Satoko Kato, Kanda University of International Studies, Japan
Walkyria Magno e Silva, Federal University of Pará, Brazil
Jo Mynard, Kanda University of International Studies, Japan
Deirdre Ní Loingsigh, University of Limerick, Ireland
Scott J. Shelton-Strong, Kanda University of International Studies, Japan
Maria Giovanna Tassinari, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Maria Clara Vianna Sá e Matos, Federal University of Pará, Brazil
Abstract
This paper is a summary of the presentations held at the Advising in Language Learning symposium at the 5th Psychology of Language Learning Conference (PLL5) in Madrid. Advising in language learning (ALL) is a personalised approach that fosters learner autonomy through reflective dialogue. Presentations from researchers in Japan, Germany, Brazil, and Ireland highlighted ALL’s role in promoting holistic language learning and addressing learners’ psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The symposium emphasised the transformative potential of ALL in diverse cultural and educational contexts, showcasing its impact on learner confidence and well-being. It called for further research and international collaboration to expand advisor education and explore ALL’s global impact.
Keywords: Advising in language learning, psychology of language learning,
advisor education, learner autonomy, well-being
The 5th Psychology of Language Learning Conference (PLL5) was held at the National Distance Education University in Madrid and organised by the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning (IAPLL) from May 16th to 18th, 2024. This paper is a summary of the Advising in Language Learning: Preparing Learners and Educators for a Personalised Approach to Language Education symposium held on Friday, May 16th. Advising in Language Learning (ALL) is a personalised approach where educators support learners through reflective dialogue, helping them become more autonomous and effective in their language learning. This approach is deeply rooted in psychological processes and aims to enhance learner self-awareness and ownership of their learning journey. The symposium explored the concept of ALL and showcased its applications across different countries. This paper was collaboratively written by the seven contributing researchers, five of whom attended the symposium in person.
The first presentation, Examining shifts in teacher beliefs and practices through advisor education, was delivered by Satoko Kato from Kanda University of International Studies, Japan (the paper was co-authored with Jo Mynard also from Kanda University of International Studies, who unfortunately could not attend in person). The advisor education programme has been offered for more than ten years, and courses are designed to equip teachers with advising skills that promote learner autonomy. The researchers shared insights into research into participants’ shifts in beliefs after taking the online courses that started in 2020. Data collected during the past three years (e.g., diaries, surveys, and interviews) highlight how teachers’ educational practices became more holistic, with a stronger focus on emotions and well-being alongside traditional language outcomes. The researchers observed significant shifts in participants’ beliefs and practices from taking the courses.
Following this, Scott Shelton-Strong from Kanda University of International Studies, Japan, and Maria Giovanna Tassinari from Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, presented Supporting learners’ basic psychological needs in advising sessions: A self-determination theory perspective. Drawing on self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017) and examples of advising dialogue, the presenters discussed ways in which advising can be understood as a practice supportive of learners’ basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The presentation illustrated how reflective dialogue in advising can support autonomous motivation and well-being, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative findings from two studies in progress. These findings included examples of how language learners’ perceptions of their involvement in advising sessions were experienced as supportive of learners’ basic psychological needs and how reflective dialogue in advising can be instrumental in facilitating an autonomy-supportive learning climate. The findings were illustrated with examples of advising dialogues with students in Germany, which were connected to specific advisor practices, drawing on a classification of advising behaviours supportive of basic psychological needs, which the authors had previously developed (Shelton-Strong & Tassinari, 2022). In the Japanese context, drawing on student’s self-reports as well as questionnaire data, preliminary results from the study in progress highlighted how advising was experienced as highly autonomy-supportive, with students’ relationships with advisors being perceived as supportive of their basic psychological needs––with this becoming stronger over repeated advising sessions.
The third presentation, Advising in language learning at a northern brazilian university, was delivered by Walkyria Magno e Silva from the Federal University of Pará, Brazil (also representing Maria Clara Vianna Sá e Matos from the same institution, who unfortunately could not be present in person). The researchers detailed the development and impact of an advising programme initiated in 2011 at their university. This programme aimed to enhance learner autonomy and motivation, showing positive outcomes such as improved language learning and increased student confidence. They also discussed future plans to expand advising practices and research within Brazil.
Deirdre Ní Loingsigh from the University of Limerick, Ireland, concluded the symposium with her presentation Visualising the big picture: Advising as a language support intervention in ireland. Ní Loingsigh shared insights from a module on learner autonomy for adult learners of Irish. Here, vision boards and future self-exercises were discussed in one-to-one and group language advising consultations. The impact of advising on learners’ linguistic confidence was highlighted. Their connection to the Irish language community and their individual and collective desire to make a contribution to the vibrancy of Irish in their daily lives was also evident in the oral and visual narratives of the adult learners. These findings have prompted the researcher to advocate for the use of ALL as a language support intervention in Ireland, where Irish is a minority language. With this in mind, Ní Loingsigh shared her broad vision for the development of the professional practice of language advising to meet the support requirements of learners of Irish beyond the classroom, in the workplace and community. A specific reference was made to the recent launch of a professional development programme called Language Coaching in the Workplace at her university. The need for further research on contextualising ALL and language advising behaviours in the organisational, adult learning, and community contexts was put forward in the conclusion of the presentation.
