Understanding a Social Space for Language Learning

Murray, Garold L.; Fujishima, Naomi

doi:10.1007/978-1-137-53010-3_18

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…As the interview transcripts and observation reports were read, re-read, coded and re-coded, and the codes gradually grouped into categories, two things became clear: first, there was a large number of people involved in the L-café on many different levels; and, secondly, all of these people had their own stories about how they experienced the English Café, Lcafé or both. This realization prompted the author to propose doing a narrative inquiry (Murray & Fujishima, 2016). Stories were collected from seven Japanese and two international students, four teachers who were assigned to work in the L-café as language learning support people, and three administrators -one at the university level and two on the management level of the L-café.…”

Section: The Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ethnography (Murray & Fujshima, 2013;Murray, Fujishima & Uzuka, 2014, forthcoming) and narrative inquiry (Murray & Fujishima, 2016) are well-suited to meeting this challenge. Secondly, rather than focusing on prediction, researchers need to engage in retrodiction (Dörnyei, 2014).…”

Section: Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The researchers on these projects were working backwards from what was seen as the L-café in order to determine which elements had self-organized to create it and the community or communities it encompasses (Murray & Fujishima, 2013). Thirdly, engaging in retrodiction can enable researchers to create provisional models that help understand what is happening (Murray & Fujishima, 2016). While complex dynamic systems cannot be created per se, their emergence can be supported.…”

Section: Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Autonomy in the Time of Complexity: Lessons from Beyond the Classroom

Murray

2017

SISAL

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Learner autonomy is a construct in motion, unfolding in step with our academic imaginary. Over the past forty years, it has demonstrated its capacity to adapt to changing times. Introduced in the late 1970s during an era characterized by the teacher-dominated language classroom, learner autonomy provided a much-needed focus on learners as potentially independent individuals capable of taking charge of their learning. Later, as the so-called ‘social turn’ gained prominence in the field of applied linguistics, autonomy revealed itself to be a social construct developed through interdependence. Now, as applied linguists turn their attention to complexity science, what facets of learner autonomy can be revealed by examining the construct from the perspective of complex dynamic systems theory? This paper addresses this question by drawing on the findings of three studies – a five-year ethnography, a longitudinal multiple-case study and a narrative inquiry – all of which explored a social space for language learning located on the campus of a large national university in Japan. The aim of these studies was to explore the ways in which learners experienced the facility and how it supported their linguistic and personal development. Adopting an ecological approach enabled the author and fellow researchers to focus on the affordances that emerged through learners’ engagement with the environment. Gradually, as these studies were carried out over the past eight years, the thinking on how to view this space, the learners and their learning has expanded from a community of practice perspective to one embracing complex dynamic systems theory. This article will examine how this shift in theoretical focus has offered lessons on learner autonomy in this out-of-class context.

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Section: The Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Autonomy in the Time of Complexity: Lessons from Beyond the Classroom

Murray

2017

SISAL

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“…Once the longitudinal ethnography and case studies were concluded, the researchers embarked upon a narrative inquiry, in which the stories of nine students, four teachers and three administrators responsible for the establishment and ongoing management of the L-café were collected. The data from the three studies were interpreted through a thematic content analysis informed initially by the community of practice perspective (Murray & Fujishima, 2013); later, theories of space and place (Murray, Fujishima & Uzuka, 2014); and, finally, complex dynamic systems theory (Murray & Fujishima, 2016).…”

Section: The Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Through research in the L-café, reciprocity and design elements of the physical space have been added to the list (Murray & Fujishima, 2016). Fostering these five elements can trigger and facilitate the emergence process.…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomy and Complexity in Social Learning Space Management

Murray

2017

SISAL

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Over the past four decades, learner autonomy in language learning has been quietly moving across what might be viewed as three paradigms in applied linguistics. When learner autonomy was introduced in the late 1970s, language classrooms were largely teacher-dominated. At that time, learner autonomy offered a much-needed focus on learners as individuals capable of accepting responsibility for all aspects of their learning. Later, as Vygotsky’s (1978, 1986) neo-constructivist theories became known, learning came to be seen as being socially mediated; and the field of applied linguistics experienced ‘a social turn’. Now it is widely recognized that learner autonomy develops more through interdependence rather than independence. Currently in the field of applied linguistics, ecology and complexity thinking are becoming more widespread. This article explores the impact that this theoretical shift might have on the work being carried out in social learning spaces. By drawing on themes arising from an ethnography, a multiple case study, and a narrative inquiry investigating a social learning space, this article looks at how managers might facilitate the emergence of affordances for learning by fostering conditions for complex emergence. It begins by situating the research within the literature, and providing an overview of pertinent aspects of theories of complex dynamic systems and space and place. Then, illustrating the points with themes and anecdotes from the three studies, suggestions are made as to how learning space managers might support the emergence of affordances for learning through attention to distributed control, neighbour interactions, reciprocity, randomness, and physical design features of the learning space.

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Learning Spanish Beyond the Classroom in a Corporate Setting

Mideros,

Palma

2023

New Language Learning and Teaching Environments

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Understanding a Social Space for Language Learning

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Autonomy in the Time of Complexity: Lessons from Beyond the Classroom

Autonomy in the Time of Complexity: Lessons from Beyond the Classroom

Autonomy and Complexity in Social Learning Space Management

Learning Spanish Beyond the Classroom in a Corporate Setting

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