Оглавление
Miriam Neigert. New Perspectives on Older Language Learners
Inhalt
Statement of Academic Conduct
Abstract
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
1.1 The Elephant in the Classroom – Demographic Changes, Adult Education, and Language Learning
1.2 Chapter Outline
2. Who are the Young-Old?
2.1 Towards a Definition of the Young-Old
2.1.1 Biological Dimension
2.1.2 Chronological Dimension
2.1.3 Sociological Dimension
2.1.4 Psychological Dimension
2.2 The Young-Old Language Learner
3. Self-Concept, Its Temporal Facets, and Foreign Language Learners
3.1 A Note on Self-Terminology
3.2 Self-Concept is…
3.2.1 Back to Basics: Concepts
3.2.2 Of Pyramids, Jellyfish, and Molecules: Situating the Self and Self-Concepts in our Minds
3.2.3 Self-Concept Formation
3.2.4 Definition by Demarcation: What Self-Concept is Not
3.2.4.1 Self-Esteem
3.2.4.2 Self-Efficacy
3.2.4.3 Self-Confidence
3.2.5 Summary
3.3 The Temporal Self
3.3.1 Possible Selves
3.3.2 Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
3.3.3 Self-Discrepancy Theory
3.4 Self-Concept in SLA Research: the L2 Motivational Self-System (L2MSS)
3.4.1 L2MSS: Roots and Application
3.4.2 Summary
3.5 Research Questions
4. Methodology, Research Design, and Research Context
4.1 Mixed Methods Research – Why?, What?, How?
4.1.1 Intermezzo: Research Questions Revisited
4.1.2 Why? – Reasons for Employing MMR
4.1.3 What? – Research Instruments
4.1.4 How? – Finding the Right Mix
4.2 Agree to Disagree? Inference Quality and Handling Divergence
4.3 Research Context: Adult Education Centres in Germany
4.3.1 Volkshochschule – The Institution
4.3.1.1 Course Programme
4.3.1.2 Learning Foreign Languages at vhs Centre: Contents, Teachers, and Learners
4.4 Summary and Outlook
5. Numbers: The Survey
5.1 From Theory to Instrument: Development of Questionnaire Items
5.2 The Questionnaire Design
5.3 Administration: Sampling and Ethics
5.4 Processing: Data Analysis
5.4.1 Descriptive Statistics: Demographics and Motives of Respondents
5.4.2 Inferential Statistics: Multi-Item Likert Scales
5.4.3 Inferential Statistics: Analysis of Adjective Scales
5.4.4 Discussion in Light of the Hypotheses
5.5 Summary and Outlook
6. Words: The Interviews
6.1 Controlled Flexibility? Approaching a Semi-Structured Interview
6.1.1 Overall Structure of the Interview Guide
6.1.2 The Language Learning Biography
6.1.3 The Pilot Study
6.1.4 Re-Connecting to Theory: The Interview Questions
6.2 The Participants: Sampling, Ethics, and Data Collection
6.3 QUAL Data Analysis: Principles and Procedures
6.3.1 Preparing the Data for Analysis: Transcription
6.3.2 Category Formation: Organizing and Interpreting Data
6.3.2.1 ↻ Round 1: Concept-Driven Category Formation
6.3.2.2 ↻ Round 2: Data-Driven Category Formation
6.3.2.3 ↻ Round 3: Mixed Procedure
6.4 Results of the Interview Study. 6.4.1 The Category System
6.4.2 Presentation Sampling: L2-Vision in Focus, L2-Vision as Focus
6.4.2.1 Weak L2-Vision Learners. 6.4.2.1.1 “I don’t go there to learn something”: Adam
6.4.2.1.2 Things are different as an Adult Learner: Ulf
6.4.2.2 Medium L2-Vision Learners. 6.4.2.2.1 Perfectionist and Realist: Wolfram
6.4.2.2.2 English as a Positive Side-Effect: Dorothea
6.4.2.3 Strong L2-Vision Learners. 6.4.2.3.1 Something that “Really Exists” as an Incentive: Tanja
6.4.2.3.2 Ambition as a blessing and a curse: Anne
6.5 Summary and Outlook
7. Numbers and Words: Merging QUAN and QUAL Strands
7.1 QUAN-QUAL Integration of Micro-Level Results. 7.1.1 Ambition and Intended Effort
7.1.2 Resilience
7.1.3 Critical Incidents Abroad and L2-Vision
7.1.4 Confidence: Taking it Easy
7.1.5 Defying the Effects of Ageing
7.1.6 Now and Then: Ways of Learning a Language
7.1.7 Now and Then: Learning Context
7.1.8 Perceived Language Learning Progress
7.1.9 Language Learning and the Social Sphere
7.2 Discussion in View of Research Questions
8. Conclusion
8.1 So, What? – Implications for the Foreign Language Classroom. 8.1.1 Implications for Instructors
8.1.2 Implications for the Institutional Level: The vhs Centres
8.2 Beyond this Study: New Questions, Further Research
Works Cited
Appendix A: Questionnaire
Appendix B: Letters to Heads of Language Departments
Appendix C: Letter to vhs Centre Language Instructors
Appendix D: Interview Questions
Appendix E: Informed Consent – Interviews
Appendix F: Sample Learning Biographies
Appendix G: Transcription Rules
Appendix H: Interview Summaries
Fußnoten. 1. Introduction
2.1.1 Biological Dimension
3.1 A Note on Self-Terminology
3.2.2 Of Pyramids, Jellyfish, and Molecules: Situating the Self and Self-Concepts in our Minds
3.2.3 Self-Concept Formation
3.2.4 Definition by Demarcation: What Self-Concept is Not
3.2.4.3 Self-Confidence
3.3 The Temporal Self
3.3.1 Possible Selves
3.3.2 Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
3.3.3 Self-Discrepancy Theory
3.4.1 L2MSS: Roots and Application
4.1 Mixed Methods Research – Why?, What?, How?
4.3 Research Context: Adult Education Centres in Germany
4.3.1 Volkshochschule – The Institution
4.3.1.2 Learning Foreign Languages at vhs Centre: Contents, Teachers, and Learners
5.1 From Theory to Instrument: Development of Questionnaire Items
5.2 The Questionnaire Design
5.4.1 Descriptive Statistics: Demographics and Motives of Respondents
5.4.2 Inferential Statistics: Multi-Item Likert Scales
6. Words: The Interviews
6.1.3 The Pilot Study
6.1.4 Re-Connecting to Theory: The Interview Questions
6.3 QUAL Data Analysis: Principles and Procedures
6.4.1 The Category System
6.4.2 Presentation Sampling: L2-Vision in Focus, L2-Vision as Focus
6.4.2.1.1 “I don’t go there to learn something”: Adam
6.4.2.2.1 Perfectionist and Realist: Wolfram
6.4.2.2.2 English as a Positive Side-Effect: Dorothea
6.4.2.3.2 Ambition as a blessing and a curse: Anne
