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The Diaries of ESL Learners:

A Fresh Look at Language Learning Experience

Md Ikram Mahadzir, Normah Ismail, Kamalanathan a/l Ramakrishnan Academy of Language Studies

UiTM Johor

mdikr650@johor.uitm.edu.my

Abstract

The process of acquiring a second language differs from one person to

another. Not much is known about the how, when, what or why this is so as

most non-native speakers of the language are not normally aware that they

have actually gained a second language. Studies using analytic scales to

measure language-learning experiences have mostly yielded results that are

hard to define. This is an on going study that made use of an introspective

approach to second language acquisition (SLA) study. Through the use of

diary study, we had hoped to raise the writers’ awareness of the SLA

process that the students were going through. The conclusion that we

arrived at indicated that we could learn much from our students’ experience

in order to create a more meaningful language learning environment.

Keyword: second language acquisition diary study introspective

Introduction

Diary Study

“The best way of finding out what goes on in the learner’s mind is by direct introspection.” (Bailey

& Ochsner 1983).

Bailey and Ochsner noted that diaries provide a valuable longitudinal record of the interaction

between an individual and his/her learning processes. Therefore, through studying diary entries, researchers can gain a perspective of learners' unconscious learning experiences and processes.

Diary studies serve one of two major purposes: the investigation of phenomena as they unfold over

time, or the focused examination of specific, and often rare, phenomena. People provide frequent

reports on the events and experiences of their daily lives. These reports capture the particulars of

experience in a way that is not possible using traditional designs. A fundamental benefit of diary

methods is that they permit the examination of reported events and experiences in their natural, spontaneous context, providing information complementary to that obtainable by more traditional

designs (Reis 1994).

In relation to language learning, Faerch and Kasper (1987) best describe a diary study as “a first

person account of a language learning or teaching experience, documented through regular, candid

entries in a personal journal and then analyzed for recurring patterns or salient events.”

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Diary study in language learning research

The table below lists some applications of the diary in language learning research:

Author Area Of Research

Peck, S. (1996) growth of cultural sensitivity in FL

learners

Learners in

classrooms

Block, D. (1996) (oral diaries):the problem of uptake

and gaps in teacher and learner

perceptions of learning

Thornbury, S.

(1991)

use of teaching practice logs for

trainee self-assessment and awareness

Pedagogic

Trainees

Richards, K. (1992) reflection on FLL as a

consciousness-raising tool

Bailey, K. (1983) the role of affective issues ('anxiety'

and 'competition') in LL

Language learning

Campbell, C.

(1996)

prior LL experience in FLL(re-use of

prior learning styles and strategies)

Ashton-Warner, S.

(1963)

importance of learner-centred

methods in vocabulary acquisition

Experienced teachers

Towndrow, P.

(2004)

Laptop journal exploring on-line

tutoring difficulties

Expert

Teacher trainers Bailey, K. (1996) class-group diary and the dialogic

process

Fig. 1.1 (Adapted from McDonough and McDonough, 1997:133, Fig. 8.1)

From the table above, we can see that diary studies have been an important introspective tool in

language research. They can provide a perspective of learners' learning experiences and processes

which may be "hidden" or "inaccessible" through observation from investigators (Bailey &

Ochsner, 1983, p. 189). In noting that descriptive and interpretive research are particularly suited

for 'investigating behaviour in context', Nunan asserts that “diaries, logs and journals are important

introspective tools in language research,” and that “rich insights into some of the psychological,

social, and cultural factors involved in language learning and teaching could only be yielded

through journal or diary writing “ (Nunan, 1992). McDonough and McDonough, (1997:121)

concur, commenting on the diary’s suitability: "Indeed the theme of change over time and the

sense of writing about a process is one that resonates directly with the use of diaries in educational

research." In spite of the advantages of diary study in researching classroom and teacher processes

over time, McDonough and McDonough (p.131) note that there are relatively few studies in diary

form compared with other studies of SLA. However, this trend may be changing with the advent of

the online Internet diary, otherwise known as a ‘blog’.

