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LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN ESL CLASSES

A Master’s Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication
Graduate Studies
De La Salle University - Dasmariñas
City of Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts in Teaching English

GUILLERMO S. ALVAREZ
May 2016
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ABSTRACT

This research study determined the relationship between the learning

experiences and language learning performance of five foreign students in ESL

classes at the Cavite State University Indang- Main Campus. It aimed to gather

qualitative data using written diaries and structured and unstructured recorded

interviews, and to use them to describe participants’ learning experiences and

language learning performance. The five participants were undergraduate BSMT,

BSN, BSBM, and BSAT students who were requested to write a ten-day diary

each. After the submission of each diary, interviews were conducted

immediately. Students’ learning experiences and language learning performance

were captured while immersed in the course, using a semi-structured video diary.

Participants were interviewed at the faculty office and sometimes in the

classroom at different time points throughout the research study to respond to

open - ended questions. Following a thematic analysis, students were found to

experience mixed feelings towards individual and group work and expected

learning outcomes. Purposive sampling was used to ensure the deepest

possible understanding of the learning experiences and language learning

performance particularly among the participants in adapting to classroom

multicultural settings. The semi-structured recorded interviews /video and a

written diary yielded rich data contributing to the literature by offering a simple yet
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effective, qualitative research method that can be implemented in a variety of

contexts.

A thorough study was recommended in identifying the learning

experiences and language learning performance of the students so that the

school and teachers can assess the feedback on how these learning experiences

can be enhanced. It was also recommended that future researchers should

consider more participants and should not be limited to foreign students, but also

natural - born Filipino students for better feedback to the stakeholders’

responsibility in language learning in particular and academic performance of the

students in general.
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Key Words: Learning Experiences, Language Learning Performance in ESL

Classes

APPROVAL SHEET

This master’s thesis entitled “Learning Experiences of Foreign Students in ESL

Classes” prepared and submitted by Guillermo S. Alvarez in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching Major in English
has been examined and is recommended for acceptance and approval for oral
defense.

BETTY E. PUZON, PhD

Adviser

THESIS REVIEW PANEL

Approved by the Committee on Oral Examination with a grade of ________

MERLYN V. LEE, DALL LUCIO A. HERNÁNDEZ, PhD

Member Member

ROWEL DE GUIA, MA TERESITA P. PAREJA, PhD

Member Chairman

Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree of Master of Arts in Teaching Major in English
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CHRISTIAN GEORGE C. FRANCISCO, PhD

Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Communication

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Primarily, I would like to honor, glorify and thank the Almighty God.

Without Him, I would not have had the intelligence and the capacity to finish this

work efficaciously.

I am indebted to Lynn G. Penales, PhD, Dean, College of Arts and

Sciences, Cavite State University Indang - Main Campus, for giving me the

opportunity to conduct the study in the college, and for providing unsolicited

moral support throughout the entire research.

I would like to extend my deepest thanks to the five foreign students,

namely: Essuman Pius Bentsil, Hup Biak Za, Wennifer Hanriette, Nginda Jacinto,

and Kusi Abigail Achaa, for being the participants of this study and for

contributing considerable amount of time to write diaries and particpate in the

interviews.

I would like to express my utmost gratitude to my thesis adviser, Dr. Betty

E. Puzon, for providing me with much - needed enthusiasm. Without her

encouragement and guidance, this thesis would not have been accomplished.

I would also like to mention Dr. Merlyn V. Lee, Director of College of

Liberal Arts and Communication Graduate Studies, for her perceptive

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suggestions and comments on this research, and for her moral, intellectual and

social guidance during enrollment and the analysis of data.

I am very grateful to my friends, Ms. Irma M. Penalba who guided,

motivated and encouraged me to finish this research and Ms. Raquel Domingo,

for her constructive critiquing of the analysis of my paper.

\
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

TITLE PAGE 1

ABSTRACT 2

APPROVAL SHEET 4

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 5

TABLE OF CONTENTS 7

LIST OF TABLES 8

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study 10

Statement of the Problem 23

Theoretical Framework 23

METHODOLOGY

Research Design 25

Participants of the Study 26

Research Instruments 27

Data - Gathering Procedure 27

Data Analysis 28

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

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Results and Discussion 29

Conclusions 97

Recommendations 99

REFERENCES 102

APPENDICES

A. Schiffin’s Transcription (2004) Transcription Convention 109

B. Interview Transcription P1 D1-D2 110

C. Interview Transcription P2 D1-D10 111

D. Interview Transcription P3 D1-D10 114

E. Interview Transcription P4 D1- D10 119

F. Interview Transcription P5 D1-D10 125

G. Scanned Diaries P1 - P5 126

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LIST OF TABLES

TABLE PAGE

1 Profile of the Participants 26

2 Learning Experiences of Foreign Students

in ESL Classes 29

3 Language Learning Performance of Foreign Students

in ESL Classes 30

4 Relationship Between Learning Experiences

and Language Learning Performance of

Foreign Students in ESL Classes 40

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LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN ESL CLASSES

“The best thing about a teacher is that it matters. The hardest thing about being a
teacher is that it matters every day.”

Todd Whitaker

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Higher education is becoming more diverse due to different cultural and

educational backgrounds of international students. Hence, education providers

should recognize the needs and expectations of international students from

different cultural and academic backgrounds, and effectively assist them to

achieve their goals. While taking the decision to study abroad, many international

successful in their new learning environment. They have to face different social

and cultural norms and values from the ones they have known, different modes

of teaching and learning and different expectations and conventions about

participation and performance.

To sustain these learners, the university needs to address the adjustment

issues these students face due to the differences of their learning experiences,

because one of the major problems of the students joining International

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universities was that of the adjustment in the academic environment of the host

institution. Generally, when foreign students came to class, they usually brought

their own cultural attitudes towards learning. Their successful approaches of

learning in their previous course of study, earlier practices and assumptions led

them into an intense state of “learning shock”. Their previous educational

experiences usually pushed them into unexpected academic situations which

ultimately affected their performance.

Learning experiences of foreign students at the Cavite State University

Indang - Main Campus have always been a source of academic and economic

contributions towards their host and sending institutions, for which foreign

learners have gained considerable importance in higher education. However, the

purpose of the university is not only to recruit international students. Its aim is

educating the students for cross-cultural knowledge and to develop

communicative competence, more capability and competitiveness in the

international professional market.

Learning experiences are most usual in learning in school. They are also

structured and the structure is either designed by teachers, or school counselors,

or psychologists, or psychiatrists. Learning experiences are also focused on

changing of human behaviors, the researcher thought of every situation that

someone finds himself in as a learning experience. People have not traditionally

used that phrase in relating to more formal learning interventions – i.e.

classroom, but from a learner’s perspective, both formally and informally, that is
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exactly what is happening: learners are experiencing something that, hopefully,

results in a change in thinking, understanding or behavior.

In this regard, the researcher chose a recent example that concerns better

understanding of the notion of personal learning environments. He described the

process that went to make up that experience as a fruit of ‘hindsight’.

Classrooms are created as a place of interacting minds and hearts of the

students and teachers such that there can be more exchange of words and ideas

among the participating individuals. With proper instructions and guidance,

perform task-based activities, solve problems and develop creative and critical

minds. Students need proper motivation with regard to their goal of second

language learning. They need to develop some positive attitude and reasons to

study second languages. This can be possible when a teacher has the capacity

to facilitate interactive classroom activities. Greater learning experiences are

generated from the teacher’s instruction, his teaching style and motivation (Holt,

2013).

Students’ learning experiences include listening to a lecture, perusing a

book or finishing homework tasks Students learn in various courses other than

what they had in the past and in a more extensive assortment of out-of-school

settings such as entry level positions, volunteer exercises or double enlistment

projects.
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In the study of Gallagher (2011), he stated that learning experiences allow

a higher order of learning outcomes to be realized. This takes place when there

is a clear understanding of the learning contents with individual specific learning

resources, tools and activities guided by pedagogical models.

Moreover, Krashen (1981) posited that the learning experience approach

does not force early production in second languages. It allows learners to learn

when they are ready thus, it provides significant improvement which comes from

the communication and comprehensible input and not from forcing and correcting

the production of the language. This might be because of the distinction in the

way the students are influenced by the picked learning experiences and a sound

premise for social occasion information with respect to English as a Second

Language (ESL) students’ learning experiences in ESL classes.

McClusky (2009) stated that language experiences involve indirect

contact with different people around the world and the knowledge of the

language used by the individual. It includes the events and activities that the

learner engages in while learning something new. The growing use of the term

learning experience by educators reflects larger pedagogical and technological

shifts that have occurred in the design and delivery of education to students. It

most likely represents an attempt to update conceptions of how, when, and

where learning can take place.

Furthermore, he claimed that new technologies have dramatically

multiplied and diversified the ways in which students can learn from and interact
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with educators, in addition to the level of independence they may have when

learning, students can email, chat or have video conversations with teachers,

and they can use online course-management systems to organize and exchange

learning materials. Students can use software programs, apps, and educational

games to learn on their own time, at their own pace, and without instruction or

supervision from teachers. Students can also watch videos created by their

teachers, conduct online research to learn more about a concept taught in a

class, or use tablets to record scientific observations in a natural environment

among countless other possible options and scenarios. While listening to a

lecture, reading a book, or completing a homework assignment remain part of

their learning experiences. Students are now learning in different ways than they

had in the past and in a wider variety of outside-of-school settings such as

through internships, volunteer activities or dual-enrollment programs.

Finally, learning experiences are a way to think about what a learning

intervention might be in the context of desired end goals and outcomes. This can

then inform one’s choices about how communication channels and modes,

learning activities and resources come together to best support the end goals

and outcomes, and how these channels and activities may evolve over time.

Certainly in this context, a learning intervention is something that is much more

than what has traditionally been thought of as “content.”

According to Richardson.(2007), in thinking about what is currently

thought of as learning content, it is akin to a page from a textbook that has its
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doppelganger in web-based training with which one “reads” and then “interacts”

with in some way.  The definition of learning content and learner interaction

represents a very narrow and limited view of what a learning experience can be

and usually limits the type of learning to that of recognizing or memorizing

specific facts, procedures, and concepts exemplified in the deployment of web-

based, self-directed individual learning experiences commonly called e-learning.

He stated further that learning content can be thought of much more

broadly and inclusively. This could mean that learning content could actually

include not only the “whats” but the “hows” of learning. Learning content in the

context of learning experiences could contain a collection of specific content

resources, content pointers, functional tools or tool pointers, activity descriptions,

and assessments that when brought together, embody a particular pedagogical

model. In fact, learning content could be a pedagogical model describing the

types of learning resources, tools, and activities needed to achieve learning

outcomes.

Benbunan-Fichet al. (2011) asserted that learning content as a collection

of pedagogical models and collections of resources that participated in shaping

an individual’s learning experience that are aligned with learning outcomes and

positive actions that stem from the experience. Another facet of learning content

is the artifacts produced during the learning experience.  Besides the description

above, learning content models should also be collaborative or cooperative with

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resources and activities supporting the learners working together to produce a

learning artifact. A learning artifact could be anything based on an authentic

learning activity or experience such as a model, computer code, diagram or even

the ubiquitous PowerPoint presentation. As these artifacts are created and

evaluated during the learning process, they then become learning resources that

can be used interactively for others in similar or more advanced experiences.

