11th LAb session. Friday, 17th November 2023.
Learner Autonomy, Positive Psychology and Well-Being
[Link to the full schedule, abstracts, and recordings]
Our featured speakers for the 11th LAb Session were:
- Ana Maria Ferreira Barcelos, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil: “Emotional literacy and language learning” (Abstract and recording)
- Quint Oga-Baldwin, Waseda University: “Competence need satisfaction: Indicative of ability, or something more?” (Abstract and recording)
- Daniel Velasco, Kindai University and Japan Counseling: “Positive Japanese Psychology: Strategies to Promote Self-Awareness and Autonomy” (Abstract and recording)
Beyond the capacity to take charge of one’s learning (Benson, 2011), learner autonomy also involves the willingness and readiness to act independently and in cooperation with others (Dam et al., 1993). One way to instill that willingness and readiness can be to promote positivity and to build a positive learning environment for learners, as “[t]he more positive a learner feels, the more willing they will be to engage with learning and using the language” (Williams et al., 2011, pp. 10–11). As such, using activities or other ideas emanating from positive psychology may be a starting point to promote learner autonomy.
Positive psychology, with its aim of promoting well-being, is relevant to language learning. Perhaps one of the most important reasons is that it may be applied to help learners flourish by nurturing elements such as positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment (Seligman, 2011). In the long process of language learning, it is not always easy for learners to see improvements, particularly small ones (Ambinintsoa & Bennett, forthcoming), or to notice their strengths. This can lead to demotivation and the formation of beliefs that they are deficient or incapable of learning a language. That is why it is important for teachers and learners to co-create a positive learning environment, in which learners can notice and appreciate the “abundance of positives” (Gregersen, 2019, p. 96) within themselves, such as their efforts, their strengths and peer support—in other words, a space for them to thrive.
In our 11th LAb session, we featured contributions from colleagues around the world who helped add to our understanding of learner autonomy, positive psychology and well-being, and explore questions such as:
- How is the promotion of well-being conducive to the development of learner autonomy in language learning?
- How can we, as language teachers, better integrate the promotion of well-being in the classroom?
- As language teachers, we also need to take care of our own well-being. How can we improve and maintain our well-being?
- How might research in positive psychology influence research in language learner autonomy?
- How can we apply existing frameworks for positive psychology in supporting learner autonomy?
- What role can self-access centres or language learning advisors play in fostering learners’ well-being in a way that helps them move towards autonomy?
- How can the principles of positive psychology be integrated into language teaching to enhance not only students’ well-being but other factors vital for autonomous learning?
- How might technology or digital resources be employed to promote positive emotions and well-being while also enhancing learner autonomy?
- How can language educators effectively assess and measure the impact of positive psychology interventions on language learners’ autonomy or overall well-being?
- What barriers may impede emotional well-being or flourishing as well as language learner autonomy, and what role can educators play in alleviating these barriers?
- How can educators create inclusive learning environments that foster both a sense of well-being as well as learner autonomy?
- How can mindfulness or other well-being practices be integrated into language learning environments to help learners manage stressors that may accompany the process of autonomous learning?
References
Ambinintsoa, D.V. & Bennett, P. A. (forthcoming). Using positive psychology interventions to support EFL learners. PanSIG Journal 2023.
Benson, P. (2011). Teaching and researching: Autonomy in language learning (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833767
Dam, L., Eriksson, R., Little, D., Miliander, J., & Trebbi, T. (1990). Towards a definition of autonomy. In T. Trebbi (Ed.), Third Nordic workshop on developing autonomous learning in the F.L. classroom, Bergen, August 11-14, 1989: Report (pp. 102–103). University of Bergen. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/research/collections/elt_archive/research_projects/dahla/archive/trebbi_1990
Gregersen, T. (2019). Aligning positive psychology with language learning motivation. In M. Lamb, K. Csizér, A. Henry, & S. Ryan (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of motivation for language learning (pp. 139–161). Palgrave. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28380-3_30
Seligman, M. E. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Simon and Schuster.
Williams, M., Puchta, H., & Mercer, S. (2021). Psychology in practice. Helbling.