Diary study and language learning experience

Some diarists keep a journal recording their language learning experience as a participant in

someone else's study. Others are the investigators themselves (Bailey & Ochsner, 1983; Cohen,

1997; Jones, 1994; Schmidt & Frota, 1986). Diary studies, like any other case studies, cannot make

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claims for generalizations. However, they have provided valuable insights regarding various

aspects of language learning which include learners’ anxiety, learning strategies, impact of

classroom interaction, conversational interaction, proficiency thresholds, self-study, vocabulary

development, and pragmatics, to name a few.

Limitations of a diary study

A major limitation of a diary study is its subjectivity, as has been well recognized by researchers in

general (e.g., Schmidt & Frota, 1986). Jones (1994) observed that when a researcher is the

observer as well as the subject under study, it creates a "triple subjectivity" which may "increase

the danger of finding what one sets out to find rather than what is objectively there" (p. 444).

However, Jones also argued that if the goal of a study is to find out what is involved in the learning

process, then that subjectivity -- "how one perceives the processes, what one chooses to record" --

should be an important part of the study.

Background to this study

Even though most of our students recognize the importance of mastering English,

most rarely or do not use English outside the classroom. To address this problem, we encourage

our students to create more opportunities for themselves for learning the language beyond the

classroom, for example through reading, discussions and presentations. However, some are still

unable to take greater responsibility for their learning even though there are many resources

available. Why ?

We believe one of the reasons lies with the learners’ experience in learning English. We do not

have much knowledge about learners’ first hand account of this, which can inform us about their

language learning progress. The social context, for example, can affect a language learners’

experience. How do learners motivate themselves? How do they deal with their language learning

anxieties?

Objectives

The objectives of this study are :

• To describe the students’ language learning experience.

• To examine common features in the student’s language learning experience

• To understand how students learn language on their own.

Significance of the study

Through their first person accounts, we hope to understand how they acquire English in their

everyday surrounding. There are a number of reasons why it is important to learn this:

• As teachers, we have some influence on the language learning experience of our students.

• We should recognize the degree of resourcefulness and initiative that the learners put into

the process of acquiring the language outside the classroom.

• We need to know more about how our students prefer to learn the language on their own.

Research Question

Our study would be guided by the question:

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• What are some common and unique features of our students’ language learning experience?

Scope of Project

The study would only focus on a selected group of learners who are pursuing undergraduate

studies at Universiti Teknologi MARA Johor. As such the results of this study may not apply to

other situations.

Selection of participants

We asked for volunteers. They are later selected based on:

• their willingness to participate

• their ability to communicate effectively and

• recommendation from their lecturers.

The students who volunteered for the project came from different backgrounds like Computer

Science, Accounting and Business. We did not confine the participants to a particular faculty, as

we would like to know about the different assumptions and views they had about their language

learning experience. We have 7 volunteers, two males and 5 females. All of them are in their first

year of studies.

Method

In order to obtain data for this study, we used diaries and interviews.

Diary

The effectiveness of diary study designs depends on careful consideration of the question(s) one

seeks to answer. A poorly designed diary study can involve considerable effort but may yield little

useful information (Bolger, Davis, Rafaeli, 2003). For this study, we hope to achieve these goals

using the diary study method:

• obtaining reliable person-level information;

• obtaining estimates of within-person change over time, as well as

individual differences in such change; and

• conducting a causal analysis of within-person changes and individual

differences in these changes.

At the start of the project, we briefed the students about the project and the purpose of the diaries.

We emphasized that even though the diary writing was voluntary, we asked for their commitment to see that the diaries are maintained. Next we explained that they can express all their thoughts

and feelings in the dairies but we would only use what they allowed us to use.

Initially we asked that they write in their diaries every day and submit their entries once a

fortnight. Later, that was changed to once a week. They would submit their entries at the end of the

month. They are also asked to continue writing even through their semester holidays. The students

were given a choice of submitting their diaries on softcopy or little notebooks. All, except one, turned in softcopies.

In their diaries, they were asked to focus on:

• their feelings about learning English

• problems, anxieties, worries they faced in learning English

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• what they did, on their own or together with their lecturers, friends, and family members, to

create opportunities learn English

• stories of success or/and failures in their efforts to learn English

We read the diaries in 2 stages. We read them about a week after they were submitted and made notes. After interviewing the students, we reread their diary entries and discussed our notes.

