Volume 24 Issue 3
Winter 2017

Learning Learning

Exploring Effects of Socially Mediated Interactions on Learners’ L2 Motivation
Yuri Imamura
Kanda University of International Studies, Self-Access Learning Center (SALC)(SALC)
Abstract
The field of advising in foreign language learning has been attracting more attention in language
education. In self-access centres, learning advisors support learners to gain self-directed learning skills
and develop awareness about their learning. From a theoretical point of view, sociocultural theory andconstructivism emphasise the importance of socially mediated interactions and can be applied to thefield of advising in language learning (Mynard & Kato, 2016). Socially mediated interactions are an
important factor for language learners to reflect on their learning progress and develop both language
and learning skills. Ushioda (2003) states that interactive support from experts helps learners’ motivationand promotes learner autonomy. This research investigates how socially mediated interactions with alearning advisor support learners to be autonomous throughout a self-directed learning module in the
SAC at a university in Japan. In the process, they are guided by a learning advisor in both spoken andwritten interactions enabling them to discover more about themselves as learners. The analysis ofinterviews demonstrates how students became aware of their language and learning progress, as well asaffective aspects of the self-directed learning process, through socially mediated interactions with alearning advisor.

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Ushioda

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Keywords: self-directed learning, self-access, learner autonomy, socially mediated interactions,motivation

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his study aims to explore learner motivation in socially mediated interactions. Curry, Mynard,
Noguchi and Watkins (2017) stated that autonomous language learners are learners who possess“a good understanding of self-directed language learning (SDLL); that is cognitive,
metacognitive, affective and social processes that govern learning” (p. 17). Socially mediated interactions
play a crucial role in learner autonomy, and numerous researchers have researched the ability of sociallymediated interactions to help language learners be more engaged in their learning (Mynard & Kato, 2016;
Yamashita, 2015). This short research article aims to understand more about learners’ motivation
through socially mediated interactions with a learning advisor while taking an optional module offered at
a Japanese university.
The setting
Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) is a private university specialising in the fields offoreign languages and intercultural communication. For all students, learning English is compulsory, andthe Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) provides various types of resources (such as self-learning sheets
and courses) and access to specialists (such as learning advisors) to support students to learn and practiceEnglish outside their classes. When I conducted this research in the 2016/2017 academic year, thelanguage policy in the SALC was English only.
The SALC’s mission in KUIS is to “foster learner autonomy by providing learners with opportunities toreflect and take charge of individualizing their language learning, and to develop skills for the learning
experience and making informed choices” (SALC, n.d.). That is, the SALC is a learning space wherestudents can explore their language learning journeys based on their own targets and goals with support
from learning advisors, friends, lecturers and others.
Learning advisors
The aim of a learning advisor in KUIS is to support learners to gain self-directed learning skills and anawareness of their learning through both spoken and written dialogue. Learning advisors offer various
forms of support, including 30-minute face-to-face advisory sessions, help desk support (learners candrop in with questions), and other informal advising that takes place in the SALC. In addition, the SALC
offers self-directed learning courses to support students to be more responsible for their learning outsideof class. Through both spoken and written advisory sessions, a learning advisor facilitates a learner’s
reflective processes in language learning in order for the learner to become more capable of planningtheir self-directed learning (Kato & Mynard, 2016).
How the module supports learner autonomy
The SALC module is a self-directed module that learners complete with the support of learning
advisors. At the time of the study (April 2016 to January 2017), the module was non-credit
bearing. Through the module, learning advisors encourage learners to think about their learning
processes actively to become more independent learners. Although the interactions between learners andadvisors are largely conducted through written correspondence, learners can book one-to-one advisory
sessions whenever required. The content of the module is as follows:
Week 1: Goal setting

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Learning Learning
Week 2: Learning strategies
Week 3: Resources

