Understanding The Complexities Of Self Image In An Efl Rural Setting

In this book, we looked at self-image from a humanistic perspective. We see it as a dynamic and complex process that compromises self-respect and self-confidence. The protagonists of this story come from a rural area. They were a group of eleventh graders from a high school in Samacá, one of the 123 towns in the state of Boyacá, Colombia. As narrators of the story, we wanted to explore, analyze, and interpret how these adolescents perceived their self-image through their life stories under a narrative inquiry method. By telling their narratives, the students could reconstruct and re-signify their reality, while showing us who they are in relation to other people and their contexts. Therefore, life stories offered us the possibility to explore students' inner and social worlds. This research study helped us increase our sensitivity to how the adolescents saw themselves as part of their rural contexts, as well as how this might affect their futures. Resumen En este libro comprendimos la auto-imagen desde una perspectiva humana. Es decir, como un proceso dinámico y complejo que se relaciona con el auto-respeto y la auto-confianza. Los protagonistas de esta historia provienen de una zona rural. Ellos son un grupo de estudiantes de grado once de un colegio localizado en Samacá, uno de los 123 municipios que conforman el departamento de Boyacá en Colombia. Como narradores de esta historia, quisimos explorar, analizar e interpretar como estos adolescentes percibían su auto-imagen a través de sus historias de vida, enmarcadas en un método narrativo. Al narrar sus historias, los estudiantes reconstruyeron y resignificaron su realidad mientras nos mostraban su relación con otras personas y su propio contexto. Estas historias de vida nos dieron la posibilidad de explorar su mundo interno y social. Incrementamos nuestra sensibilidad como investigadores y entendimos como los adolescentes se percibían en un contexto rural y las implicaciones que esto tiene para sus vidas futuras.

This textbook is intended for pre-service English teachers who are beginning their teaching path. It examines the key aspects that can guide better a comprehension in their teaching contexts. In this textbook, the reader will find useful theoretical principles followed by a series of practical exercises. This textbook is divided into ten elements. Elements one and two focus on helpful terminology related to education. Elements three and four emphasize some of the factors that affect foreign language learning. Element five explores communicative competence. Element six suggests that depending on the context, there are diverse roles a teacher might assume to account for students' needs. Element seven emphasizes some of the Colombian educational policies pre-service teachers need to be aware of in order to adjust to their teaching contexts. Element eight provides insightful principles to teach in diverse contexts. Element nine is about teaching in rural contexts. The final element helps pre-service teachers reflect upon the importance of reviewing and reflecting. All of these aspects might meaningfully influence preservice teachers' pedagogical practices through reflection about classroom realities they may face.

This book explores how complex systems theory can contribute to the understanding of classroom language learner motivation through an extended examination of one particular, situated research project. Working from the lived experience of the participants, the study describes how action research methods were used to explore the dynamic conditions operating in a foreign language classroom in Japan. The book draws attention to the highly personalised and individual, yet equally co-formed nature of classroom foreign language learning motivation and to the importance of agency and emotions in language learning. It presents an extended illustration of the applicability of complex systems theory for research design and process in SLA and its narrative approach shines light upon the evolving nature of research and role of the researcher. The study will be a valuable resource for practitioners, researchers and postgraduate students interested in classroom language teaching and learning, especially those with a focus on motivation among learners.

Self-Esteem and Foreign Language Learning deals with a topic which has been given surprisingly little attention in Second and Foreign Language Acquisition studies. Although there are several studies dealing with general education, this volume addresses the need to take self-esteem into consideration in the language classroom and adopts both theoretical/research and practical perspectives, with the hope of being useful for both researchers and practitioners. The book is organized into three main parts. Part I serves as an introduction to self-esteem. Part II reports on the existing literature about the theory and research dealing with self-esteem and foreign language learning, and Part III includes procedures for implementation and activities for classroom applications. Self-Esteem and Foreign Language Learning is edited by Fernando Rubio (PhD.), a researcher and teacher at the University of Huelva in Spain. Most of the chapters have been written by members of the research group “Affective factors in language learning”, which has also published a book on Multiple Intelligences and the teaching of English (Dr. Jane Arnold, Dr. Carmen Fonseca, etc.). There are two outside contributions: one is by Andrew Wright, author of numerous publications for language teachers, and the other by Veronica de Andrés, teacher trainer from the University of El Salvador (Argentina) and member of the executive board of the International Council for Self-Esteem. Dr. Elaine Horwitz of the University of Texas has contributed a preface.

This is the first collection of research studies to explore the potential for mixed methods to shed light on foreign or second language learning by young learners in instructed contexts. It brings together recent studies undertaken in Cameroon, China, Croatia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania and the UK. Themes include English as an additional language, English as a second or foreign language, French as a modern foreign language, medium of instruction controversies and content and language integrated learning (CLIL). The volume reviews the choice of research methodologies for early language learning research in schools with a particular focus on mixed methods and proposes that in the multidisciplinary context of early language learning this paradigm allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the evidence than other approaches might provide. The collection will be of interest to in-service and trainee teachers of young language learners, graduate students in the field of TESOL and early language learning, teacher educators, researchers and policymakers.