These ideas allow one to merge knowledge management and single/double loop

organizational learning into the concept of learning content. This represents a

shift from the typical view of content managed by a typical content management

system, with the assumption that when content is simply presented to a learner

that he or she will just “learn” from it – that somehow learning (and especially

learning to do or understand) is transmitted from the content to the learner.  With

that view of content and of the learner’s experience, then it is no surprise that

critics of the pedagogical merits of the point of view are being “limited.”

According to them, language learning is a progressive process that

includes smart use of language, and tribulation and mistake. Yet, mistake is an

ordinary result of insight, a definitive objective of learning is to have the capacity

to use the beginning language both precisely and easily. Learners build up their

own particular courses to language learning, progress at various rates, and have

diverse requirements and inspirations for language learning. Prosperous

language learning includes the usage of effectual learning and correspondence

techniques. The role of the teacher in the language classroom is a facilitator who
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causes a classroom atmosphere helpful for language learning and gives chances

to students to use and practice the language and to think about language use

and language learning. The classroom is a place where a group of different

learners learn through joint effort and sharing. As language teachers attempt to

encourage language learning through experiences, they are relied upon to be all

around with a set of standards on how to get learning over the students inside

the uniqueness of the comprehension setting.

The acquisition of native languages was studied primarily by

developmental psychologist and psycho-linguist Noams Chomsky (1995) who

defined language acquisition as the process of learning a native or a second

language. It was reported that children who learned to speak was not perfectly

understood. Most explanations involved both the observation that children can

copy what they hear and the inference that human beings have a natural aptitude

for understanding the language. The acquisition of a second or foreign language

is studied primarily in school, college or in the university. A person who learns a

second language passes through some of the same stages including over

generalization, as do children learning their native language. However, people

rarely become as fluent in a second language as in their native tongue.

Despite the importance of the English language learning experiences and

language learning performance of the foreign students in ESL classes, few

researches have been conducted on these issues, specifically at the Cavite State

University Indang - Main Campus. Hence, the main purpose of this paper was to
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identify the learning experiences and language leaning performance of foreign

students in ESL classes.

A language learning experience is described by this researcher as an

integral part of everybody’s life. In education, this can be a factor in classroom

performance specifically in language learning. The use of learning experiences is

an effective approach to utilize student performance when properly executed.

Unfortunately, despite numerous researches conducted on language learning

experiences in universities that have been trying to find most effective ways and

use of different approaches and strategies for meeting the needs of foreign

students, the gap has been recurrent.

In the study conducted by Jhang (2015), he discovered that learning

experiences were seen by starting great impact on the students’ interest, a

marvel that the teachers ought to give a flickering light and cheerful bows on

language and rethink the central clash on thoughts which ought not be decimated

by recognizing promptly compelling students into an edge of the language world

where learning is a destination for a lifetime venture. Subsequently, language

learning experiences of an individual are the utilization of a specific language

associated with their four large - scale abilities.

Bilbao (2008) stated that the best approach to show student language and

correspondence is the experiential way. In such way, language learners must be

knowledgeable about content to effortlessly secure it. In this way, it is anything

but difficult to pick up information by method for the language experiences.

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Allen (2008) claimed that the large number of learning experiences give

through student - focused hands-on educational modules a fruitful ground for

language experience and in addition a clarification of the new ideas. In a study,

teachers were involved in the students’ learning acquisition. There were various

teaching styles and strategies by teachers. Teachers who have a formal

authority teaching style tend to focus on content. This style is generally teacher-

centered, where the teacher feels responsible for providing and controlling the

flow of the lesson content and the student is expecting to receive the content.

One type of statement made by an instructor with this teaching style was “I am

the flashlight for my students: I illuminate the content and the materials so that

my students can see the importance of the material and appreciate the

discipline”. Teachers with this teaching style are not as concerned with building

relationships with their students nor is it important that their students formed

relationships with other students. This type of teacher does not usually require

much of student’s participation in class. The “sage on the stage” model is one

where the teachers who demonstrate personal model as teaching style tend to

run teacher-centered classes with an emphasis on demonstration and modeling.

This type of teacher acts as a role model by demonstrating skills and processes

and as a coach or a guide in helping the students develop and apply these skills

and knowledge.

Furthermore, a teacher with this type of teaching style might comment “I

show my students how to properly do a task or work through a problem and then
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I’ll help them master the task or problem solution”. It is important that the

students can independently solve similar problems by using and adopting

demonstrated methods. Instructors with this teaching style are interested in

encouraging students’ participation and adapting their presentation to include

various learning styles. Students are expected to take some responsibility for

learning what they need to know and for asking for help when they do not

understand something.

Moreover, teachers who have a facilitator model teaching style tend to

focus on activities. This teaching style emphasizes student-centered learning and

there is much more responsibility placed on the students to take the initiative for

meeting the demands of various learning tasks. This type of teaching style works

best for students who are comfortable with independent learning and who can

actively participate and collaborate with other students. Teachers typically design

a group activity which necessitate active learning, student-student collaboration

and problem solving. This type of teacher often tries to design learning situations

and activities that require student processing and application of course content in

creative and original ways.

Allen (2008) described teachers who have a delegator teaching style tend

to place much control and responsibility for learning on individuals or groups of

students. This type of teacher often gives the students a choice in designing and

implementing their own complex learning projects and acted in a consultative

role. Students are often asked to work independently or in groups and must be
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able to maintain motivation and stay focused on complex projects. Students who

work in this type of setting learn more than just course specific topics as they

also have to effectively work in group situations and manage various

interpersonal roles.

It has been observed that no two teachers are alike and any teacher with

classroom teaching experience agrees that his style of teaching is uniquely his

own. An effective teaching style engages students in the learning process and

helps them develop critical thinking skills. Traditional teaching styles have

evolved with the advent of differentiated instructions, prompting teachers to

adjust their styles toward students’ learning needs. As facilitators of learning who

monitor the learners’ amazing learning experiences, the teachers laid upon how

the learners are influenced by these experiences

The importance of diaries was stressed by some authors as follows.

Diaries exist as a common social language as people are familiar with the

concept of a diary and the content is written in a natural language (Coxon,1988).

According to Elliot (1997), diaries in whatever form are argued to capture an

"ever changing present" and when these diaries are solicited for research

purposes, participants' contemporaneous records of their activities, behaviors,

thoughts or feelings close to the time that they happened; to overcome the

vagaries of time on memory and to minimize recall or memory errors of the

problems with recall, even over a short time span when small details may be lost

or wrapped up within a larger story.

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Plummer (2001) stated that the diary allows the researcher an insight into

the participants' lives, an understanding about how they perceive or understand

the events that surround them and provide a link between the public and the

private. The temporal aspects offered by a diary, whether recording events over

a few days or longer, highlight issues important to the participants or directed

and co-produced by the researcher requesting participants to focus on specific

aspects of their lives e.g. their language learning experiences. The individual

entries might form a continuous narrative or provide accounts of discontinuous

events, all of which were, at the time and possibly after, significant enough for

the participant to record. As well as recording events, solicited diaries can also

increase the visibility and significance of routine or everyday processes which

might be regarded as mundane aspects of everyday life. They can easily

capture sensitive data that might be difficult to encapsulate with other methods.

Likewise, Thomas (2006) stressed that keeping a diary requires a time

commitment on the part of the participants and a willingness to regularly

complete the diary and follow any guidelines. There is an assumption that

participants have the skills necessary to complete the method (i.e. literacy) and

can overcome illiteracy via another person writing the entries, but the diary as a

personal and private space can be changed.

A contribution of the present study, despite its limited sample and

limitation to one university, is that it not only draws attention to the description of

the language learning experiences and language learning performance of foreign

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learners, but also to the need for the university and teaching staff to become

more sensitive to students’ problems of adjustment in a new learning

environment and differences that may exist to maximize learning. The findings of

this study have relevance to teaching and learning context in other international

institutions with similar cross - cultural student population.

This paper identifies the learning experiences and language learning

performance of the foreign students The two main objectives of the study were to

provide academicians and educational administrators a research-based frame of

reference in devising new strategies for the improvement of the existing

strategies in teaching foreign students and to assist foreign students in

developing better study approaches.

Statement of the Problem

The research aimed to describe the learning experiences and language

learning performance of foreign students in ESL classes.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:

1. What are the learning experiences of foreign students in ESL classes?

2. How do the language learning experiences affect the language

performance of the foreign students in ESL class?

Theoretical Framework

This study was anchored upon the Experiential Learning Theory by David

Kolb’s as explained in his book Experiential Learning. The ELT model outlines

two related approaches toward grasping experience: concrete experience and

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abstract conceptualization, as well as two related approaches toward

transforming experience: reflective observation and active experimentation.

According to Kolb's model, the ideal learning process engages all four of these

approaches in response to situational demands in order for learning to be

effective.

This study was also anchored on the theory of Krashen which represented

consistent elucidations with respect to how students were influenced by their

cognizance experiences in ESL classes from a few hypothetical originations, yet,

completely tied down in the language learning background hypothesis. In any

case, the study was incredibly impacted by Krashen’s idea of the full of feeling

channel, a speculation on the matter of how emotional variables identify with the

procedure of second language acquisition (Krashen, 1982).

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METHODOLOGY

“In much of society, research means to investigate something you do not

know or understand.”.

Neil Armstrong

This section presents the research design, participants of the study,

research instrumentation and data - gathering procedure.

Research Design

The qualitative descriptive research design was used in this research to

describe the learning experiences of foreign students in ESL classes. It further

described the language learning performance of each participant with the aid of a

diary and a personal interview.

Population Sampling
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The samples of the study were five students officially enrolled at the

Cavite State University Indang - Main Campus. Purposive sampling was used to

ensure the deepest possible understanding of the experiences and language

learning performance of the participants.

According to Hastie and Hay (2012), purposive sampling is also known as

judgmental, selective or subjective sampling, a type of non-probability sampling

technique. Non-probability sampling focuses on sampling techniques where it

was utilized in the conduct of the study for the reason that the classroom was

comprised of different nationalities such as Nigerian, Angolan, African, Ghanaian

and Filipino students.

Participants of the Study

The participants were five foreign students enrolled at the Cavite State

University Indang - Main Campus. All of them were enrolled in Writing in the

Discipline subject, their age level was above 18 years old and their final grade in

the previous English class was above 2.0 or its equivalent by the time this

research was conducted.

Table 1 shows the profile of the participants of the study. There were

three male and two female participants. Among them, one was a Nigerian; one

Angolan; two Ghanaian and one African. One of them was 23 years old, three

were 19 years old; and one 21 years old. Two of them spoke Ghana; one Hausa;
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one British, and one Portuguese. Two of them were enrolled in BSMT 2; one

BSBM 1; one BSN 1 and one BIT 1.

Table 1. Profile of the Participants

Name Nationality Gender Age Language Course

1.Essuman Pius Bentsil Nigerian Male 23 Hausa BSMT-2
2.Hup Biak Za Angolan Male 19 Portuguese BSBM-1
3. Kusi Abigail Achaa Ghanaian Female 19 Ghana BSN-1
4.Ninga Jacinto African Male 21 British BIT-1

5.Wennifer Hanriette Ghanaian Female 19 Ghana BSMT-1

Research Instruments

The research instruments used were the ten - day diaries of each

participant, a personal interview with the use of a tablet with video camera, the

researcher’s field notes and a structured interview - questionnaire.

The diary and the interview were a key to providing contextual information

for the entries, even more so where an entry might be too concise or ambiguous.

In these circumstances the diary and the interview provided a context as well as

a deeper understanding about their significance to the individual. The use of

solicited diaries and interviews was considered within the context of a specific

study, which was transcribed on the latter pages.