The symposium underscored the importance of advising in language learning, demonstrating its effectiveness in various cultural and educational contexts. Collectively, the presenters highlighted the need for advisor education programmes, the critical role of advising in supporting learners’ psychological needs, and the positive outcomes of advising interventions. The discussions provided valuable insights into the potential for advising to transform language education, fostering learner autonomy and well-being.
In conclusion, the presenters emphasised the future of advising in language learning, including expanding advisor education opportunities, offering courses in multiple languages, and conducting follow-up studies to explore the impact of advising further. The researchers called for ongoing research and collaboration to enhance advising practices and support learners worldwide, ensuring that advising continues to play a transformative role in language education.
Notes on the Contributors
Satoko Kato is an associate professor at the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy Education at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) in Japan. She is also a lecturer at the Graduate School at KUIS (MA TESOL program). She holds a PhD in Education from Hiroshima University and a Master’s in TESOL from Teachers College, Columbia University, NY.
Walkyria Magno e Silva is a professor of Applied Linguistics at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil, where she teaches doctoral and masters students in the graduate program and also undergraduate TEFL students. Her research interests include autonomy, motivation, and language advising in foreign language learning. In the last few years, she has analyzed these themes under the complexity systems paradigm. She has published in journals and books in her country and abroad.
Jo Mynard is a professor in the Faculty of Global Liberal Arts, Director of the Self-Access Learning Center, and Director of the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy Education at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba, Japan. She holds an M.Phil in Applied Linguistics (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) and an Ed.D. in TEFL (University of Exeter, UK). Her research interests include advising in language learning, the psychology of language learning, and learning beyond the classroom.
Deirdre Ní Loingsigh is the Director of Aonad na Gaeilge, the Irish Language Centre, at the University of Limerick. She is Course Director of the Diploma in Applied Irish programme for adult learners and the MicroCredential programme Language Coaching in the Workplace. She lectures on Language Pedagogy on the Professional Master of Education (Languages) programme. Her research interests include the psychology of language learning, advising in language learning; language and wellbeing, and Community-Based Participatory Research.
Scott Shelton-Strong is a Senior Learning Advisor at Kanda University of International Studies, Japan. His research interests include advising in language learning, self-determination theory, reflection as autonomy support, emotions in language learning, and developing an understanding of the connections which interlink these to learner flourishing and well-being both within and beyond the classroom. He has co/authored book chapters, journal articles, and a co-edited volume related to these interests.
Maria Giovanna Tassinari is the Director of the Centre for Independent Language Learning at the Language Centre of the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. Her research interests are learner autonomy, language advising, and affect in language learning. She is the co-editor of several books and the author of articles and chapters in German, English, and French.
Maria Clara Vianna Sá e Matos is a professor at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil, where she teaches undergraduate students in the TEFL program. In her doctoral studies, she focused on motivation connected to language learning advising, and both are seen under the complexity paradigm. She has published in national journals.
References
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. The Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1521/978.14625/28806
Shelton-Strong, S. J., & Tassinari, M. J. (2022). Facilitating an autonomy-supportive learning climate: Advising in language learning and basic psychological needs. In J. Mynard & S. J. Shelton-Strong (Eds.), Autonomy support beyond the language learning classroom: A self-determination theory perspective (pp. 185–205). Multilingual Matters.
Firstly, thank you for this conference summary! As someone returning to the self-access, advising, and language learning field after two years away working in other areas, I sincerely appreciate this summary of the PLL5 conference. I was fortunate to attend PLL2 and 3, and they were some of the more formative conferences for my career. This conference summary helps me to understand some of the movements happening in the field at present and to get a sense of its trajectory from here. I also believe that this conference summary could be of use for those new to the field or looking to break into it, to both get a sense of what is going on in the field overall and to pique further interest within this space.
While I understand this is a summary, out of both my own interest and also because I think it may be useful to others (and especially useful to those building interest in advising in language learning), I am hoping I can ask a few questions whose answers I think may be helpful those reading this summary, as follow:
I am always happy to see continuous research around the advisor education courses as noted in Examining shifts in teacher beliefs and practices through advisor education, by Satoko Kato and Jo Mynard. As the summary currently has relatively general language, it may be useful for new readers who were not able to attend to be able to get an example of surprising, significant, or common belief shifts observed from this course. Are there any such changes that stood out in particular for the authors?
