006) broaden-and-build theory where positive emotions have the potential to initiate exploratory action, resulting in “broadening” the horizons of the student. Additionally, the reflection from Student 17 shows how interculturality has the potential to increase learners’ curiosity and to explore the unfamiliar, “I learned it is interesting to learn about things that I am unfamiliar with. I had never talked with foreign exchange students. I regretted it because talking with them is great fun. I learned the difference of values between Thailand and Japan.”
During their interactions, other students expressed an increased interest in learning about different countries and cultures. Some students even indicated a desire to travel to the countries they learned about during the interviews, demonstrating a heightened curiosity about the world. Student 29 described this experience as one of “surprise and discovery,” as the student “learned that it is very interesting to learn about other cultures, and that it’s fun to learn about differences from my home culture.” This aligns with Loewenstein’s (1994) model of curiosity, which involves the drive to fill gaps in knowledge and leads to pleasant experiences, such as surprise and discovery. Moreover, curiosity plays an important role in whether the learner explores and, as a result, enters a SALC (Birdsell, 2015). Thus, developing this individual difference has important implications for the use and success of a SALC.
Theme 2: Overcoming Anxiety and Low Self-Efficacy
Not all students had positive reactions, as some described the initial difficulties of completing this assignment. In some responses, the students wrote about having negative emotions such as anxiety and low self-efficacy. For example, some students mentioned they experienced “fear” and “nervousness” and others simply stated that “I have poor English.” The important point here is that despite having a low sense of self-efficacy with English, for some students, the experience at the SALC gave them renewed optimism in their communicative skills. In other words, they realized that they could use the language in a meaningful way, as evidenced in the following student response:
Before this experience, I thought that my English skill is very poor, and I avoided to speak the international exchange students. However, it changed me. Now, I want to try to talk with foreigner and research about foreign country. (Student 51)
Student 1 described this assignment as “too difficult for me to finish” and the reason for this is, “I didn’t have any courage to speak with exchange students.” However, the student was able to complete the assignment and afterwards provided the following reflection.
After talking with them, I got a little more courage and I felt like to go to abroad to touch different culture or people. Before I entered this university, I regarded going abroad as very difficult thing. However, I found people that are planning to go to abroad or already went to some foreign country. So, I want to go various counties in the future. (Student 1)
The above passage describes a change in the student’s perspective. Previously, the student lacked confidence in his ability to use the language effectively, indicating low self-efficacy. However, after this experience, his confidence increased, which may even affect his behavior, as he is now considering studying abroad.
Another student (Student 11) initially experienced the negative emotion of frustration. “I learned it is difficult to translate what I want to talk about into English again. It was frustrating to have something to talk about but not be able to communicate it.” Yet again, the student did not quit, but saw this as an opportunity to grow, and realized, “I felt that I wanted to speak English more fluently. I will try to study English harder from now on. I had a good time.” On the other hand, Student 12 experienced the negative emotion of fear.
I learned we can touch various worlds by taking a step forward. At first, I was afraid to speak in English, but as we talked more and more, my tension was relaxed, and I was able to speak smoothly. By talking to her without fear of failure, I was able to learn about the culture that I did not know. I felt the pleasure of knowing what I did not know by taking a step forward without fear of failure. (Student 12)
This ties in with the previous theme and the curiosity to learn something new. Although the student initially experienced fear, as the conversation progressed, the student felt more relaxed. The most significant part of this reflection is the phrase: “without fear of failure.” This shows how many students learn English in a highly prescriptive manner, where they learn the importance of being correct and, as a result, develop a fear of making mistakes. This leads to a stigma of “fear of failure,” but the student was able to overcome this, resulting in the joy of learning about an unknown culture.
A final example is when Student 5 expressed a sense of disappointment at not being able to use the language more effectively, but this student did not end this reflection in despair. In contrast, he saw it as an opportunity to study harder and, in fact, motivated him to be more proactive in communicating with people in English.
Even if I came up with topics, I couldn’t come up with how to say them in English and often became silent. I was very disappointed in myself, and I thought I had to try harder to study English and communicate with people. I had hesitated to communicate with people in English before, but this experience gave me the motivation to do so. (Student 5)
In summary, one theme that surfaced from these student responses is that it caused some students to experience the negative emotions of fear, frustration, and anxiety, and, as a result, some students viewed this activity as challenging and difficult. Negative emotions like anxiety can have detrimental effects on language (Teimouri et al., 2019; Zhang, 2019) and motivation (Papi, 2010). These negative emotions likely arose from having low self-efficacy, but the fluid and dynamic situation between the student, exchange student, English language, and the SALC resulted in many students overcoming this negative emotion and perceived lack of ability and in the end felt a sense of fulfillment, motivation, and pleasure from completing the task.
