Falling through the net: do learner development schemes reach those who need it most?

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• Dr Ulrike Bavendieke (University of Liverpool)
• Monday 13 November 2006, 17:00-18:00
• Room 1S3 New Faculty of Education Building, Hills Road.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Edith Esch.

Learner development schemes with the aim of fostering efficient language learning behaviour are now a regular feature in many University Language Departments in the UK. The recognition of the learners’ individual needs and learning styles has long been recognised as crucial for the success of such programmes. Yet other Individual Difference variables such as motivation, previous language learning experience and proficiency level are sometimes ignored when planning the schemes.

The paper is based on a longitudinal study into the effects of a learner development programme developed at the University of Liverpool for first year students of German. The students engaged in guided independent language learning as an assessed part of their course. In order to raise their reflectivity of the learning process, they were encouraged to converse about their language learning experiences in learner diaries and individual sessions with the language adviser. Data on the effects of the Scheme were collected from the students through the learning diaries, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews.

I will present the case studies of four participants and discuss the interaction of individual learner characteristics and the effects of the learner development programme perceived by the students. Since some students reported to have experienced hardly any benefits from the programme, I will argue that a successful learner development scheme should be based on a profile of each learner, taking into account individual differences such as the degree of teacher dependency and motivation

This talk is part of the CILR Monday Mailing: talks in language and linguistics series.

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• Room 1S3 New Faculty of Education Building, Hills Road

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