Week 4: The SURE (study, use, review and evaluate) learning cycle and creating a learning plan
Weeks 5 - 8: Self-directed learning journal
In the first four weeks, the module introduces “the concept of self-directed learning by explicitly
teaching the learners about useful tools for taking charge of their language learning” (Mynard, Curry,
Noguchi & Watkins, 2016, p. 47). Later, they make learning plans based on their own goals, strategies,
and chosen resources and utilise self-directed learning journals for a month.
Motivation as an interactive process
Ushioda (2003, p. 90) drew on McCombs (1994) to say that “learners’ capacity for autonomy, theirmotivation must be viewed as an intrinsic part of human nature, yet one which needs supportive
interpersonal interactions and an optimal learning environment in order to grow in positive ways.” In
addition, Ushioda (2003, 2007) stated that the interactive support and scaffolding provided by experts
have an impact on increasing learners’ motivation. That is, as learning is a social and intrapersonal
process, socially mediated interactions are one of the key factors that support learners’ motivation andprovide scope for learner autonomy. For example, Yamashita (2015) focused on socially mediateddialogic interactions between a learner and a learning advisor and conducted a case study that considered
the learner’s affect as a resource. She analysed spoken advisory sessions in Japanese with a Japaneselearner of English and saw how the learner came to control (or understand) her affect over theperiod. Yamashita (2015, p. 79) summarized that “As the learner accumulated more dialogic interactions,the learner progressively became the central agent in utilizing her affective states, developing her
motivational and metacognitive awareness.” Her research indicated that the socially mediatedinteractions and support provided by an expert had a positive impact on the learner’s motivation andhelped in controlling her affect, leading her to develop her learner autonomy. Her research, however,specifically focused on the learner’s affective capacity as a resource through spoken interactions between
a learner and a learning advisor; in contrast, in the present study, I am interested in the broader reasons
why socially mediated interactions by an expert support learners’ motivation and I seek to investigate thefollowing research question:
How do socially mediated interactions with a learning advisor help learners on the module to get
motivated and sustain their language learning?
MethodSemi-structured interviews were carried out with four students who completed the module with theauthor as their learning advisor in the 2016/2017 academic year. All of them had booked advisory
sessions with their learning advisor regularly depending on their purposes, in addition to written dialogue
throughout the module.
The interview questions below were designed to address the questions:

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What made you continue your module every week?

●

How did you feel about the relationship between you and your learning advisor?

Interviews were conducted face to face in Japanese and audio-recorded. Each interview lasted
approximately 30 minutes. When the data were analysed, I found three elements of interaction between
a learner and a learning advisor: affective scaffolding, promotion of learner’s reflective process, andexploration of learning strategies.
ParticipantsStudent A, a second-year student studying international business communication in the International
Communication Department, had tried the module twice in his first year but could not complete
it. When he took the module with me, it was his third time attempting to learn about self-directed study.
Student B, a second-year student in the English Department, took the module to get more opportunities
to use the SALC and to improve her listening skills for TOEFL ITP, on which she needed a certainscore for a class on the Teacher Licence Course.
Student C, a first-year student in the English Department, took the module to develop her speaking
skills. She requested a Japanese advisor to advise her for the module.
Student D, a second-year student in the English Department, wanted to improve her speaking skills
through taking the module.
Findings
Through the interviews with the four module takers and subsequent analysis, I found that sociallymediated interactions between a learner and a learning advisor seemed to offer the following:●a means of affective scaffolding●

opportunities for a learner to reflect on their learning process●

an exploration of effective learning strategies.
A means of affective scaffolding

All participants pointed out that affective scaffolding was the most important form of interactive
support that they gained from their learning advisor through taking the module. Having an environment
where the learner feels comfortable with sharing their affective and emotional states with someone (i.e.,a learning advisor) is crucial to being more autonomous.
Student C – In class, not only me but also other classmates have equal opportunities to speak. On
the other hand, in a one-to-one dialogue with my learning advisor, as this is “my time,” I do notneed to be rushed, and I can focus on my speaking. Additionally, my learning advisor often
summarises and restates what I said, and that makes me feel she understands me. I feel less anxious