Positive Affect of Connecting to Others Using English
SALCs are social spaces and as a result, the need for relatedness (see Ryan & Deci, 2017 for more information) within an EFL context emerges and could be satisfied by the interaction between the student and the exchange student who acts as a mentor. During the interview, the mentor often used scaffolding in the form of a smartphone to show images or the table whiteboard in the room to draw a map or write out words and this helped the student through the interview. Doing these interviews enabled the students to gain further insight into another culture, language, or country through English, thereby enhancing the significance and personal relevance of the language. For instance, numerous students in the dataset wrote about their positive experiences communicating in English, which fostered a sense of connection to others. Consequently, the students were able to develop a sense of relatedness. EFL learning in a classroom often lacks contextualization and connection to a community of speakers, as most students in a Japanese EFL classroom tend to be native Japanese speakers. When the student expressed having a positive experience using English in the SALC with an exchange student, this was commonly followed by a desire to improve one’s English skills to make more connections in the future. To illustrate this, consider Student 27, who initially described this experience as “learning how fun it is to communicate.” Subsequently, this student expressed a desire to continue communicating with others in the future.
I also learned how fun it is to communicate with people from other countries in English, and I would like to actively engage in conversation with people from other countries in the future. (Student 27)
Again, Student 38 expressed a positive reaction to this experience, resulting in a greater awareness of one’s linguistic limitations, thus motivating the individual to study English more. “I enjoyed talking in English and wanted to communicate in more detail. So, I’ll improve my English skills.”
At times, creating this connection with people from a foreign country was viewed as being “refreshing,” as English classes in Japan are primarily composed of Japanese speakers, and consequently, they all share the same L1, resulting in communication often being conducted in the L1. As Student 31 points out, “I have usually only talked with Japanese people, so it was refreshing to talk with people from other countries who have different values, and I felt the world is a big place.” Student 43 also gave a similar response, highlighting the important role SALCs play in providing students with opportunities to use English with peers from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds at the university, “I felt that my English skills improved more when I spoke with foreigners in English than with Japanese people.”
In sum, satisfying the need for relatedness is important for learners, as it provides them with a sense of ownership of their learning and greater engagement with the learning process (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009). In the case of foreign language learning, this means building a deeper and more meaningful relationship with the language and with others who share this language ability. A large body of evidence from the field of educational psychology has shown that when these three basic psychological needs – relatedness, autonomy, and competence – are satisfied, they significantly enhance students’ intrinsic motivation to learn (see Howard et al., 2021 for a meta-analysis review) and foster positive emotional experiences (see Stanley et al., 2021 for a meta-analysis review).
Motivation and Perseverance to Learn English
All students in this study have formally learned English for at least six years. Over this time, many have likely experienced setbacks and obstacles (e.g., failing tests, struggling to communicate in the language, a perceived lack of progress, etc.) – finding ways to realign one’s motivation towards the long-term goal of becoming fluent in English is important for learning success. One possible way to do this is to use the language to connect and communicate with others who similarly have learned English as a foreign/second language.
For example, Student 25 stated that, “I want to search and get more information about Malaysia from now on … I continue learning English to communicate with other exchange students.” This response highlights the importance of perseverance, in this case, to “continue” studying English, to accomplish the goal of being able to improve her communication skills. This response also reflects the student’s intrinsic motivation, as she is driven by a desire to gain knowledge and improve her skills, not for some external reward (e.g., test, job), but an internal drive to learn and develop communication skills for talking with other exchange students.
In some instances, the student exhibited a heightened desire to study English after realizing the difficulties of using it in a natural setting. This emphasizes the student’s perseverance and passion for improving oneself or, in other words, having “grit” to continue learning despite being confronted by the obstacle of not having enough vocabulary. This is evidenced by the following response.
I learned talking with people who speak different languages is very difficult. I’d like to speak, but I couldn’t, due to not coming up with words that are suitable for the conversation. I would like to try to go to English Lounge [SALC name] and talk with many English speakers to make my English skills better. (Student 20)
Other students, when confronted with the difficulty of communicating in English, did not quit but relied on other communication strategies like using gestures, again indicating a sense of grit; having persistence despite the challenge. This is apparent in the response by Student 27, who stated, “After talking with foreign students, I found it very difficult to output English in speaking. However, I was also able to confirm that even if one’s English is not perfect, one can convey what one wants to say to others by effectively using the main words and gestures in one’s speech.” This demonstrates that communication involves having the desire and persistence to communicate even when lacking the necessary linguistic skills.