Data - Gathering Procedure

After securing the permit to conduct the study, the participants were asked

to write diaries for 10 days. The ten - day diaries written by the participants were
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collected each meeting of the ESL classes starting January 9to March 20, 2014.

The researcher compiled the diary, identified the themes, coded and tabulated

the learning experiences using frequency count and percentage. The interview

was also conducted after each submission of the written diaries. The learning

experiences of each participant were extracted from the 3-5-minute interview.

They were later transcribed based on the transcription codes of Schriffin (2004).

Please refer to Appendix A.

Observation and field notes were also used to support the findings of the

learning experiences of the foreign students in ESL classes.

Data Analysis

The researcher identified the learning experiences of the participants in

their diaries. They were highlighted into fragments and later tabulated with the

use of the frequency count and percentage. Interview questionnaires were

validated by the two language faculty members from the Language and Literature

Department (LLD). The answers to the interview questions were transcribed and

coded.

The paper began first by considering the use of solicited diaries as a

research instrument and the interview as an integral part in a solicited diary then

moved on first to reflect on the participants' experiences in ping the solicited

diary. Secondly, the narratives were produced through the solicited diaries, and

thirdly, through the recorded video transcription.

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The participants of the study were coded as Participant [P], Diary as [D]

Interview as [I] presented here as Participant 1 P1, D1, I1, Participant 2 as P2,

D2, I2 and so on up to Participant 5 P5, D5 and I5.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

"A word as to the education of the heart… We don't believe that this can

be imparted through books; it can only be imparted through the loving touch of

the teacher."

César Chávez

This section presents the gathered data describing learning experiences

and language learning performance of the foreign students in ESL classes with

accompanying discussion.

What are the learning experiences of the foreign students in ESL Classes?

Table 2. Learning Experiences of Foreign Students in ESL Classes

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Indicator Frequency Percentage

Positive Remarks on Teacher’s Personal 5 10%
Qualities and Style of Teaching
Participating in Group Work 9 18%
Recalling of the Lessons 1 2%

Understanding and Researching 1 2%

Understanding the Importance of 1 2%

Communication
Understanding Teacher’s Directions 1 2%

Brainstorming 1 2%
1 2%
Overcoming Fear, Struggles, Frustrations and
Disappointments
Gaining Knowledge and Information 23 46%
Feeling of Being Rejected 1 2%

Taking Responsibility and Time Management 1 2%

Learning Satisfaction and Appreciation 1 2%
Enjoying Interactive Class 4 8%

Total 50 100%

It can be gleaned from Table 2 that Gaining Knowledge and Information was the

most prominent learning experience among the five participants, with 23 out of 50

written diaries or equal to 46 percent. This was followed by Recalling of the Lessons

with nine out of 50 written diaries or 18 percent.; Participating in Group Work with 5 out

of 50 written diaries or equal to 10 percent; Enjoying Interactive Class with four out of 50

written diaries or equal to 8 percent, and the rest of the identified learning experiences

reflected in the diaries were one out of 50 written diaries respectively.

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Learning experiences determine individual or group objectives. In

language learning these experiences identify the cultural values, behavior, and

educational standards, performances and achievements of the individual or

group of individuals. Classrooms provide these learning experiences, which can

be effective or not based on the learning style of the students and the strategies

and approaches of the teachers. Learning experiences can be the most effective

means of giving and receiving messages through verbal, nonverbal and para-

verbal manner Mehrabian (1981).

Although success and failure are inevitable in language teaching, it was

believed that there is no single explanation on the diversity of language learning

and behavior. These learning experiences do not single out success and failure,

but can be affected by motivation, learning environment, qualities of a teacher,

instruction materials and the like. Hence, language - learning experiences of an

individual involve the use of a certain language that correlates with their four

macro skills.

According to Bilbao (2008), the most effective way to teach students

language and communication was the experiential way. In such way, language

has to be experienced in order to easily acquire it. Therefore, it was easy to gain

knowledge by means of language experiences. The multitude of learning

experiences provided through a student-centered, hands-on curriculum and

fertile ground for language experience as well as clarification of concepts (Allen,

2008).
 32

On the other hand, Gay (2009) posited that there was an achieving

success in learning experiences. Although, he considered that there was as yet

no single theory that can account for the diversity of language learning behavior,

and explain why some learners succeeded in their task, whereas others fail.

Many learning experiences were involved such as a genuine aptitude for

language learning, motivation, intelligence, and opportunity anyone can learn a

language, but the task was most likely to be tiring if certain general personal

qualities were present. Among these, it has been suggested, were empathy and

adaptability, assertiveness and independence with good drive and powers of

application. Students should experience some motivation as a central factor.

They easily learn if they are motivated and learners should have a positive

attitude in learning a language. Learners should experience some activities that

can benefit from being taught to “learn how to learn” in learning a language; and

learners should experience different strategies.

Gaining Knowledge and Information

Gaining knowledge is the most learning experiences of the participants as

illustrated by Participants (P) 3, 4 and 5 gained knowledge and information

through the different lessons in grammar, research, and literary writing. In the

excerpt of the diary (D1) below:

P4: “he stated that the study of conjunction and preposition is very
important on grammatical elements”. (D1)
 33

However, in his second diary there was no indicator whether he was able

to apply it to combined words, phrases, clauses or sentences. He simply stated

that it is a very important part of the grammar for those who wanted to speak or

write in English because it had the function to bind the different words combining

them as one. On the other hand, his diary showed his impression that preposition

is used differently by different people, below is the excerpt;

P4: “I heard them inappropriate place but which is accepted”.

In so realizing, he perceived that for as long as there is the main idea one

can always understand and be understood by others. Preposition, therefore, was

not a barrier to understanding even if it is inappropriately used in a sentence.

This illustrated that the learner was capable of making his concrete experiences

to come up with different ideas and see things from different perspectives. In

Kolb’s model the learner was a diverger. His understanding was not limited upon

the dictates of the rule but how it was practically observed and used by different

speakers. Moreover, the qualities of a good listener required interpretation and

understanding as the participant of the study mentioned in his diary and it was

observed by the researcher that a natural conversation reflected the acquisition

of learning, and that it was considered a basic learning experience that academic

performance of the student would constantly develop.

P4 and P5: “Similar experiences in gaining knowledge and information

on lessons of choosing a topic and narrowing down a
topic”.
 34

Participant 4 reported a single experience in choosing a topic as part of

his academic writing. There was minimal discussion on how the learner has

gained knowledge in choosing a topic but it can be assumed that the teacher

discussed the lesson. It was noticed that the learner found the topic useful in

academic writing but again there was minimal expression as to how, where, and

when it is useful. This diary did not reveal any experiential learning that would

enhance the learner’s ability to express his thoughts and ideas or develop further

skills in writing. Finding the topic useful could have made the learner a reflective

participant however, he failed to transform this experience to some situational

demands or come up with ideas in a different perspective as what Kolb’s model

showed.

On the other hand, P5 ’s diary wrote a clear observation as reflected

below:

P5:”showed admiration and confidence to his teacher’s language

proficiency and effective instructions”.
P5:“difficulty in learning how to select a topic and the way he learned it
from his teacher’s teaching style”

This interview revealed the respondent’s learning experiences in selecting

a topic. It showed that the interviewee has enjoyed the interactive activities. It

research. He described the questions of his teacher and classmates as

challenging questions. This kind of classroom interaction enhanced his

academic performance because he learned a lot from the question and answer

activity. He did not consider the questions difficult but challenging meaning his
 35

mind was stimulated to become a critical thinker. He handled the activity by

dividing the topic and responsibilities in writing among his group that is why he

was able to comply with the requirement. Thus, collaborative work was effective.

P5:“cited his teacher teaching style in his diary ‘Selecting a topic for
thesis writing had been a thorn in the flesh since it was introduced to
me. Our teacher meticulously described and gave lucid-down
procedure on how to make and choose an effective topic for
discussion”

The participant disclosed that the teacher illustrated the procedures in

selecting a topic and cited relevant examples to the lesson. There was an

implication that the participant has learned from the teacher’s illustrations and

examples however, the participant did not indicate in his diary whether the

teacher has asked them to produce an output to indicate whether they have

turned this understanding into meaningful and realistic results. In short, there was

no way of knowing whether the learner achieved being an accommodator as a

learning style in Kolb’s model which is characterized by actually doing things

instead of merely listening and studying them.

Furthermore, Participant 3 expressed his acquisition of knowledge in

writing a research introduction that allows the reader to yearn more knowledge

and information from the writer. This means that the learner has developed a

degree of understanding and the ability to analyze information. He was able to

conceptualize the possibility of making the readers critical thinkers in providing

substantial ideas in one’s introduction.

P3“The introduction is very important as it plays a major role whether your

 36

research work will be considered or not. A catchy introduction will bid

the reader being it a teacher or student to yearn for more…’ in writing
an introduction effectively one can consider beginning with questions,
facts, themes of the problem or even with dialogue lines”.

In addition to the learning experiences of Participant 3 his Diary 9 revealed

that he gained knowledge and information in writing business letters.

P3“as college students, we will be glad if after school we are offered job
opportunities thus the aim of English two as far as business
communication is concerned is to give us a fair knowledge about
what business communication is all about”.

His diary included his ability to define what business communication is

and how this provides information and benefit to the organization. The learner

displayed a positive attitude towards the benefits of learning and understanding

the principles of business letters. He was very perceptive that once a student has

developed communication skills there is a great probability that he can land a

better job opportunity. He was a reflective learner because he could foresee the

advantage awaiting students after all the training they have undergone from the

university.

Moreover, Participant 3 Diary 10 demonstrated the learner’s intensified

understanding about writing a business letter, its importance and usefulness. He

characterized assimilator in Kolb’s model as a learner who can conceptualize

abstract ideas and information and reflective observation about what is likely to

happen when things are taken correctly. He was able to identify the rewards of

knowing how to write a business letter although he did not exactly mention it in
 37

his diary. His composition indicated an in-depth application of grammar, sentence

structure, choice of words and organization of thoughts and concepts.

P3“As we journey on, we have realized that it can be difficult and risky to
start writing a business letter, but it can be rewarding as well if the
rules involved are followed effectively. Since you may or may not
know your reader, your choice of words and the tone used should be
quite formal even if you have to convey negative information because
if your words affect your reader positively then you can be rest assured
that the response you are hoping for would also be positive”.

Participant 4 in his 5th diary revealed that he gained knowledge and

information on lessons of interview and wh questions. It can be deduced that the

teacher has used a different teaching approach by using pictures either to

motivate or to extend students learning experiences in the use of wh questions.

Meanwhile, the student has the notion that these wh questions can be useful in

questions revealed significant errors in grammar construction. The learner

seemed to get confused on what and how questions and the omission of –ing.

P4: “what’s the mean of that?

Although the learner displayed weakness in grammar, it was noticeable in

this diary that there was a significant motivation to practice to further learn

experimentation where the learner engages in practicing his concrete

experience.

P4“So today we talked how to ask questions with wh just like making any
interview on any investigation according to the picture given to the
class”
 38

Just like asking the three first important questions as: What is it about?

What is its function? Why? And what’s the meaning of that?

Participant 4 Diary 7 revealed improvement in grammar and sentence

structure of the participant although there was slang expression.

