Englannin ja ruotsin kielen oppijat toimijoina koulussa ja koulun ulkopuolella

Kirjoittajat

• Paula Kalaja Jyväskylän yliopisto
• Riikka Alanen Jyväskylän yliopisto
• Hannele Dufva Jyväskylän yliopisto
• Åsa Palviainen Jyväskylän yliopisto

Avainsanat:

language learning, experiences, sociocultural theory, agency, learning environment

Abstrakti

This paper reports on the past experiences of learning English and Swedish – in a study conducted as part of a research project From Novice to Expert. Viewing language learning as a sociocultural activity, the study focused on agency, or the capacity to act, and its role in learning the two languages in school and out-of school. A questionnaire (with open-ended questions) was administered to students of English and Swedish at the beginning of their university studies. The questions concerned the students’ experiences of learning the languages when they still went to school. The data collected were subjected to qualitative content analysis. Importantly, the responses revealed differences in the exercise of agency and consequently in the learning opportunities seized by the two groups of students especially in their spare time. Other similarities and differences (both in experiences and beliefs) were found from one language to another, and also from one learning environment to another.