‘Things Will Look Up Because They Always Do’: The Continuation of My Autoethnography as a Self-Directed Learner of French

Abstract

This is the second part of an autoethnography about trying to enrich my vocabulary and improve my listening skills as a self-directed learner through French language songs. I followed the same Study Use Review Evaluate (SURE) learning cycle as my students in a self-access English class, and my work occurred at the same time as theirs, over a period of six weeks. Throughout the project and in the course of writing it up, I was making comparisons and identifying connections between my learning and that of my students. This installment covers the second and third weeks of the project, and part of the fourth. First, it discusses vocabulary, describes how I adjusted a strategy, ways I enlisted help from native French speakers, and a problem that arose with using new words (the second step of SURE). Next, it details how I reviewed grammar through Duolingo, a language learning app, and the unexpected benefits I derived from using this app. Finally, this paper examines fluctuations in motivation and affect, which many learners experience at some point, and this initially led to anxiety and self-doubts about my purpose in conducting this project. Stepping into the learner’s experience was valuable, however, in helping me to rediscover intrinsic motivation and regain my self-confidence as I headed into the final weeks of the project.

‘Trusting the Process’: Part Three of My Autoethnography as a Self-Directed Learner of French

“…While traditional textbook learning still occurs in Japan and other countries, learners are lucky to have access to a range of authentic materials through apps and online tools that can supplement more traditional resources and increase their proficiency in real-life situations. For example, Coumbaa (2019), a native French speaking user of the HiNative app, taught me the meaning of an expression that turned out to be slang (Werner, 2020b), and while studying grammar with Duolingo (2020), I perceived more natural language than I had learned in my high school and university French classes. In addition, dictionaries that constantly search the internet for new example sentences, such as Reverso Context (Hoffenberg, 2020), can keep up with new words that have become part of the lexicon of a language.…”

“…At the end of Week 3, I was caught in that figurative storm, as I doubted both my ability to successfully complete the project and the value of studying French at all while living in Japan. I was also confused about the learning goal I had chosen and wondered if I should change my focus to grammar (Werner, 2020b). While my work through Duolingo took me away from the original plan of learning vocabulary through songs, I also started to feel that the app might lead to more meaningful learning.…”

“…On the other hand, I had to overcome obstacles in learning how to best carry out my learning plan. First, in week two, I was bogged down with how to "Use" new words, because I felt that hearing them in a song was insufficient (Werner, 2020b).…”

“…At different points during this project, I felt that my goals were shifting. In part two, I detailed how and why I considered changing my small goal from vocabulary to grammar (Werner, 2020b). Towards the end of the project, I began to feel that my big goal was changing from listening to reading.…”

“…I recognize it from my past studies." I have always been confident in my French reading, and this is one skill I felt I retained to some degree over the years, although I could not remember enough grammar to pass a placement test on Duolingo (Werner, 2020b). Weltens (1988) found French language learners to retain proficiency for two years of non-use, but after that, their grammar skills decreased.…”