P4“little bitty hard”

In his composition, he mentioned that the book he used provided him

knowledge and information in creative writing. Like in his other diaries there was

no indicator of application or steps as to how he has learned the subject and

there is no way to interpret how much abstract conceptualization he has

formulated in learning how to write an introduction. One thing was sure - the

learner found a reference material useful in his study. This indicated that he was

trying to learn by reading his reference. However, his Diary 8 indicated minimal

information about the learning experience of the participant. As in his previous

diaries, there was insufficient manifestation of learning experiences although he

has identified the lesson for the day. He could tell from his lesson that sentence

On the other hand, his Diary 9 implied that the learner has gained knowledge and

information based on the teacher’s discussion method and which was

supplemented by the initiative of the learner to read his book. However, this

learning style limited the learner’s exposure to enhance his ability to write and

improve his communication skills. His type required interactive instructions and

activities to broaden his language experiences. In most of his diaries there was

no indication that the teacher offered a task - based activity so that the learner
 39

could have a chance to practice and explore his writing skills. In this case, the

learner has not achieved his desired goals and outcome the way Gallagher

(2011) defines learning experiences.

P4:“I am going to talk about one of the activities that I found interesting, it
says to give an introduction in different topics that the book gives
“The activity that I did was all about to organize sentences, because
most of time when we used to have some conversation and we realize
that it has been hard to understand what they are saying because most
of time they use to change their words that make us not able to
understand”
P4:”Through this activity I could learn how to make one proofreading with
the explanation of my teacher and with the orientation that the book
give to us”.

Participant 5 revealed that he gained knowledge and information from the

lesson of reporting in his Diary 4. He revealed that his learning style allowed him

to gain more knowledge and information which he could transform into

meaningful communication like paraphrasing and summarizing. His ability to

paraphrase and summarize lessons was revealed in his diaries. Although there

were errors, the diaries clearly communicated his meaning. Based on his

previous diaries it can be inferred that the learner engaged into a higher order of

learning outcomes by utilizing his learning resources and actively transforming

concrete knowledge into practical exercises and activities Gallagher (2011).

P5:“For the past days and weeks the progression of my various classes
has not been easy-day-in-day-out new things and new information is
handed down from teacher to students from the simplest to the most
complicated”.

Participation in Group Work

Participation in group work was the second to the highest frequency by

 40

Participant (P) 4 described participation in class as part of his language learning

performance. It was revealed in his interview that there was resistance was

minimal learning experience although the respondent was consistent in saying

that the teacher explained the lesson on choosing a topic. It also revealed that

there was resistance on the part of the respondent to participate in the group

activity because that he preferred to work alone. Besides the respondent seemed

to show some personal discrimination or socialization among his classmates

saying that he did not want to talk to them. Another reason for the minimal

learning experience was the respondent claimed that it was his first time to study

choosing a topic which showed a little confusion and difficulty for not having a

background on research writing. It was also revealed that the respondent agreed

on the importance of his personal and social relationship in language learning.

Positive Remarks on Teacher’s Qualities

Positive remarks on the teacher’s qualities and style of teaching was the

third to the highest frequency as illustrated in his diary (D). The learner observed

positive personal qualities of the teacher like being firm, assertive but never

aggressive nor verbally abusive. This learning experience fell under Kolb’s

reflective observation. It showed that the learner was practically observing how

the teacher handled student’s behavior and classroom management. Participant

(P) one in his diary (D) 2 said:

P1:” He considers these qualities of a teacher as acceptable considering

that he is fascinated”. (D2)
 41

Enjoying Interactive Class

In the traditional lecture class, students come to class, take notes on

information that is given in the lecture, and then went home to study their notes,

read the book (maybe), and work assigned homework problems. The difficulty

with this strategy was that the teacher has no guarantee that the students

learned anything during lecture or that they are learning at home. Therefore,

enjoying interactive class was the fourth from the highest frequency that have an

among the participants

Participants (P) 3,4, and 5, said in their diary as illustrated below that:

P3:” I most preferred to have interaction with my classmates for I am not

ashamed to communicate them” (D3)

P4: “Our class makes lively whenever we have to talk each other
especially in dealing and planning our group project” (D6)

P5: “Our teacher made us the students interesting, he gave the panel
discussion activity that my classmate can participate” (D7)

Recalling of Lessons

On the other hand, recalling of the lessons was the second to the least

learning experiences of the participants as illustrated by Participant (P)1 revealed

recalling of lessons in most of his diaries while Participant 2 revealed one (1)

recalling of learning experience. Participant (P) 1 recalled his lessons in Diaries

2,3,5,6,7 and 9 as shown in the excerpts below:

P1: “visual aids are supplementary parts of a research paper. They are
very useful in communicating facts with accuracy and speed to the
 42

readers”.
“I thought of a literature as reading a book and then giving it a thumbs
up or thumbs down; but it is not so. A literature review is a review of
various pieces of literature on one topic, hanging from series of books
to shorter pieces like pamphlets”.
“In summarizing a research, some characteristics are involved in the
findings, there should be a brief statement about the main purpose of
the study, the population or respondents, the period of the study,
method of research used”.
“The reference page is a crucial element of your research paper; it
“Writing academically, means writing in a certain style for a certain
purpose, and to a certain audience by students and professionals in
academic disciplines”.
“The research paper is written to present views and findings on a
chosen topic. It is a systematic and comprehensive investigation”.
P2:“The main topics of our discussion are about shaping a subject and
getting stated in writing… In this shaping a subject includes free
writing, answering the 5 wh’s to identify basic information about our
subject”.

Understanding the Application of Research

Participant 1 described this learning experience in his Diary 4. The learner

has manifested a different learning experience in the application of the methods

of research writing in Psychology. There was also a manifestation of

understanding that different methodologies apply to different researches. At this

point, the learner was able to make application of a research methodology.

P1:”For example, in Psychology paper, there is no need to describe a

Skinner box, as that is well known to Psychologist. However, you
would need to explain exactly how the box was used to allow exact
replication”

Understanding the Importance of Communication

Participant 1 revealed this learning experience in his Diary 1. His diary

showed the exposure of the learner to new experiences in a foreign country and
 43

understanding of the importance of communication in terms of culture, tradition,

travel experience and his mixed emotions of being interrogated. He was able to

express some of his realization in traveling like preparing documents,

understanding the purpose of the travel, the economic advantage of the host

country and adapting to the country’s culture.

Understanding Teacher’s Directions

Understanding teacher’s directions was revealed in the diaries of

Participant 5 and Participant 1. Participant 5 conveyed his admiration and

confidence in his teacher’s language proficiency and effective instructions. He

cited his difficulty in learning how to select a topic and the way he learned it from

his teacher’s teaching style. He disclosed that the teacher illustrated the

procedures in selecting a topic and cited relevant examples to the lesson. It

implied that the participant has learned from the teacher’s illustrations and

examples, however, the participant did not indicate in his diary whether the

teacher has asked them to produce an output to indicate whether they have

turned this understanding into a meaningful and realistic result. In short, there

was no way of knowing whether the learner has achieved accommodator as a

learning style in Kolb’s model which is characterized by actually doing things

instead of merely listening and studying them.

P5:“Sir, meticulously describe and gave laid-down procedure on how to

make and choose an effective topic for discussion…..he further
explained how the general output would be presented by using an
updated APA format which of course had a lot of rules but was worth
 44

it”.
P5:”My instructor gave a down to earth explanation on the whole
principles, format, and structure of producing a good thesis. He began
with a single description on the components of the initial stages of the
thesis…”

Similarly, Participant 1 manifested in his Diary 8 that he has experienced

clear directions from the teacher. It can also be noted that the learner thought

that the teacher was responsible for letting the students learn how to decide on a

thesis statement. Another concrete experience was noted in the participant’s

diary. The remaining diary is another recall of the lessons in research writing.

P1:” The teacher taught us how to decide on a thesis statement. In my

view, thesis statement is to research paper as a topic sentence is to a
paragraph”.

In general, the diary of Participant 1 considered lessons which were

mostly concrete experiences in gaining knowledge and information inside the

classroom. There was minimal evidence that the participant was given a chance

to exercise reflective observation and active experimentation. Enumerating

lessons is equivalent to recall, the lowest rank of cognition according to Blooms

taxonomy. Out of the nine diaries of the participant, the learner showed less

significant experiences of sending and receiving messages through verbal, non-

verbal and para-verbal manner as suggested in the learning experience model of

Kolb. This could mean that the teacher’s strategy and approach were less

effective in creating more learning experiences on the part of the learner.

This learning experience was illustrated in Diary 1 of Participant 1.

P1:”Among the teachers I’ve encountered on this campus one of them

 45

who fascinates me. She can be firm and assertive sometimes but
never aggressive nor verbally abusive”.

The learner observed positive personal qualities of the teacher like being

firm, assertive but never aggressive nor verbally abusive. This learning fell under

reflective observation. It showed that the learner was practically observing how

the teacher handled student’s behavior and classroom management.

P1:”He considers these qualities of a teacher as acceptable considering

that he is fascinated.”

Brainstorming

Participant 2 revealed his learning experience in brainstorming.

P2:”hardly expressed this experience although……”

P2: “We will have our own idea each other with our group mate. This kind
of doing assignment will be having improvement our knowledge, but
also will be training way of doing work together foreigner”.

The learner mentioned group activity and sharing of ideas as a group

where the teacher required each group to construct a thesis statement and use

relevant materials. The teacher allowed the students to brainstorm (sharing of

ideas, cooperate and participate to achieve their goal (construct thesis

statement). This diary was an example of learning experiences in Kolb’s model

by sending and receiving messages through verbal activity (sharing). It can be

deduced that the teacher was able to make the classroom a place for the

interplay of minds and hearts. As the students exchanged words in their

brainstorm, they were able to exchange ideas.

A Feeling of Being Rejected

 46

This sixth diary revealed that the Participant (P2) had a positive mood

because of the teacher’s approach and style of teaching. He spoke of creating

an animal that motivated him to speak the language. This showed that the

drawing served as an instrument in utilizing the language. He believed that this

is one way of improving his critical and creative thinking thus he was pushed to

use English in describing what he has drawn. His learning experience was

enhanced by his own creation, given a situation or image to use the

communication skill. Comments and suggestions of his classmates were treated

as a positive feedback in his learning experiences.

P2:“I have group mate, unfortunately we can’t share each other our idea
as I hope. They didn’t accept given to them my opinion”. (D6)

Taking Responsibility and Time Management

Participant 2 in his Diary 9 revealed his sense of responsibility despite the

absence of the teacher. As already mentioned in Diary 2, the learner had the

initiative to work on his assignment and other tasks. He also took the opportunity

to prepare for the exam while his teacher was out and made use of his time to

accomplish his research. The diary also revealed that even without the teacher,

the learner and his group were able to share ideas that would help in the

progress of their research. This learning experience is what Krashen (1981)

described as a learning method that is not forced to produce an outcome. A

learner learns with less supervision or less pressure from the teacher but

produces language output.

 47

P2:”…..but we didn’t have class in this morning; we did for researching

our
final exam. We went to the library with our group mate and then we
are looking for some books related our topic”.

Learning Satisfaction and Appreciation

This learning experience was illustrated by Diary 1 of Participant 3. The

diary revealed student’s satisfaction in the class activity which indicated a

pleasant learning experience. It showed that the learner was highly motivated in

an interactive class. Furthermore, the student manifested an appreciation of his

teacher in giving clear explanation on the activity. The interactive style in

language learning and a little freedom on the part of the student to participate

and learn a lesson indicated a richer learning experience in academic writing.

The learner did not only gain concrete experiences from the lesson but he was

able to reflect from what transpired in his activity and was able to evaluate his

errors.

