A Narrative Inquiry on the Interplay between Language Learner Agency and Learning Contexts

• Main Authors: Chen, Wei-Chieh, 陳瑋婕
• Other Authors: Chao, Chin-chi
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/5676ug

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 英國語文學系 === 106 === Drawing on the concept of learner agency, a narrative inquiry was conducted in order to achieve an in-depth, qualitative understanding of the interplay between a Taiwanese learner's exert of agency and various contexts. The study was developed in three phases, and multiple number of interviews were the main instrument for data collection. The first interview was conducted in August, 2014, before the participant, Erin, headed for England to pursue a Master's degree. The following interviews documented her life experiences abroad and further explored her past language learning history. The final interview was conducted in September, 2015 after she came back to Taiwan, in which she reflected on her overall study abroad experiences and the role of English in her life. The findings delineated Erin's English learning story and her agency domestically and internationally. van Lier's proposal of core features of learner agency was used as the analytic framework to discuss Erin's story, and later two assertions were derived from the discussion: (1) Being an EFL learner in the Taiwanese formal educational context may involve many challenges, but the learner still has room to exercise his or her agency-even though this could mean avoiding or rejecting learning, and (2) Fully engaged in a foreign language environment, the learner is likely to break away from the limitations of formal English learning system. The study delineates a close examination on how the language learner interacted with various contexts and demonstrates several considerations TESOL practitioners can take. Based on the findings and the discussion, pedagogical implications as well as suggestions for future research are also provided at the end of the thesis.