This paper reports on a study investigating the mindsets of 51 pre-service teachers at an Austrian university using Q methodology. Despite the recent growth in interest in the concept of mindsets, ...little research has addressed the mindsets of teachers – most of it focusing on the mindsets of learners – and the research that does investigate teachers tends to focus on beliefs about learning or intelligence. This study offers a new perspective by focusing on teachers’ beliefs about their own teaching competences. A further aim of the study is to expand the methodological repertoire in language education researchers. This study considers the potential of Q methodology, a research approach used widely in social sciences and education, but, as yet, rare in this field. The data indicate that the most common mindset among the pre-service teachers is one based around a strong belief in the learnability of the more technical aspects of teaching, while interpersonal skills tend to be regarded as more of a natural talent fixed within the individual. One practical implication of this finding is that teacher education programmes may need to pay more attention to explicitly developing the interpersonal side of teaching. A further finding was that teacher mindsets are constructed through individuals’ management of various sets of implicit theories and tend not to conform to the established dichotomous model of mindsets.
Q methodology, an approach to inquiry on the subjective views about a complex phenomenon/issue which has been increasingly employed in a wide range of social science fields has not yet been applied ...in language learning and teaching research. It is a unique approach that has characteristics of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The purpose of the present paper is to introduce Q methodology as an alternative approach and demonstrate its potential to respond to the needs of the field that has been expanding in its epistemological diversity since the social turn (Block, 2003; Ortega, 2012). The relevance of the methodology for SLA research will be discussed with a particular focus on the parallels between the development of the methodology in the 1930s and current criticisms towards the traditional cognitive approach in SLA. Using a published study (Irie & Ryan, 2014), the author explains how the focus on the holistic understanding of subjectivity is built into the procedure. Suggestions for possible areas of research and teaching in which Q methodology could be applied are discussed.
The purpose of this study is to take a fresh look at language education from the perspective of positive communication (PC) as it contributes to the well-being of language learners. It explores a ...context that has received little attention: older learners. The lessons drawn from older learners can help practitioners in other contexts rethink their approaches and innovate.
The interview data was taken from a research project on life stories of language learners. The participants, all over the age of 65, are students an English discussion class in Japan. The transcripts were thematically coded to identify elements of L2 communication that encourage them to continue learning.
The identified themes are compatible with the six concepts of Mirivel's PC model (2014. The Art of Positive Communication. Peter Lang) and suggest that PC in L2 can encourage learners to connect, stimulate, and support each other which leads to the sustained engagement.
The study makes a contribution to the field by bringing attention to the potential of L2 communication from a new perspective. It explores areas where formal classroom learning and informal out of class learning intersect, and calls for a reexamination of communication in the language classroom.
This paper reports on a study investigating the mindsets of 51 pre-service teachers at an Austrian university using Q methodology. Despite the recent growth in interest in the concept of mindsets, ...little research has addressed the mindsets of teachers – most of it focusing on the mindsets of learners – and the research that does investigate teachers tends to focus on beliefs about learning or intelligence. This study offers a new perspective by focusing on teachers’ beliefs about their own teaching competences. A further aim of the study is to expand the methodological repertoire in language education researchers. This study considers the potential of Q methodology, a research approach used widely in social sciences and education, but, as yet, rare in this field. The data indicate that the most common mindset among the pre-service teachers is one based around a strong belief in the learnability of the more technical aspects of teaching, while interpersonal skills tend to be regarded as more of a natural talent fixed within the individual. One practical implication of this finding is that teacher education programmes may need to pay more attention to explicitly developing the interpersonal side of teaching. A further finding was that teacher mindsets are constructed through individuals’ management of various sets of implicit theories and tend not to conform to the established dichotomous model of mindsets.
This landmark volume offers a collection of conceptual papers and empirical research studies that investigate the dynamics of language learning motivation from a complex dynamic systems perspective. ...The contributors include some of the most well-established scholars from three continents, all addressing the question of how we can understand motivation if we perceive it as continuously changing and evolving rather than as a fixed learner trait. The data-based studies also provide useful research models and templates for graduate students and scholars in the fields of applied linguistics and SLA. This collection of conceptual papers and data-based research studies investigate the dynamics of language learning motivation from a complex dynamic systems perspective. The chapters seek to answer the question of how we can understand motivation if we perceive it as a continuously changing and evolving entity rather than a fixed learner trait.
This study uses a socio-psychological framework to investigate the dynamics of motivation to learn English (L2 motivation) among junior high school students in Japan. The multimethod survey research ...design includes a quantitative cross-sectional study of 979 students in two public and one private junior high schools, and a three-year quantitative and qualitative longitudinal study of a 75-student cohort at a public junior high school. The Japanese Junior High School Motivation Battery (JJMB) based on Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (Gardner, 1985; Tremblay & Gardner, 1995) comprising 44 items (8 scales) and a graded achievement test using the Ranch Model were developed far the study. Four questions guided the study: (a) whether the overall level of L2 motivation of Japanese junior high school students changes over the three-year curriculum, (b) whether students' motivation profiles change, (c) if they change, how each component changes, and (d) how the motivational components and to achievement variables are related to each other. Results of the profile analysis of the cross-sectional and longitudinal studies (p = 0.025) indicate that the overall levels of L2 motivation, represented by the total mean of the eight scales (ANX, Anxiety; EE, Enjoyment of English; ET, Attitudes towards English Teachers; EX, Expected Level of Attainment; INS, Instrumental Orientation; INT, Integrative Orientation; SM, Strength of Motivation; PE, Parental Encouragement), are stable, yet the levels can change in certain components. The follow-up univariate tests suggest that classroom-related variables such as ANX, ET, and SM significantly change while general variables such as EX and INT remain unchanged. The cross-sectional study suggests a declining tendency in these variables. Several classroom-specific experiences and external factors identified in the qualitative analysis explained the longitudinal cohort's maintenance of positive attitudes. The correlation analysis reveals the generally positive and stable correlation among the motivational variables and achievement variables. This study contributes to L2 motivation research in that it reveals the process of changes in L2 motivation over time and the influencing factors. Further, it demonstrates the effective use of profile analysis and the Rasch model and the integration of quantitative and qualitative methods as a comprehensive approach to investigating L2 motivation.
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