P3: “Many students were happy because they were not called forgetting
that whatever grade their representative got was for them all…. At
the end of the class, we were able to learn how to write in a formal
way especially when addressing those who hold high esteem…”

How do the language learning experiences affect the language

performance of the foreign students in ESL classes?

 48

Table 3. Learners’ Language Learning Performance in ESL Class

Frequency Percentage
Indicator
Teacher’s Approach and Style of 12 24%
Teaching
Feeling Scared, Nervous and 6 12%
Shy
Collaboration and Group Work 4 8%
Vocabulary 6 12%
Exerted Effort 2 4%
Reflections 4 8%
Positive Attitude 2 4%
Self- Expression 2 4%
Motivation and Practice 4 8%
Sentence Organization 2 4%
Effective Instructions 4 8%
Struggles, Frustrations and 2 4%
Disappointments
Total 50 100%

As shown in Table 3, Teacher’s Approach and Style of Teaching had

greater value with 12 out 50 written diaries equivalent to 24 percent. This was

followed by Feeling Scared, Nervous and Shy, and Vocabulary with 6 out of 50

written diaries equivalent to 12 percent followed by Collaboration and Group

Work, Reflections, Motivation and Practice, and Effective Instructions have four

out of 50 written diaries equivalent to eight percent each. The items with the least

number reflected in the diaries were Exerted Effort, Positive Attitude, Self

-Expression, Organization and Struggles, Frustrations and Disappointments with

two out of 50 written diaries equivalent to four percent.

 49

Students have to experience language through a hands-on curriculum

wherein they have to experience sending and receiving messages through verbal

and non-verbal activities in the world. Learning experiences and language

learning performance were somehow interrelated components of language

teaching. Language was easily learned through learning experiences and adapt

to learning experiences with the help of schema.

According to Manalang (2010), language learning can inform and

somehow can also misinform. While it can clarify, it can also confuse, hence, it

can be liberating or confining. Rhetoric, for instance, can be cloudy issues and

conceal questionable motives. Ideologies of various persuasions tend to use

identical terms like democracy, liberty, social justice, grass roots participation and

rational development to which they attach different and preferred meanings.

Therefore, language should be learned to detect the perceptions and

misconceptions. In addition, outsiders tend to take a simplistic view of the

language teaching-learning process. Yet, in the larger concept there were

problems related to this. Learning experiences are encountered, where the

academic problem of the students seems to derive more from inadequate

linguistic competence than through innate disability. It, of course, presents

another difficulty- the ability to conceptualize and theorize depending in large part

on linguistic competence. There are no neat, unassailable answers to such

questions. The propositions are expressed in language in one form or another

and vague about the processes that lead to this skill.

 50

Kolb (1984) argued that defining learning in terms of the change in

behavior was limited and it poorly characterizes the learning process. He defined

learning as a human adaptation process. It was a process, whereby knowledge

was created through the transformation of experience. Based on his statements,

he considers no one learns anything of significance from someone else. Instead,

learning takes place when a learner is intrinsically motivated to learn and

undertakes to learn something on his/her own.

Kohlberg (2004) believed that learning will be gained by the use of own

intelligence and experiences. This sentiment was echoed by Albert Einstein who

was quoted as saying: “I never teach my pupils: I only attempt to provide the

conditions in which they can learn” cited in Walter and Marks (1981).

To reach conclusions about how people learn, these scholars made

reference to quantify and qualitatively studied human subjects. They followed the

canons of science to clarify and verify what they believe to be true. A contrasting

method for exploring the learning phenomenon was to trust in one’s own

experience.

Moreover, the most effective way to teach language and communication

was the experiential way. Let the students experience sending and receiving

messages through verbal, non-verbal and para-verbal manner. Teachers should

make the classroom a place for the interplay of the minds and the hearts. The

teachers facilitate dialogue among learners and between him and his students

because in the exchange of words there was also an exchange of ideas.

 51

The study of Dirx and Lavin (2009) in understanding and facilitating

experience-based learning in adult education reflects the Kolb model to that of

the four-thought model in experienced-based learning. The four thought model

according to their study implied a cyclical perspective of learning that begins with

the learner’s observation of concrete setting, followed by a conceptual

understanding of the learner’s experiences from a trial and error, reflection,

creative expression or symbolic understandings. Although, they have anticipated

that learning from experience theory does not guarantee a systematic learning

process, their study showed that their adult students move in and out of the four-

thought model components.

This observation was critical in facilitating learning activities for a specific

learner or a group of learners within a particular dimension. Furthermore, their

study implicates whether the students signifies a kind of preference on the issues

of learning experiences, because of individual differences like learning and

personality styles.

Another study on experiential learning was conducted by Richardson

(2007) in North Carolina State University. According to Richardson, learning

experiences open a greater opportunity to educational input, higher cognition,

and retention. Both faculty and students prefer the learning mode of doing,

however, a combination of learning mode such as seeing, doing, and discussing

provides a better learning enhancement compared to an individual mode. His

 52

findings showed that a well- developed program of activities indicates an

opportunity to see, experience, and discuss the learning process.

In the study of Duta et al. (2015), teachers with good communication skills

created a more successful teaching and learning results. Communication skills

and work motivation have a high influence in the teaching aspect. The teacher's

communication style can influence the interest and attitude of the students in

creating a fun and learning atmosphere. Finding the factors which influence

academic success has strong implications on the research in the psychology of

learning field, but also on educational policies and implicitly on the students’

learning strategies. Their study proposed to analyze the relation type established

among the students’ learning style, learning behavior and academic performance

in their theoretical and practical activities. The results of the study indicated

significant differences as regards the learning style and the learning behavior

according to the age, experience and academic performance type.

Furthermore, they confirmed that the students identified the different

learning styles: the divergent style, convergent style, assimilation style and

accommodation style, and also the relationship that was established between

learning style, learning behavior and academic performance of the students. It

reveals the differences between the learning behavior and the type of learning

activities in which the student was involved. They believed that academic

performance was also influenced by other factors like- personality factors,

cognitive factors, motivational- emotional factors which were not considered in

 53

this study. They believed that providing an explanation of the factors influenced

academic performance - learning style and learning behavior. This study

represented a milestone for education practitioners to design appropriate

instructional strategies that meet students' needs and preferences. By identifying

learning styles in the educational context, and behaviors in their learning,

teachers use instructional strategies differentiation in relation to the type of

learning.

Stewart (2011) evaluated the learning styles of accounting students and

assessed the interaction of teaching methods and learning styles in an ethics

instruction environment. The study showed that teaching methods were found to

have influenced active learners more than the passive ones. It also revealed that

learning styles matched teaching methods used but when learning styles and

teaching methods differed, usefulness deteriorated significantly. The study

implied that learning style should be considered prior to the teacher’s

methodology. Evidence supported the concept of learning styles impacting on

teaching effectiveness.

The study of Gwo-Dong et al. (2012) proposed a platform to provide a

near-authentic environment, context, and situation for task-based learning. The

platform included two projection screens (a vertical and a horizontal screen)

combined for situated or authentic learning. The horizontal screen extended the

vertical screen scene to form a space for learning activities and performance.

The platform created learning situations using robots as surrogates of students to

 54

accomplish real-life tasks. Kolb’s four stages experiential learning cyclical model

was adopted in the learning design. A simple practice was developed to examine

the effect on teaching children English as a foreign language.

The results revealed that children could engage deeply and feel more

enjoyment using the system. Moreover, as surrogates for students to imagine

that they are accomplishing real-life missions, robots could be a vital element of

authentic learning in future classrooms. The researchers developed a

questionnaire to examine the learning experience in the digital learning

playground (DLP). The learning experience included the sense of authenticity,

engagement, and learning motivation. According to the results 80% of the

students agreed that a timely response of the system can create learning

pleasure and 90% of the students thought that the learning process was similar

to real-life experience. This result means that the students believed the system to

be authentic.

Vekkaila et al. (2012) studied doctoral students’ key experiences in the

natural sciences. The participants generally perceived their experiences as

positive and enhancing. The interview data were qualitatively analyzed by

identifying the critical key learning experiences. The focus was on the personal

significance and meanings given to these experiences by the interviewees. An

abductive strategy was applied in the analysis. This was compatible with the idea

of a hermeneutic circle, which involves continuous interaction between the data

 55

and developing a theoretical understanding of the key learning experiences

(Coffey & Atkinson, 1996).

The use of the diary as a research instrument was by the researcher. In

whatever form, the notion of a diary is an increasingly relevant way of diaries

and their development over time have been summarized and reflected upon by

Laszewski (2006) who has successfully drawn together including the content

according to Rook (2001), which might appear to resemble an ongoing survey.

The solicited diaries often provide a structure for participants which have also

been employed to collect data on a variety of aspects of daily life. It is also

important to note and recognize that solicited diaries are not solely the product

of the participant’s experiences rather, they are constructed by the author and

by the researcher’s request to have the data for extraction of the content and

analysis (Bell,1997).

Diaries exist as a common social language as people are familiar with the

concept of a diary and the content is written in a natural language. Diaries in

whatever form are argued to capture an "ever changing present “and when

these diaries are solicited for research purposes, participants' contemporaneous

records of their activities, behaviors, thoughts or feelings close to the time that

they happened overcome the vagaries of time on memory and minimize recall or

memory errors (Coxon,1993).

According to Plummer (2001), the diary allows the researcher an insight

into the participants' lives, an understanding about how they perceive or

 56

understand the events that surround them and provide a link between the public

and the private. The temporal aspects offered by a diary, whether recording

events over a few days or longer, highlight issues important to the participants

or directed and co-of their lives e.g. their language learning experiences.

According to Meth (2003), the individual entries might form a continuous

narrative or provide accounts of discontinuous events, all of which were, at the

time and possibly after, significant enough for the participant to record. As well

as recording events, solicited diaries can also increase the visibility and

significance of routine or everyday processes which might be regarded as

mundane aspects of everyday life. They can easily be used in conjunction with

other methods and are also an appropriate way to capture sensitive data that

might be difficult to encapsulate with other methods. He used diaries to explore

women's fear of violence in violent contexts in Durban, South Africa and found

that diaries provided participants with a space for reflection as a way to present

their own experiences.

Likewise, Thomas (2006) used solicited text and photo diaries to gain a

deeper insight into the emotions of people living with AIDS related illnesses in

the Caprivi region of Namibia. Diaries, like all methods, are not without their

limitations. Keeping a diary requires a time commitment on the part of the

participants and a willingness to regularly complete the diary and follow any

guidelines. There is an assumption that participants have the skills necessary to

complete the method or literacy and can overcome illiteracy via another person
 57

writing the entries, but the diary as a personal and private space can be

challenged. They appreciate that a lack of literacy is difficult to overcome, but for

the research, focusing on their routinely practices argue that "unless there is

evidence that ability to work this way [keeping a written diary] influences the

type of a person has, it is a relatively unimportant problem".

As stated by Milligan et al, (2005), although not limited to diaries, the

validity of the entries and the impact of knowing that the diary will be read by an

audience is an issue as well as the presence or the absence of content, which

can be remedied by an interview. Whilst solicited diaries can be used as a

stand-alone method. greater depth of understanding can be gained from a diary

and interview: The diary-interview method where the diary keeping period is

followed by an interview asking detailed questions about the diary entries is

considered to be one of the most reliable methods of obtaining information.