Interview

Diaries are sometimes used in conjunction with other data collection methods like interviews.

Interviews generate details about an event or a situation that would not be possible to obtain in a

normal conversation. (Lanshear and Knobel, 2004). Among others, interviews are used for:

• obtaining content from an insider’s perspective

• access a person’s understandings of concepts and processes that are of interest to the

researcher

• access the beliefs, values and worldviews of the interviewee

We decided to hold at least 2 interviews with each of the student; one halfway through and one at

the end of the project. Other meetings can be arranged in between the two interview sessions for

follow up work or just to check on how the students are doing. Up to now, we have held one

interview, in April 2006 and one meeting, in October 2006. The interviews lasted between 45

minutes and one hour. During the interview, we asked the students to comment on or clarify what

they wrote in the diaries. We took down notes.

Findings and discussion

When we started to read, we found that some of the diary entries were repetitious and others were

not specifically about the students’ language learning experience. However, after careful reading, we were able to see some common experience featured across what the students had written. We

were also able to pick out a few unique anecdotes.

Enjoyment and satisfaction in learning English

All of the students mentioned that they enjoy learning English for a number of reasons.

Liyana has relatives who spoke English.

..I’m proud to learn English because I can speak English with my parents, siblings and friends

who are in Singapore. At least I can speak good English with them

Siti worked during the holidays and was happy to be able to use English at work.

..My boss is Filipino who cannot understand Malay. I speak to her in English.

We also came across positive competition and rivalry among the students with their friends or

families.

Syuhada expressed satisfaction learning English because she was able to “challenge” her sister

whose English she thought was inferior (to hers).

…I feel now I’m more confident than before. I was too shy before this. I think the reason is my

sister challenged me. She is the most quiet in the family and all this while I thought my English was better than her English. Then we take the English tuition class together in Perak, 3 sisters

were in the same class. Then I realized that she is the best in English among the three of us. I felt

very challenged…

Aishah felt good because she was able to teach her nephew and neighbour during the holidays.

…I always teach them because all their homework was in English.

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Create opportunities for learning English

Most of the students wrote that they learn English through TV, CD or radio. Others go to lengths

to create learning opportunities.

Siti tries to understand the dialogue on TV by not looking at the sub titles. I like to learn English. I learn through TV and movies. I try hard to focus on the dialogue and not

look at the subtitles. I can know what is the comment.

Raja tries to follow a product instruction in English.

I bought cupboard perfume (sic). I read instruction how to use the instruction and I do. After that,

when I’m confident with what I understand, I read the Malay instructions. It is right. I’m happy.

Challenges

Students wrote about the challenges they faced in learning English on campus. For some, it is to

find opportunities to learn English with friends. For others, the biggest challenge came from their

content subject classes, which are conducted in English.

Aishah wanted to practise speaking English outside the class.

…now I only speak English in my English class and during my presentation.

Salim wrote about his experience with his computer class.

...I never thought that a computer lesson could be hard. I have basic knowledge of computer but

many words and terms are “alien” to me… its difficult for me to understand what those words are.

I have dictionary with me to find the meaning but it takes time.

For Raja, it was with his Accounting class.

..I found 1 or 2 words I don’t understand. To make the account balanced, I should understand the

meaning of the words. Only then I can answer the question.

Disappointment and frustration

In general we found that the students wrote much about their disappointment and worries relating to the outcome of their assessments. They do not write much about their frustrations at the

outcome of their learning.

Salim has high expectations for himself.

..I do my presentation today. I‘m not satisfied with my presentation because my English is bad and

I’m nervous. I learn about public speaking through books but learning through books and learning

through experience is not the same…

Aishah’s effort to improve her English takes her to the library but she realized that it takes more

than interest to finish a book.

...At 11am we went to the library to find some books. I tried to find an English book but it was very

difficult to find a book that I like…

...I’m in no mood to read although I borrowed English books from the library. I fill my laptop with

English songs I got from my friends…

Persistence

Learning a language on your own can be a great challenge sometimes. Some students wrote about

being corrected, teased or laughed at but they persisted.

Aishah worked during the semester holidays. She tried to speak English with her co-workers. ..It’s often difficult but I must speak English to communicate. They laugh at me but I don’t care

about that…

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Salim persisted in his group work.