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about my speaking skills and silence when I talk with her. (translated from Japanese by theauthor)Student C noticed that having opportunities to voice her feelings and to feel relieved speaking her target
language had a positive impact on her learning experience outside class.
Student A – I realised that interacting with my learning advisor keeps my motivation high. Thismay be because I like to talk with people like a teacher and a learning advisor to develop myself
depending on my interests.
Through taking the module, Student A noticed that his preferred learning style, which was to get support
from teachers and learning advisors, helped him to develop his skills more than learning by himself. This
relationship is exactly what Ushioda (2003) stated: Interactive support from experts plays a critical role inincreasing a learner’s motivation.
Student B – Showing my learning advisor my weekly learning journals pushed me to study in agood way, and written feedback made me confident in my learning. In the one-to-one spoken advisory
sessions, I was not anxious about my linguistic mistakes because my focus was on increasing
opportunities using the SALC.
Student D – I looked forward to written feedback from my learning advisor (and fancy
stickers!). Though I thought that the SALC was a difficult place to go to, I have come to know
more people in the SALC, and that led me to go there more often after taking the module. The
module gave me a connection with not only my learning advisor but also the SALC.
As both Students B and D mentioned, one of the roles of a learning advisor is to give learners positive
experiences in the SALC and to provide a connection with the SALC. Why learners feel uncomfortable
going to the SALC needs to be considered in future research; it is clear that some learners desire to use
the SALC effectively and try to fulfil this need by making a connection with a learning advisor.
Opportunities for learners to reflect on their learning process
As the module and the learning advisor aim to encourage a language learner to gain self-directed skills,
the interview data clearly show that learners gain more opportunities to reflect on their learning process
though the module.
Student A – I noticed that my goal was vague when I was a first-year student. Because of that, I
was not able to use appropriate strategies to develop my language skills and ended up giving up themodule. Now, I am able to make a clear learning plan and study routine for improving my English
and learning skills.
Student A reflected on the reason why he could not complete the module in his first year at KUIS—
because he did not have enough time to consider what he wanted to focus on in his language
learning. While focusing on his academic writing skills, he tried academic writing practice and showed his
work to the Writing Centre, where students can get writing support (through English lecturers checking
structures, vocabulary usage, and grammar) once a week. In addition, he established spoken reflection
session with his learning advisor and that became his weekly routine. Based on his interview, continuing

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his learning plan for a certain period of time gave him a sense of achievement in his language learningand motivated him to continue to study.
Student B – The written dialogue helped me to discover different strategies to develop my English
skills, and I could spend more time on considering my learning process and looking back at what I
did based on the feedback. I recognised that having a clear goal keeps my motivation high.
As Student B mentioned above, one of the positive aspects of written comments is that both the learnerand the learning advisor can look back on the learning process whenever needed. While looking back on
her learning journal for the module, Student B noticed what was important for achieving her own
goal. Written reflection and interactions encourages learners to think deeply about their learning process
and develop metacognitive skills (Mynard & Navarro, 2010; Mynard & Thornton, 2012).
Student C – I learned both negative and positive aspects of my learning through spoken dialogue,
and that helped me to review my learning process and make my weekly target for the next
week. Before taking the module, I did not think about my learning deeply. Even in class, I
sometimes zoned out, but I started to try using English more consciously.
As Student C pointed out, she gradually became more able to think about her learning process. In bothspoken and written interactions with her, I noticed that the learner was able to answer powerfulquestions that were aimed at developing her metacognitive skills.
An exploration of effective learning strategies
In my own experience, learners who have less learning experience tend to use the same materials andlearning strategies that they have used before, such as the grammar textbooks that they used in highschool. Thus, socially mediated interactions with a learning advisor or other experts like teachers often
give them new insights for their language learning journey.
Student B – For my TOEFL ITP study, I only used the official study book and never tried otherresources. My advisor suggested to me that I try TEDed1, and I learned that there are many
materials for language learning. Though I am still exploring appropriate resources for my target, I
discovered different learning strategies using new materials through the module.
Student D – While I was trying out the self-directed learning journal, a teacher at the PracticeCentre (where a student can practise speaking English with an English lecturer for 15 minutes)
advised me to check what I could not say after having a conversation, and the strategy was very
useful for my goal.
The interview data show that the socially mediated interactions offered in the SALC help learners to
explore various learning materials and strategies to achieve their own goals. In the interview, bothStudent B and C reflected on the importance of building a relationship between them and experts suchas learning advisors and lecturers. A good relationship in socially mediated interactions encourages themto try new strategies and resources for their language learning.