Corti et al, (1993) employed this diary approach in their research on

Californian counter culture and found that the diary and diary - interview offered

a greater depth and insight into each participant's life. It was difficult to observe

the daily activities of their participants, so they employed the use of a diary

which participants kept for seven days. The diary requested details of the

activities that the participants were involved in asking who, what, when, where

and how. Each participant was then interviewed about his or her diary entries.

The use of a diary - interview allows for extemporaneously made entries to be

explored in depth with the authors and provides them with the opportunity to
 58

clarify, expand and reflect on their actions, entries and connections, for

example, similar or contrasting experiences or the regularity of the same

experience.

Furthermore, the context for the entries can be established and explored

which assists with the analysis of the diary content. All of these aspects add to

the value and the richness of the data produced via the diary and an interview. It

also reduces the potential for analytic misinterpretation and, for those

participants who were not comfortable writing in the style of a diary, the diary

and interview is an opportunity to ensure that the experiences they may have

had difficulty conveying through the written word are included. Diaries, as well

as other primary and secondary data sources can provide decontextualized

material, so it is important to situate the produced narratives within the

intersecting contexts.

Teacher’s Approach and Style of Teaching

Teacher’s approach and style of teaching was the most prominent to the

participant’s language learning performance as illustrated in Participant (P) 1

Diary 1 and Participant (P) 2 Diary 6 claimed that teacher’s approach and style of

teaching motivated them listen and participate in class discussion and to other

activities. Likewise, Participant 3 Diary 2 suggested that the teacher’s approach

brought great experience in the participants’ comprehension and critical thinking.

However, Participant 3 Diary 4 and Participant 4 Diary 2 revealed that they

became less interactive. The diaries contained either recalling of lessons or

 59

merely gaining knowledge and information. This recalling of lessons and

remembering knowledge and information are anchored upon Bloom’s Taxonomy

(2004) at the lowest cognitive domain/level.

Feeling Scared, Nervous and Shy

Feeling scared, nervous and shy was the second language learning

performance of the participants. The researcher noted during the interview that

Participant 1 Interview 3 and Participant 2 Interview 2 have shown that they were

not able to participate and answer during class discussion. Based on this

observation the ability of the participant to speak to someone else became a

communication barrier. Based on the researcher’s interview, Participant 2 did not

reveal much information on what transpired in the session or how he

encountered difficulty in his class. The lines in the transcript showed no response

from the participant. (P2) (I2)

Shyness due to lack of vocabulary, difficulty to use the English language,

nervousness and soft voice have been observed by the researcher during the

interview.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary was the third to the highest frequency were the Participant (P)

2 revealed in his fifth interview (I5) that his language learning performance was

focused on process assessment in rewriting technique. It was noticeable that the

interviewee was not able to express very well what his learning experiences in
 60

the process assessment were, but his diaries showed that he was able to

indicate clearly what these learning experiences were. Although, there were

phrases he was able to say about process assessment, his statements were

characterized by fragments and elliptical phrases. Like other participants, his

major problem in communicating orally was his vocabulary. But he said that he

was able to overcome this by the use of a dictionary. However, his problems in

communicating with other students were persistent because, according to him,

he did not talk to his classmates. This can be brought by his fear that he was not

understood by his classmates so he rather worked alone. Another thing about

language barrier was how he tried to understand the culture of Filipinos although

there was no specific cultural problem mentioned in this interview. Most likely, it

could really be the barrier of language use.

Collaboration and Group Work

Collaboration and group work was revealed in the diaries of Participants 1,

2 and 4. This learning experience was revealed in the three diaries of Participant

2 and one diary of Participants 1 and 4. Participant 2 Diary 3 showed that the

participant clearly understood what the teacher asked the class to do. In his

group, they were able to produce an output based on instruction, however, the

output seemed to be less acceptable or needed improvement/ revision. Concrete

experience and active experimentation were reflected in this diary. The evidence

was found in the teacher’s directions and students’ understanding on what to do

although the output was less impressive, the group experienced how to draft a
 61

concrete activity/ output. It can be said that the group was accommodator in

Kolb’s model because they actively constructed their research problem. Diary 4

hardly expressed the learner’s experience although he mentioned group activity

and sharing of ideas as a group, the teacher required each group to construct a

thesis statement and use relevant materials. The teacher allowed the students to

brainstorm (sharing of ideas, cooperate and participate to achieve their goal

(construct thesis statement. This diary was an example of learning experiences

in Kolb’s model by sending and receiving messages through verbal activity

(sharing). It can be deduced that the teacher was able to make the classroom a

place for the interplay of minds and hearts. As the students exchanged words in

their brainstorm they were able to exchange ideas. On the other hand, his Diary

8 showed incomprehensible thoughts from the learner although it revealed an

experience of class participation where he was able to join in problem solving

activity. It also indicated that he enjoyed being in a group and learned problem

solving skills through his group. However, there was no indication of the

procedure of the activity because the diary had limited information.

P2: “We have group activity. Our activity is that we give to our teacher title
regarding business”.
P2:“We have to make up forms this real date our self with our group
mate”
P2:” We will share our ideas each other with our group mate”.
P2: “This evening we have group activity. But this is just group activity.
We
have to give individual presentation. This kind of activity is my first
time participation to this school”.
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Meanwhile, Participant 1 in his diary showed that he got involved in a

group activity. Group work activity appealed to the learner’s study style saying

that it was a :

P1: “cool work”.

The learner’s learning style was to use practical experiences that were

observable and delivered by his peers during discussion or classroom activity.

He was able to participate in a group discussion on personal hygiene. An

experience on personal hygiene was shared in the group to prevent unpleasant

body odor.

Collaboration and group work is further shown in the diary of Participant 3.

His Diary 1 revealed satisfaction in his class activity which indicated a pleasant

learning experience. It showed that the learner was highly motivated in an

interactive class. Furthermore, the student manifested appreciation of his teacher

in giving clear explanation on the activity. The interactive style in language

learning and a little freedom on the part of the student to participate and learn a

lesson indicated a richer learning experience in academic writing. The learner did

not really gain concrete experiences from the lesson. However, he was able to

reflect from what had transpired in his activity and was able to evaluate his

errors.

Similarly, his Diary 2 revealed another great experience for the learner

when he considered film viewing as an educational entertainment and tension -

releasing activity. His learning experiences were brought by the kind of learning
 63

approach used by the teacher. He was able to comprehend the film, identifying

and evaluate characters, and making a summary of the story. This diary showed

the models of Kolb in experiential learning except abstract conceptualization

which did not appear in any part of the participant’s diary. There were sufficient

evidences of concrete learning, reflective observation and an attempt to

paraphrase a mind - stimulating passage that somehow reflected his personal

evaluation and realization.

P3:”Today, class was very interesting and also interactive…at the end of
the class, we were able to learn how to write in a formal way
especially when addressing those hold high esteem… what a great
class I had today”.Likewise,
P5:”Interactive reporting and presentation”.

His Diary 1 disclosed that he was surprised on the turn of events when

classes after Christmas vacation resumed. He thought that students were still

drowsy to resume the challenges of learning but found the opposite. Reporting

was revealed as the teacher’s method in teaching research writing. This method

seemed effective because the learner revealed that the class participated well by

asking meaningful questions and he perceived that these questions were ways to

check whether or not the class achieved a level of understanding and whether or

not they concentrated on the report. He further revealed the positive effect of the

previous learning experiences and the effect of open discussion between the

teacher and the students. The learner showed great motivation to face another

challenge in his academics.

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Moreover, he described how enthusiastic his classmates were in

delivering reports. There was an indication that the reporters including the

participants have carefully planned and delivered their reports with great success

and acknowledgment. It can also be inferred that each reporter had illustrated

examples of the lessons in vocabulary which implied that his classmates talked

about various tools in academic writing.

P5:“Reporting as I have observed in different classes was quite different.

What I experienced this morning, honestly. I say this in the fact that,
right after the student reports made a delivery about their respective
topic”D8

Actuator ensured that there was effective participation of students present

by asking meaningful questions related to that which was reported.

P5:”There was a resounding applause which gave me the feeling that I did
not disappoint my instructors or students because the information I
disseminated seemed well comprehended”.

Reflections (Self-Realization and Clarifying Things)

Participant 1 revealed the self-realization and clarification of lessons

learned. What he thought about literature was different from the literature used in

research. He has learned that before a student begins writing it is important that

he must clarify the professor’s requirement in the subject being taken.

P1:“I thought of a literature review as reading a book and then giving it a

thumbs up or thumbs down; but it is not so…… you must first clarify
professor’s requirement. Some instructions may ask you to do a
literature review and not get more specific than that”. (P1)(D6)

Self- Expression Motivation and Practice

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Participant (P) 4 revealed in his first interview (I) 1 that his language

learning was done by self-expression, his personal experiences in coming to a

foreign country, his inability to communicate well at first especially ho to greet

and open a conversation and how to give respect to people. He claimed that he

had difficulty in organizing his thoughts and ideas but he tried to learn everything.

He further revealed that in his own country he was not used to speaking English,

that is why, he found it difficult to write essays because of his insufficient

vocabulary. To manage the problem in communication he asked some friends to

teach him how to express his thoughts and he found this strategy a very effective

one. In short, his language learning performance has advanced somehow. (P4)

(I1)

A notable note by the researcher during interview that the participant was

friendly, comfortable when communicating, relaxed, ability to think prior to the

use of the English language.

Effective Instructions

Instruction is vital for education, as it is the transfer of learning from one

person to another. Any time the teacher given directions to students or told how

to do something that the students were receiving instruction become effective

and sometimes least effective. Participant (P) 3 in his Interview (I) 4 said that,

teacher’s clear and simple instruction have greater contribution to the

participant’s language learning performance for they were capable to do the

tasked carefully.
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Exerted Effort

In the interview (I9) with the Participant (P4) revealed the important

lessons the respondent has gained for the day. He was able to enumerate his

learning experiences to the researcher. It showed that the respondent had

greater confidence in discussing his lessons in this interview. It was observed

that he was able to realize that writing does not end in revision but instead he

has to consider other aspects such as mechanics and diction (word choice). He

also claimed that he has encountered a little difficulty but it was manageable.

Furthermore, he claimed that his language learning performance depends on

how much effort he exerted in understanding his lesson which only means that

the more effort he exerted the better performance in language learning. (P4) (I9)

Reflections and Positive Attitude

Participant 3 made some reflections that positive attitude toward his

lessons can make him a good and effective writer (Diary 7). His attitude revealed

that he understood the risks and responsibilities of the writer and the

characteristics a correspondent should possess. Based on his 9 th interview (I), he

claimed that this interview supported the description revealed in the respondent’s

diary. He was able to express well the significance of writing business letters,

the process and principles behind it and its application to the work place. He

informed the interviewer that it was not easy to write business letters because

there were many considerations to make such as the reader, the language, the
 67

tone and the mechanics. This interview described the learning experiences of

the respondent as assimilator based on Kolb’s model. (P3) (D7) (I9)

Furthermore, in his Diary 9 displayed a positive attitude towards the

benefits of learning and understanding the principles of business letters. He was

very perceptive that once a student has developed communication skills there

was a great probability that he could land a better job opportunity. He is a

reflective learner because he can foresee what advantage there is awaiting

students after all the training they have undergone from the university. This

interview enumerated the lessons done during the day. Unlike in his diary, the

respondent displayed positive attitude and expressed his reflection in business

writing lessons. Although his diary represented his being a reflective learner his

interview did not manifest the same kind of learning experiences. Other issues

discussed in this interview were matters of personal experiences that may have

affected his expressions of learning experiences.