..when I present in a group, I was corrected especially on my pronunciation. It is nothing to be

ashamed of. It is better to learn through mistakes. At least I get to improve my pronunciation.

Siti says the best way to learn English is to speak English. ..The best way is to speak English whether I want it or not. I spent an average of 1 hour either

speaking or listening to English.

Resourcefulness

Some of the students wrote about their extra effort in trying to learn English.

Azlina learns pronunciation through entertainment magazines like Clio.

..I like to read the reader’s comments. I like to know what I say is right so I read it out loud.

Siti reads the dictionary!

I must be confident. I read the dictionary A to Z. I find the meaning of words. I check the Internet

with the online dictionary. I check there too.

Milestones

We realized it actually doesn’t take much to make a positive turn in a student’s learning

experience. A word of praise in class or a good comment on a written work does wonders. This

can turn to be further encouragement for them to improve themselves.

For example, Raja wrote about the day his essay was read in class.

…Today is the best day when I learn English. My lecturer chose my essay to read in class. She share my essay to all my friends. I feel so happy and I’m proud. But I feel nervous also because I

must improve in the next essay…

Azlina did well for herself in learning English

..I had some success in schools. I was involved in debates. My team got second place. When I was

doing my diploma, I got all A for my English courses for 4 semesters. I’m proud of that…

Optimism

Despite sometimes struggling with the language, the students wrote optimistically about being able

to improve their English and do well in other subjects taught in English.

Raja

..whenever I don’t understand the meaning, I will raise my hand and ask. She will tell me the

meaning of the words. When I understand, I can answer my Mathematics question.

Liyana

I come for lectures and I learn many new words in English. My English is weak. I want to improve

myself. I come to class, I will ask the teacher to help improve myself.

Having fun learning English

The students are quite capable of seeking resources, which offer them language learning in an

interesting and fun way.

Raja enjoys a joke or two.

..I read Readers’ Digest but not the whole book. Usually just the “Laughing (sic) is the best

medicine” section. If I can mile or laugh after I read the joke, that means I understand the story.

Azlina enjoys humour too.

..The most successful method to learn is to write assignment because when I write I use simple

English and humour. I use humorous examples in my assignments.

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Liyana says she enjoys learning English with the radio

..I think radio is the most successful way for me because I learn to sing and I learn to hear the

lyrics. I get a lot of improvement here.

Some suggestions

When we started the diary project, we did not set a specific format, as we wanted to ensure our

students wrote as much as possible. Now we will share the problems that we faced and some

suggestions on how we can improve this research.

The diaries should not become a burden to the students. We encouraged all of our students to

maintain their diaries as frequently as they can. However, we stressed that they should not spend

too much time doing it. The diaries were still secondary to their academic work. We also asked

them not to complete the diaries if they were under a lot of pressure from other commitments.

The frequency entries should also be carefully considered. At the beginning, we asked that our

students write every day. When they started submitting some of their work, we realized that they

did not have much to write (in terms of language learning experience) and were repeating some of

the things that were written in the previous entries. We then decided that one entry a week was

sufficient. That would give them time to think and write about meaningful events in their diaries.

Our students wrote their diaries at our request. Therefore we cannot claim that everything they

wrote represented their true feelings. In our situation, we were teaching some of these students as

well. We were concerned that they would be writing only what they thought we wished them to write on. We expressed this to them during the first meeting. We explained the objectives of our

project and later answered all the questions they had relating to what we would do with their diary

entries.

We kept in mind that the diaries were written over a period of two semesters, within a specific

time and situation. This means that the contents may not be generalizable to the same student-

writer in other times and contexts. However, we realized that the contents of the diaries were very personal and were useful as conversation points to draw more rich insights from the students when

we interviewed them.

Conclusion

Even though the sample for this study is small, we felt we managed to obtain enough data to

achieve our objectives. We conclude that we have much to learn from the students whose language

learning experience is rich, varied and complex. We can use the issues gleaned from the diaries

and interviews to help us prepare materials better, improve the way we deliver our lessons and

create a more interesting learning environment for our students. We will continue this project with

a larger batch of student volunteers who will offer more insights, to help us become better

teachers.

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