1

TEDed is an online collaborative learning platform for teachers and learners. See https://ed.ted.com/

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Volume 24 Issue 3
Winter 2017Conclusion
Autonomy must come from within; yet, socially mediated interactions support the development ofautonomy (Ushioda, 2003). That is, SDLL is highly interpersonal. As Ushioda (2007) stated, theinteractive support and scaffolding provided by experts have an impact on increasing learners’
motivation; both spoken and written interactions are crucial factors that motivate learners to keep
learning English. Through the interviews with the students, I noticed that the learners had increased
engagement in their learning through the module, and both written and spoken dialogue gave them
deeper understandings of their learning process, particularly in reviewing their learning process andmaking plans for the future. Although most of the participants had had little previous opportunity tothink about their learning deeply, while or after taking the module, they clearly became more consciousof their learning processes. This suggests that socially mediated interactions are essential to thedevelopment of learner autonomy.
References
Curry, N., Mynard, J., Noguchi, J., & Watkins, S. (2017). Evaluating a self-directed language learning
course in a Japanese university. International Journal of Self-Directed Learning, 14(1), 17-36.
Kato, S., & Mynard, J. (2015). Reflective dialogue: Advising in language learning. New York: Routledge.
Mynard, J., Curry, N., Noguchi, J., & Watkins, S. (2016). Studying the impact of the SALC curriculum on
learning.  [Language Education Research], 27, 45-58.
Mynard, J., & Navarro, D. (2010). Dialogue in self-access learning. In A. M. Stoke (Ed.), JALT2009
Conference Proceedings (pp. 95-102). Tokyo: JALT. Retrieved from http://jaltpublications.org/recentpdf/proceedings/2009/E008.pdf
Self-Access Learning Centre. (n.d.). Mission [Mission statement]. Kanda University of International
Studies, Self-Access Learning Centre. Retrieved fromhttp://www.kandagaigo.ac.jp/kuis/salc/aboutthesalc/mission.html
Thornton, K., & Mynard, J. (2012). Investigating the focus of advisor comments in a written advisingdialogue. Autonomy in language learning: Advising in action. Canterbury: IATEFL.
Ushioda, E. (2007). Motivation, autonomy and sociocultural theory. In P. Benson (Ed.), Learner autonomy
8: Teacher and learner perspectives (pp. 5-24). Dublin: Authentik.
Ushioda, E. (2003). Motivation as a socially mediated process. In D. Little, J. Ridley, & E. Ushioda(Eds.), Learner autonomy in the foreign language classroom: Teacher, learner, curriculum and assessment (pp. 90102). Dublin: Authentik.
Yamashita, H. (2015). Affect and the development of learner autonomy through advising. Studies in SelfAccess Learning Journal, 6(1), 62-85. Retrieved fromhttps://sisaljournal.org/archives/mar15/yamashita/
Imamura Yuri is a learning advisor in the Self-Access Learning Center at Kanda University ofInternational Studies in Chiba, Japan. She completed her MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language
at the University of Birmingham, UK. Her research interests are L2 motivation, self-directed learning, andself-access management. Author correspondence: imamura-y@kanda.kuis.ac.jp

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