Student 16 mentioned, “I respect exchange students who are bilingual, and I hope someday that I can use English as fluently as them.” This highlights Dörnyei’s (2005) Ideal L2 Self and appeared in several responses by the students as they indicated a desire or the aspiration to interact with people in English in the future. In this sense, they are developing an imaginary image of their future self, and this has been shown to be a strong motivator for learning (Kim & Kim, 2014).
Though motivation has a strong propensity for affecting behavior, there are other variables that might affect communication such as a desire to communicate with a specific person (situated antecedents) and a willingness to communicate (behavioral intention) (see MacIntyre et al., 1998). Having a strong willingness to communicate is not only based on perceiving that one has the competence to accomplish this in the L2 but a realization that this willingness will have an overall effect on the emotional experience of the communication act. To be a successful communicator, one must have a willingness to communicate. In other words, it acts as a catalyst for effective communication. For example, Student 39 clearly states this as she mentions, “…I noticed a very important thing in conversation. That is a willingness to actively participate in the conversation is the most important to have a pleasant conversation.”
Summary
This small-scale study shows the idiosyncratic and dynamic experiences of students using a SALC to conduct interviews with international exchange students who work there as conversation supporters. Returning to RQ1, which asked what the students learned from doing this activity, the answer is not clear. However, it was a motivating experience for many students. The students’ responses showed a strong desire to communicate with the exchange students, but they also realized that they needed to improve their level of English to facilitate this interaction. Some students also discussed learning more about the exchange student’s home country and culture. Regarding RQ 2, which asked about their emotional responses to doing this activity, students generally had a positive experience of interest, enjoyment, and satisfaction from completing the task. Negative emotions such as fear and anxiety were also experienced by many students, highlighting the difficulty of entering the SALC for many students. However, these students were able to overcome these negative emotions and complete the assignment.
Limitations
There are a couple of limitations to this study. First, the dataset used in this study was part of a graded class assignment, which may have affected what students wrote. This is commonly referred to as social desirability bias, where students are reluctant to share negative opinions or experiences for fear of academic repercussions, or they simply provide a response that they believe is what the teacher expects. In addition, the researcher was also the teacher, and thus, the interpretations may have some intentional biases due to the teacher’s vested interest in portraying his class activities in a positive light. In addition, the themes that emerged from the analysis of the dataset were interpretive, and other researchers may draw different themes; consequently, those coming from a positivist tradition may view this coding as lacking reliability. Therefore, it is important to exercise caution when extending the findings of this study to students within different SALC environments. However, it does highlight the need for further research to formulate a more representative picture of the benefits and difficulties of using a SALC to conduct interviews with international exchange students for an English class assignment.
Conclusion
SALCs are dynamic environments where students engage in spontaneous, fluid communication with both peers and teachers. These interactions mirror natural communication, providing EFL learners in Japan with an opportunity to practice language skills, explore diverse cultures, and cross language borders – all without leaving their home campus. This article first explores the integration of the SALC with the Liberal Arts English program at the university. It then reports on a study where students participated in the SALC as part of an assignment, conducting interviews with exchange students in the conversation space. Students reflected on this experience through narrative writing. A thematic analysis of these reflections revealed several key themes, including positive and negative emotions, increased motivation to study English, and a heightened curiosity about the world beyond Japan. Given Japan’s educational focus on fostering a “zest for life” mentality among students, SALCs could play an important role in achieving this goal. By providing a social space to build interaction and communication between Japanese students, exchange students, and teachers, SALCs encourage the sharing of ideas, knowledge, language skills, and, ideally, a sense of curiosity to explore the unfamiliar. As these are crucial skills for the students’ futures – communication, cultural intelligence, curiosity – SALCs should continue to have a central place among universities in Japan.
Notes on the Contributor
Brian Birdsell received a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Birmingham, UK and currently is an Associate Professor in the Institute for the Promotion of Higher Education at Hirosaki University. He teaches in the university SALC and liberal arts classes. His research interests include metaphor, embodied cognition, creativity, and CLIL.
References
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.
Birdsell, B. (2015). Self-access learning centers and the importance of being curious. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 6(3), 271–285. https://doi.org/10.37237/060303
Birdsell, B. (2018). Understanding students’ psychological needs in an English learning context. Journal of Liberal Arts Development and Practices, 2, 1–14.
Braun V., Clarke V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise & Health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238
Cohn, M. A., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2009). Positive emotions. In S. J. Lopez, & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 13–24). Oxford University Press.