Struggles, Frustrations and Disappointments

The fifth interview reveals that the participant’s struggles, frustrations and

disappointments consistent with his fifth diary. He expressed his frustrations and

disappointment on the outcome of his day. He felt the rush and the complex

activities in school such as examination, the methods of editing and the speed of

talk among his classmates and teacher. These made him realize that he had to

be ready at all times, because he realized that he had to remain strong and
 68

highly concentrated in his academics. He was also very responsive on the

statements and advised the researcher about handling academic activities like

what he has experienced. His Diary 6 continued to reveal more sentiments and

frustrations.

T – . . . So would you please recall or can you still recall?

S- I II can say something but my diary 5. My class in that morning wasn’t
quite inspirational. I didn’t enjoy it. I just want to call a _____. I think
we have exam after. We were supposed to make exam after the
lecture so everything is in a rush. We were speaking. Ah ah the
student reporters were really speaking. Talking so fast. After which
the teacher. Our instructor was also quite fast. I just really didn’t enjoy
that class. The little I had we get. That was as I can remember.
Methods of. Editing. Yeah. So editing. And all the kinds of making
revision or revising ah everything is I get to
T – So how is that ah. we can consider a bad experience. Because we
believe that experience always leads to learning.
S – yes
T – Ok so how did you pacify yourself on the situation that ah you are
hearing a very fast discussion you’re hearing a very fast ah
presentation and so on. As well as your exam.
S – Yes I would say. How should I say it? In some way it taught me it
taught me that things are not always the same. So if there is a
change I have to _____ a change. So _____ I make some
adjustments in my mind. Which is in any time the is going to be such
thing _____ my brains and my mind. To move as it is as it
goes. follow go.

Exposure to New Experiences in a Foreign Country

Participant 2 revealed a distinct experience in his Interview (I) which was

his exposure to new experiences in a foreign country. In his interview, he said he

was get exposed, as he learned the English language more and use the English

language in his daily performance in communicating toward other students.

P2:“new experiences in a foreign country and understanding on the

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importance of communication in terms of culture, tradition, and

behavior of people of different from my country” (P2 )(I 10)

He was able to narrate his travel experience and his mixed emotions when

interrogated. He was able to express some of his realizations in traveling like

preparing documents, understanding the purpose of the travel, the economic

advantage of the host country and adapting to the country’s culture, although this

diary showed learning experiences that did not happen in school or any

classroom setting. However, McClusky (2009) stated that learning experiences

include all the activities that the learner engages in while learning something

new. In Kolb’s model, the participant achieved concrete experiences (preparing

documents, abstract conceptualization or exposure to different people, culture,

tradition, behavior and reflective observation or economic advantage of the host

country.

Learning Independently: Initiative, Obedience, Industry and Diligence

Participant 2 revealed this learning experience in his Diary 2.

P2:”Ihave learned to work on my assignment and the initiative to find

materials not only in the library”.

He worked independently and utilized his time in his studies. He was

characterized as a diligent, hardworking and resourceful student. This learning

experience agreed with Gallagher’s (2011) learning intervention in the context of

desired goals and outcomes. It should be noted that this learning intervention

occurred by expanding the learning content to include specific collections of

learning resources, tools and activities, in this case, the participant’s initiative.
 70

Based on Kolb’s model, the participant achieved active experimentation by using

the internet instead of utilizing the library materials.

The interview revealed that the student did not mention any of his learning

experiences which were indicated in his diary. What transpired during the

interview was that he mentioned his reporting experience but did not elaborate

on what transpired during the report. He admitted that it was his first time to do

reporting in class but prior to the interview he mentioned that there were no

classes the week before the date of interview. It can be inferred that the

respondent could share a number of learning experiences better in writing than

expressing them orally. At this point there was a minimal learning experience.

P2:“On Wednesday, our English class will be at 4:00-7:00 P.M, but on

that day we didn’t have class because our teacher gave us to be
prepared for our reporting. The title of my reporting is Gendered
Nouns and the I did researching for my topic by using internet at
night….”.

Having Positive Thought

This diary revealed a positive thought of the learner despite his failure to

complete his assignment. The fact that he was able to submit his assignment

only once showed that the student was diligent in doing his task and possessed

determination to improve his work. The learner understood his deficiency in his

work, which was an indicator that he was able to reflect from the failure he made.

P2:“But next time, I think, we will make correctly because our teacher
suggest us how to do well”.

Collaborative Group Work

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The interview of Participant 3 revealed he had collaborative group work in

his language class. He disclosed that he worked in a group and that their activity

was an interactive one. He encountered a little difficulty with his classmates’

cooperation, but he countered it by saying that one can always achieve

something once he focuses on doing it.

T – . . .Ah your wrote here writing the introduction or in your research

paper. So how is it this writing introduction task given to you ah by
your English professor . from what introduction?
S – Ok so . I was at the _____title because _____. The introduction is
very very important because writing an _____ to where ahm will
determine whether your research paper or _____ we don’t have
interest in your research paper. Right from the beginning you have to
make sure that your introduction is catchy. _____ some scenario in
your introduction so that the reader will have interest in what you are
writing about. And also you are making a research at the end you
want to you would like to propose something to your readers. And so
if you are start where you have no interest in in that in what your
trying to to
T – Ah no so cooperatively your classmates. Very cooperative your
classmates. so . . . Do you have something to add about your leaning
experience in the writing research paper?
S – It’s kind of difficult but if you know what you are up to you’ll surely
make it.

Similarly, the 2nd interview of Participant 5 revealed that he enjoyed his

interactive class and the challenging questions that the teacher and classmates

exchanged. This kind of classroom interaction enhanced his language learning

performance because he learned a lot from the question - and - answer activities.

He did not consider the questions difficult but challenging, meaning he has the

mind of a critical thinker. He handled the activity by dividing the topic and

responsibilities in writing among his group to comply with the requirements.

 72

He found collaborative work effective. However, Participant 2 in his 4 th

interview revealed that while doing collaborative activity, he learned in a different

way. He revealed his discomfort in this activity because he claimed that he did

not talk to his classmates, a personal and social problem in his communication.

This type of learner works better where he is alone and rather than in group.

The researcher observed during the interview that the participant was

suggestive. The participant as observed his listening habits was improved, he

promptly answered the questions and ease during the interview.

Compliance to Teacher’s Requirements

Participant 2 revealed in his Interview 3 that his group was able to produce

an output based on the teacher’s instruction. However, compliance was not

enough to earn a better grade which was indicated in the remarks needed

improvement or revision. The language learning performance showed the

acceptability of compliance to teachers’ requirements although but it did not bring

positive results. This compliance to requirement was repeated in his Diary 9 in

which the participant admittedly failed to complete his assignment. He may have

submitted it on time but it was incomplete.

Participation

Participant (P) 4 described participation in class as part of his language

learning performance. It was revealed in his interview that there was resistance

was minimal learning experience although the respondent was consistent in

 73

saying that the teacher explained the lesson on choosing a topic. It also

revealed that there was resistance on the part of the respondent to participate in

the group activity because that he preferred to work alone. Besides the

respondent seemed to show some personal discrimination or socialization

among his classmates saying that he did not want to talk to them. Another

reason for the minimal learning experience was the respondent claimed that it

was his first time to study choosing a topic which showed a little confusion and

difficulty for not having a background on research writing. It was also revealed

that the respondent agreed on the importance of his personal and social

relationship in language learning. (P4) (I4)

Sentence Organization

Participant 4 Interview 8 revealed the respondent’s reflections on

sentence organization. He revealed that after his proofreading activity he was

assigned to write a letter and he had to apply rules on correct grammar and

organization of idea. He claimed that as he developed making correct

sentences, he was also able to express his thoughts and ideas correctly to

people he came in contact with. He agreed that he encountered a lot of

difficulties in the process but he was able to improve his communication skills as

days passed by. He understood that it was easy to talk or write things but it was

difficult to speak and write correctly to be understood by listener or reader. (P4)

(I8)

Struggles, Frustrations and Disappointments

 74

The fifth interview reveals that the participant’s struggles, frustrations and

disappointments consistent with his fifth diary. He expressed his frustrations and

disappointment on the outcome of his day. He felt the rush and the complex

activities in school such as examination, the methods of editing and the speed of

talk among his classmates and teacher. These made him realize that he had to

be ready at all times because he realized that he had to remain strong and highly

concentrated in his academics. He was also very responsive on the statements

and advised the researcher about handling academic activities like what he has

experienced. His Interview (I) 6 continued to reveal more sentiments and

frustrations.

Motivation and Practice

Participant 5 disclosed in his Interview (I) 6 that he was properly motivated

upon seeing the beaming face of his teacher. The appearance and effort of the

teacher affected him positively to perform in class. This was supported by his 6 th

interview about his performance when he was asked to draw an animal. This

showed that the drawing served as an instrument in utilizing the language. He

believed that this was one way of improving his critical and creative thinking, thus

he was motivated to use English in describing what he has drawn. His learning

experience was enhanced by his own creation. Given a situation or image to

discuss the respondent agreed that this kind of approach helped him develop his

communication skill. Comments and suggestions of his classmates were treated

as a positive feedback in his learning experiences.

 75

In the first phase, the diaries were read through several times to obtain an

overall understanding. Then, all text segments in which the interviewees referred

to the key learning experiences were coded in the same hermeneutic category.

Characteristic of these experiences was that the interviewees felt them to be

personally significant and stated that some change in their understanding or

actions had contributed to their learning processes or their progress during them.

In the second phase, were the recorded transcribed interviews that the

key learning experiences were coded into four exclusive, qualitatively different

categories according to the general meanings given to them by the participants.

Finally, all the key learning experiences were coded into two categories -

promoting and hindering key learning experiences - based on the extent of their

influence as described by the researcher. In the category promoting key

experiences, interviewees typically highlighted the importance of empowering

episodes which were experienced as positive and supportive of the doctoral

process. In the category hindering key experiences, on the other hand,

interviewees emphasized destructive episodes which were experienced as

negative and as disrupting their progress.

The interviewees reported significant learning experiences occurring at

various stages of their doctoral journeys. These ranged from encouraging leaps

in understanding and being members of the scholarly community, which induced

feelings of enthusiasm and satisfaction, to problematic situations, such as

tension between them and their supervisors, which caused anxiety or insecurity.
 76

The researcher reported the development experiences that had occurred in

relation to a variety of contexts, such as conducting research and attending

academic meetings.

In some cases, such experiences were recalled as having been spread

out over relatively long periods; in other cases, they were associated with shorter

or isolated events or episodes, such as a single lecture. The findings indicated

that students' participation in the activities and practices of their scholarly

community was the key contributor to meaningful learning experiences during the

process of researcher development from doctoral student to scholar or

researcher.

Matthew et al. (2006) studied the relationship between student’s learning

experiences of learning in an undergraduate program and new graduate’s

experiences of professional practice. Their revealed aspects of students’ learning

experiences in clinics associated with a successful transition to professional

autonomy for new graduate veterinarians in clinic-based learning (CBL). This

study revealed key relationships between crucial aspects of students’ learning

experiences related to the extent of their transitions to entry level professional

autonomy after participating in a final year undergraduate internship program.

The quality of students’ approach to CBL is related to their conception of CBL,

achievement during final year and approach after graduation. The quality of

students’ conception of CBL is related to their achievement during final year and

conception of after graduation. In conjunction with the relationships between

 77

conceptions of and approaches to teaching revealed through prior analysis of

graduates’ experiences of professional practice (Matthew et al., 2011), these

trends suggest that multi-structural conceptions of formulaic approaches tend to

be associated with fragmented conceptions of CBL, surface approaches to CBL

and lower achievement during final year.