It is excellent to also read about some of Maria Giovanna Tassinari’s and Scott Shelton-Strong’s continuous work outlined in Supporting learners’ basic psychological needs in advising sessions: A self-determination theory perspective. I am very interested in detail around the development of feelings of support and the development of the learner-advisor relationship over time. Though perhaps outside the scope of a summary, I would like to ask the authors what they think their next steps are—how is their knowledge best acted upon and what would they to know more about in this area in the future?
In regard to Walkyria Magno e Silva’s and Maria Clara Vianna Sá e Matos’s Advising in language learning at a northern Brazilian university, I am interested to know more of the topic in general and I find myself wondering further about the initiatives to enhance autonomy and motivation. Likewise, it would be very interesting to know what some of those future plans to expand advising practices and research in Brazil are.
I am consistently encouraged by work and research in advising in the Irish language community, including hearing further about Deridre Ní Loingsigh’s Visualising the big picture: Advising as a language support intervention in Ireland. I find myself wondering more about the mentioned “professional development programme called Language Coaching in the Workplace.” Any information related to how coaching is approached in that context would be thoroughly interesting to hear about.
Overall, I am happy to read this summary and get the sense that well-being is consistently getting some more of the limelight, not simply because it is a desirable outcome in and of itself, but also because it also leads to better language learning and performance outcomes. The reason I believe this is so important is because I think that is what it will take to change hearts and minds of administrators for whom well-being does not automatically register as important on their institutional radar, so to speak. If we seek to improve holistic outcomes and well-being for our learners, it behooves us to find allies in our institutions and communities who can also support the cause, even if we have to appeal to them by highlighting the pragmatic learning outcomes.
Many thanks again to the contributors to the conference and to this summary! Your work is very much appreciated.
Dear Curtis,
Welcome back! Thank you so much for reviewing our paper and for your encouraging comments and helpful questions. Some of the authors have responded below (scroll down), and there might be some additional posts.
We look forward to seeing you at advising events in Japan soon.
Best wishes from us all.
1. Response from Satoko Kato and Jo Mynard on the summary of Examining shifts in teacher beliefs and practices through advisor education.
Thank you for your comment. Our written summary was necessarily brief for the purposes of this article so we won’t update the current paper. However, we appreciate the opportunity to give a few more details in our response here! We noticed ways in which participants transformed their beliefs, which impacted their practice within a six-month period from Course 1 to Course 3. For example, in the first course, participants immediately realized that the way we conceptualize advising was different from what they had assumed advising to be prior to taking the course. Some participants also realized that they (previously) were not as learner-centered as they had originally thought they had been. In addition, many were pleasantly surprised to discover that the advising tools and strategies introduced in the course really worked in practice. Finally, everyone increased their confidence in their advising abilities. In Course 2, we noticed that participants experienced dilemmas, for example about when to give input and when to step back to encourage autonomy. However, everyone became more confident with using tools to help learners grow and experience self-discovery. They also became more aware of the psychological processes in Course 2 as it is a big feature of the course. In Course 3, we noticed that participants became more aware of the impact of advising after practising it for around six months at this point. They also started to focus on holistic well-being. They recognized the benefit of imagination and creativity (featured in Course 3), and they described experiencing transformational moments in advising sessions. Participants demonstrated that they had become more adaptable and flexible to learners’ needs. Throughout the courses, participants engaged in sessions based on their own learning issues and experiences. Many realized they had not been listened to so attentively in a long time and felt the powerful impact of being heard. By experiencing advising also from the advisee’s perspective, they gained a deeper understanding of its impact.
2. Response from Maria Giovanna Tassinari and Scott Shelton-Strong on the summary Supporting learners’ basic psychological needs in advising sessions: A self-determination theory perspective.
(Giovanna’s answer)
Dear Curtis, thank you so much for your question which helps me personally to step back from everyday work and briefly reflect on what has changed since the day when we presented the paper.
As I premise, I have to confess that I still have a considerable amount of data I haven’t analysed in depth yet, and I hope that I will be able to do it, especially from an SDT perspective. I think that data analysis can help both understanding and then further developing one’s practice.
My first consideration is that the data I analysed made me realise that (i) in order to foster feelings of support in the learner and to develop an advisor-learner relationship, you need time. Since at my university I see many students only once, there is not enough time to really develop a deeper relationship, and everything depends from the very first minutes of the advising session. Sometimes empathy is established naturally, and sometimes I have to be very careful. However, I have the opportunity to see some of the students more than once, and it is really nice to see how we tune in to each other.
This semester, for example, I taught for the first time a course focused on a self-directed learning project and I had the pleasure to meet the students both in class and in advising sessions. Every student came three times. It was amazing to see how they opened up to me, and how trust was deepening over time. I feel blessed for this experience.