Croker, R., & Ashurova, U. (2012). Scaffolding students’ initial self-access language centre experiences. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 3(3), 237–253. https://sisaljournal.org/archives/sep12/croker_ashurova
Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L. S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(39), 19251–19257. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1821936116
Dewaele, J. M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2016). Foreign language enjoyment and anxiety: the right and left feet of the language learner. In T. Gregersen, P. D. MacIntyre, & S. Mercer (Eds.), Positive Psychology in SLA, (pp. 215–236). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781783095360-010
Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Erlbaum.
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 1087–1,101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218
Fredrickson, B. L. (2006). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. In M. Csikszentmihalyi, & I. Selega (Eds.), A life worth living: Contributions to positive psychology (pp. 85–103). Oxford University Press.
Gillies, H. (2010). Listening to the learner: A qualitative investigation of motivation for embracing or avoiding the use of self-access centres. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 1(3), 189–211. https://doi.org/10.37237/010304
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x
Howard, J. L., Bureau, J., Guay, F., Chong, J. X. Y., & Ryan, R. M. (2021). Student motivation and associated outcomes: A meta-analysis from self-determination theory. Perspectives on Psycological Science, 16(6), 1300–1323. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620966789
Kim, T. Y., and Kim, Y. K. (2014). A structural model for perceptual learning styles, the ideal L2 self, motivated behavior, and English proficiency. System, 46, 14–27. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2014.07.007
Loewenstein, G. (1994). The psychology of curiosity. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 75–98. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.116.1.75
MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. Modern Language Journal, 82, 545–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb05543.x
MEXT (n.d.). Measures based on the Four Basic Policy Directions. Retrieved from https://www.mext.go.jp/en/policy/education/lawandplan/title01/detail01/sdetail01/1373805.htm
Murray, G., & Fujishima, N. (2013). Social language learning spaces: Affordances in a community of learners . Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 36(1), 141–157 . https://doi.org/10.1515/cjal-2013-0009
Mynard, J., & Stevenson, R. (2017). Promoting learner autonomy and self-directed learning: The evolution of a SALC curriculum. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 8(2), 169–182. https://doi.org/10.37237/080209
Mynard, J., Burke, M., Hooper, D., Kushida, B., Lyon, P., Sampson, R., & Taw, P. (2020). Dynamics of a social language learning community: Beliefs, membership and identity (Vol. 9). Multilingual Matters.
Niemiec, C., & Ryan, R. (2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom: Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research in Education, 7, 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878509104318
Papi, M. (2010). The L2 motivational self system, L2 anxiety, and motivated behavior: A structural equation modeling approach. System, 38, 467–479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2010.06.011
Parsons, A., & Warrington, S. (2019). Have a look around: The effect of a ‘push’ activity on future SAS use. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 11(1), 5-23. https://doi.org/10.37237/110102
Qi, S., & Wang, Y. (2024). Sketching the ecology of humor in English language classes: Disclosing the determinant factors. Applied Linguistics Review. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2023-0283
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Publications.
Samuelowicz, K., & Bain, J. D. (2001). Revisiting academics’ beliefs about teaching and learning. Higher Education, 41, 299–325. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1023/A:1004130031247.pdf
Silvia, P. J. (2006). Exploring the psychology of interest. Oxford University Press.
Stanley, P. J., Schutte, N. S., & Phillips, W. J. (2021). A meta-analytic investigation of the relationship between basic psychological need satisfaction and affect. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 5(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.47602/jpsp.v5i1.210
Taylor, G., Jungert, T., Mageau, G. A., Schattke, K., Dedic, H., Rosenfield, S., & Koestner, R. (2014). A self-determination theory approach to predicting school achievement over time: The unique role of intrinsic motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 39(4), 342–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2014.08.002
Teimouri, Y., Goetze, J., & Plonsky, L. (2019). Second language anxiety and achievement: A meta-analysis. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41(2), 363–387. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263118000311
Teimouri, Y., Plonsky, L., & Tabandeh, F. (2022). L2 grit: Passion and perseverance for second-language learning. Language Teaching Research, 26(5), 893–918. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820921895
Terry, G., Hayfield, N., Clarke, V. & Braun, V. (2017). Thematic analysis. In C. Willig, & W. S. Rogers (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research in psychology, 2nd edition (pp. 17–37). Sage.
Tse, L. (2000). Student perceptions of foreign language study: A qualitative analysis of foreign language autobiographies. The Modern Language Journal, 84(1), 69–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/0026-7902.00053
Zhang, X. (2019). Foreign language anxiety and foreign language performance: A meta‐analysis. The Modern Language Journal, 103(4), 763–781. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12590
SiSAL Journal 