ACQUIRING ENGLISH IN A CONSTRUCTIONIST ENVIRONMENT: A CASE STUDY

Journal article

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Publication Details

Author list: Archana Joshi;Pornapit Darasawang

Publication year: 2017

Journal: ABAC Journal (0858-0855)

Volume number: 37

Issue number: 2

Start page: 1

End page: 15

ISSN: 0858-0855

URL: http://www.assumptionjournal.au.edu/index.php/abacjournal/article/view/3039/1957

Abstract

This qualitative exploratory research focuses on a case of a seven-year-old learnerstudying in a constructionist classroom. It aims at exploring how the psychological and socialenvironment in a classroom influences a young learner’s learning of ‘English as a ForeignLanguage’ (EFL). Studying the psychological environment of the classroom, this study coversthe effect of activities on the learner’s emotions, feelings, attitudes and motivation. Thestudy of the classroom’s social environment looks at the effect of activities in the class onthe learner-peer interactions and learner-facilitator interactions. The data comes from theparticipant’s journals, learner logs, classroom observations and in-depth interviews. Thefindings reveal that topics covered in the class and facilitator-designed activities which werepersonally evocative and meaningful to the learner made the learner feel more connected andrelated to her learning environment. Building artifacts not only helped the learner toexternalise and internalise her learnings but also encouraged interactions between learner-peer and learner-facilitator. These classroom interactions and the learner’s positivefeelings, attitude, emotions and motivation helped the learner to build her understandingsabout the new English words introduced in the class and to recall, understand, and use someof those words in her communication.

Keywords

constructionism, constructivism, sociocultural theory, learning environment and interactions