I also have to say that working on BNPs supportive aspects of advising helped me to focus more on these goals of my advising sessions.
Thus, this is how my knowledge presently informs my practice.
Coming to your second question: what would I like to know more about this area? I would like to explore more autonomy-supportive behaviors in advising settings, or educational settings in general. And I would like to know more about if and how advising sessions contribute to changes in the learners’ learning behaviors and beliefs.
3. Response from Walkyria Magno e Silva and Maria Clara Vianna Sá e Matton on the summary Advising in language learning at a northern Brazilian university.
(Walkyria’s answer)
Dear Curtis, thank you for your interest in the studies about language learning advising in general and in Brazil.
We believe that there is a wide range of materials on language learning advising that you can rely on to deepen your understanding. In the beginning of our endeavour in this field, we read papers and books from England, France, and Japan. Later on, studies in advising from Mexico and from Germany came to our knowledge and were promptly added to our repertoire. Since our advising program takes place and irradiates from the self-access center at our university (Autonomous Learning Support Base), theoretical materials from this area of study have also extended our knowledge. When we perceived that listening and talking in a special way to our students could help them, we taught ourselves to be language learner advisers through studying the materials and creating our own process. Researching autonomy in language learning since 2004, we have found that language learning advising is conducive to autonomy. Without a doubt, this is the process that better responds to our students’ needs. We keep a long-term relationship adviser-advisee (sometimes longer than two years if needed) with meetings set up upon agreement between the pair. These meetings can take place at the self-access center, in other spaces at the university or even online.
In Brazil, there are only a few universities that use language learning advising to help students, I could say maybe only three that I know of. Ours is the one in which more research has been done in the last years on the subject and, being pioneers in the field, we aim to spread the word in national conferences and papers. We hope to find collaboration to create a community that extends to other parts of the country.
Thank you so much for your interest, Curtis. I am delighted to have the opportunity to share details of our new Micro-Credential programme ‘Language Coaching in the Workplace’ at the University of Limerick in Ireland, and on our approach to coaching in this context. Note that we use ‘Language Coaching’ to denote the professional practice of Advising in Language Learning (ALL) as this aligns with the terminology used more broadly in learning and talent development initiatives in the public and private sector.
The professional learners on the first programme in 2024 were interested in developing ALL initiatives to support the use of Irish in either the workplace or community contexts. It has been great to hear their reflections on how many of the skills that they use in their full time roles in language planning and policy, language development and teaching are transferable to the skill set required in the professional practice of language advising (Kelly (1996); Mozzon-McPherson (2012); Mozzon-McPherson & Tassinari (2020).
The ALL approach promoted draws on humanistic counselling, coaching, psychology, and adult education. It is very much informed by the work of Mozzon-McPherson and colleagues involved in the PLL5 symposium in Madrid, especially in relation to the use of intentional reflective dialogue and the design of advising tools (Kato & Mynard, 2016).
We are interested in the scope of relational knowing in transformative learning as a theoretical tool in the ALL model. This builds on my research and ongoing efforts to design models that suit the Irish language context, where Irish is a minority language. Our understanding is that learners learn through relationships within their own immediate families, networks, community, workplaces and society in general – rather than in isolation. Therefore, we promote language coaching in small groups and the nurturing of camaraderie, support, trust, friendships, collaboration among participants in Irish language support interventions in the community and workplace contexts.
Two topics relevant to the ALL model in the workplace context are explored in the Micro-Credential. Firstly, linguistic (in)security and risk-taking in the context of using a language other than one’s first language in the professional setting. Here, the language coach draws on tools from positive psychology and coaching, for example, tools based on the GROW model of Sir John Whitmore used in the official languages context in the Canada School of Public Service. Secondly, we are interested in the role that the language coach plays in creating the ‘ideal conditions’ for language learning in positive institutions. This is one of my current key research interests. The importance of intercultural (communicative) competence (ICC), where the valuing of language and culture are integral components in positive institutions, is discussed on the Micro-Credential also.
The 2024 participants appreciated having access to the latest research on the psychology of language learning and they find the ALL focus on positive, cooperative, and solution-focussed approaches to (Irish) language learning most refreshing. We are currently collaborating with them to develop workshop materials for community groups and workplace settings on the topics of linguistic (in)security and ICC.
In summary, I would describe the ALL / coaching approach, and our related support infrastructure, as participatory. Language coaches work with each other, language learners, my colleagues and I, and a wider network of stakeholders in the Irish language setting. We all understand that we are in the early days of establishing the practice of ALL outside of the higher education context in Ireland, and indeed that we are all on our own learning trajectories.
Thank you again for your interest, Curtis. I look forward to continued collaboration with you and colleagues through RILAE, conferences, and other opportunities to share our research and practice, and learn from each other.