Similarly, relational conceptions of reflective approaches tend to be

associated with cohesive conceptions of CBL, deep approaches to CBL and

higher achievement during final year. Although not conclusive evidence, it can be

inferred from this that higher quality experiences of CBL are likely to be

associated with a smoother transition to entry level professional autonomy after

graduation, while lower quality experiences of CBL are likely to be associated

with a delayed transition to independent practice in the year following graduation.

Cooley et al. (2013) introduced the use of a semi-structured video diary room to

investigate students’ learning experiences during an outdoor adventure.

Based on the research conducted by Cooley et al. (2013) developed an

innovative qualitative data collection method, and to use it to explore students’

perceived learning processes and developmental outcomes when taking part in

an outdoor group work skills course. Students’ experiences were captured whilst

immersed in the course, using a semi-structured video diary room. Participants

entered the diary room at different time points throughout the course and

responded to open ended questions. Following a thematic analysis, students

were found to arrive on the course with mixed feelings towards group work and
 78

expected learning outcomes. Activities were enjoyable yet challenging, revealing

students’ weaknesses and demanding a range of skills and coping methods.

Students reported developing a range of skills in group work, adaptability,

persistence, planning, problem-solving, time-management, communication,

leadership, cooperation, group reflection and team spirit, as well as benefits to

physical activity, self-confidence, self-awareness, peer and staff relationships

and internationalization.

The findings provided a basis for future investigation into the long-term

impact on student development and skill transfer. The semi-structured video

diary room yielded rich data, contributing to the literature by offering a simple, yet

effective, qualitative research method that can be implemented in a variety of

contexts. Kumi-yeboah and Alex (2014) conducted a study entitled

Transformative Learning Experiences of International Graduate Students from

Africa. This study examined the factors that influence transformative learning

experiences of international graduate students from Africa. Transformative

learning attempted to explain expectations framed within cultural assumptions

and presuppositions, directly influence the meaning derived from their

experiences (Mezirow, 2003). African graduate students undergo different

phases of transformative learning experiences as part of their adjustment to the

academic environment in the United States. A critical review of the data

confirmed that the majority of the participants experienced transformative

learning as they moved through the 10 phases outlined by Mezirow's Theory.

 79

This study showed that participants experienced a period of disorienting dilemma

upon their arrival in the United States. They experienced new culture such as

language, food and weather as well as new teaching and learning styles,

socialization with classmates and other students. This led participants to do a

thorough self-examination to determine how to adapt to the new changes.

Through their learning and social experiences, participants were able to do a

critical assessment of the disorienting dilemmas especially in the area of socio-

cultural differences. With time, participants recognized the disorienting dilemmas

they had been through. They also shared their experiences with other graduate

students from Africa. As shown in the data, they began to explore options to fit

their new roles in the academic and social environment.

Ozgen ‘s study (2012) entitled an Analysis of High School Students’

Mathematical Literacy Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Relation to Their Learning Styles at

Dela Salle, Manila aimed to investigate high school students’ mathematical

literacy (ML) self-efficacy beliefs in relation to their learning styles. The analyses

indicated that students were mostly diverger learners and had a moderate level

of ML self-efficacy belief, and that their levels of ML self-efficacy beliefs did not

significantly differ in terms of their learning styles. The results revealed that ML

self-efficacy beliefs scores differed in terms of learning styles and that converger

learners had higher levels of self-efficacy beliefs. Moreover, the factors ‘reflective

observation’ and ‘perceiving knowledge’ were found to be significant predictors of

 80

the ML self-efficacy belief. Data analysis indicated that high school students were

mostly divergers and accommodators followed by convergers and assimilators.

However, previous research conducted with students and teacher trainees

of mathematics in Turkey reported that there were more learners with assimilator

and converger learning styles (Orhun 2007; Ozsoy et al. 2004; Peker 2005;

Peker and Aydin 2003). Likewise, Metin et al. (2011) found that high school

students mostly had accommodator and diverger learning styles, which can be

said to be parallel with the findings of the current study. The different findings in

students’ learning style could be perceived as a natural outcome because there

could be several factors which can affect the approaches and learning styles of

the research participants and teachers.

According to Peker (2005), learning style is a good predictor of teacher

trainees’ mathematical success. Peker (2005) found significant differences

between the mathematical success of converger and accommodator

mathematics teacher trainees in favor of the converger learners. Accommodator

learners were reported to be less successful than others. Thus, higher ML

self-efficacy beliefs of the converger and assimilator learners in this study could

be due to academic success.

The findings of the previous studies on learning styles and success seem

to be similar to the findings on self-efficacy beliefs of the present study. Other

studies have explored the way attitudes change according to learning styles. For

instance, Peker and Mirasyedioglu (2008) reported significant differences in class

 81

teacher trainees’ attitudes towards mathematics according to their learning

styles. There were significant differences between the attitudes of the converger

and assimilator teacher trainees and convergers had a more positive attitude

towards mathematics than assimilators. According to their learning styles,

assimilator teacher trainees’ attitudes were the lowest and converger teacher

trainees’ attitudes were the highest.

The effect of students’ learning styles to their academic success aimed to

evaluate the learning styles of education faculty students and to determine the

effect of their success and relationship between their learning styles and

academic success. The findings of the study show that the learning types

(strategies) preferred according to the learning styles of the subjects were not the

appropriate strategies. According to the findings of studies conducted using the

Kolb Learning Style Inventory, learning styles vary depending on individuals’

majors (social sciences, natural sciences etc.) and occupations (Aşkar &

Akkoyunlu, 1993; Kolb et al., 2001). Kolb (1981) suggested that there are

disciplinary differences in learning styles.

Naude et al. (2013) on learning to like learning”: an appreciative inquiry

into emotions in education determined the affective value of students’ learning

experiences. In addition, the study aimed to explore how students’ experiences

of positive affect contributed to their construction of meaning, how this resulted in

positive behavioral, cognitive, and emotional changes, and ultimately enhanced

the overall learning and developmental experience. The study followed a

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qualitative approach to gain a detailed understanding of students’ most valued

learning experiences. Through purposive sampling for representativeness,

Teddlie and Yu (2007) students were identified and given the opportunity to

voluntarily attend a focus group or an individual interview. All participants were

female students in the humanities enrolled in the academic facilitation

programmed.

The interview questions were designed to elicit elaborative narratives and

to facilitate qualitative analysis based on the principles of AI Cooperrider and

Srivastva (1987). They recorded the focus group and individual conversations,

transcribed these records verbatim, and reviewed the texts immediately after the

engagements. Guided by the research question and sensitized by the principles

of AI, the study conducted data analysis following an inductive process of

thematic analysis where data was read and reread, coded and categorized in

themes. This allowed for in-depth and direct data examination and consideration

of the different meanings of participants’ experiences from which emerging

patterns and themes could be generated Fereday and MuirCochrane (2006).

The most valuable learning experience according to the respondents was

referred to the challenges they have experienced upon entering higher

education. Students considered feelings of fear confusion and helplessness as

negative experiences. Another theme was being passive learners during the

formal lectures where students are afraid of even raising their hands to answer

questions or ask questions which are against the principle of experiential learning
 83

of active and reflective engagement in the learning process (Kolb & Kolb, 2005).

Cakiroglu (2014) on analyzing the effect of learning styles and study habits of

distance learners on learning performances: A case of an introductory

programming course examined the relationships among learning styles, study

habits, and learning performances in an online programming language course.

Sixty-two sophomore students who enrolled in an online introductory

programming course participated in the study. Kolb's Learning Style Inventory

(LSI) was used to measure the students' learning styles. Another inventory

developed by the researcher was used to determine learners' study habits. An

achievement test was used to put forward their learning performances.

As a result, significant relationships between learning styles, study habits

and learning performances were revealed. The results present some ideas about

distance learners' learning styles and study habits for instructors who wish to

incorporate synchronous courses and support learners. Sub-problems were

related to the connection between Kolb's learning styles, study habits of distance

learners and their learning performances.

This would provide an insight into the satisfactory features of a

synchronous setting for various learning styles and study habits and the

requirements of the setting for quality instruction.

In this study Kolb's learning cycle model was used as a framework for

determining learning styles. These four learning cycles were associated with

learning styles. For instance, a converger favors the learning cycle of abstract
 84

conceptualization and active experimentation. Healey and Jenkins (2000) and

Manochehr (2006) worked on Kolb's learning cycle model and enhanced it with

relationships among learning styles, learning conditions, and conditions where

learners can learn best. The learning styles and conditions are as follows:

Assimilators have abstract conceptualization and reflective observation. They

usually concentrate on the logical validity of theories, rather than focusing on

their applicability. Accommodators choose to learn by doing and feeling. They

learn best through concrete experimentation. They are intuitive and often study

examples. They are more likely to be observers than activists. Convergers

choose to make use of abstract conceptualization as well as active

experimentation. Those who learn this way are quite able to attain success in the

practical application of ideas and theories, solving problems and making

decisions. Divergers learn best through concrete experience and reflective

observation.

Their imaginative ability is strong, they tend to be people-oriented and

react with emotions. It can be suggested that the leading learning style was the

convergers, where students typically choose to learn through practical

applications, including solving problems, trying to make correct decisions, and

preferring to work with technical works or problems, rather than working with

social relations. Convergers were followed by the assimilators, who concentrate

on abstract concepts, make reflective observations, and assimilate them into an

integrated explanation. The accommodators and the divergers were close in that
 85

they rarely choose to learn through conducting experiments, taking risks

(accommodators), and producing new ideas, observing the situations from

different perspectives, and bringing different ideas together (divergers). Although

the number of the divergers was the lowest, this group achieved the highest

score of average scores. This is similar to Karademir and Tezel (2010), who

found that Turkish university students are generally accommodators, and

divergers are fewer in number than others.

The divergers had higher average scores and learn better through feeling

and watching. This may be because they watched the samples and they have a

good command of the details of this observation. The results were similar to

Daniel's (1999) finding that divergers preferred reflective observation, and

achieved significantly higher scores. In fact, it has been stated with respect to the

characteristics of divergers that they "learn when allowed to observe and gather

a wide range of information" (Manochehr, 2006). They viewed concrete situations

from many perspectives and adapted those by observation rather than by action.

In this sense, it can be concluded that, particularly in a synchronous setting, it

contributed to the understanding of their problem solving styles that they saw the

programming examples, while the instructor was presenting them.

In addition, students could also follow the records of lesson videos

asynchronously which might have allowed them to bring forward their

observation abilities. The students adopting a "diverger" learning style were

 86

followed by the "assimilator", "accommodator", and "converger" learning styles,

respectively.

In contrast to this study, Lu et al. (2007) found no significant effect

between Kolb learning styles and learning outcomes and the study results

showed that the mean of learning outcomes of convergers and assimilators was

higher than that of divergers and accommodators. In this sense, Sun et al. (2008)

have observed that the experimental group making use of the online activities

was not considerably different from the students with different learning styles.

They found that the accommodators gained the most significant achievements.

The results of this study are confirmed by some studies but also have differences

from others.

In addition, in this study students usually studied with short size

programming examples which were not difficult to follow. The instructor provided

the major statements related to the subject before presenting the examples and

students were allowed to make reviews on the concrete experiences. In this

sense, the description of programming by means of illustration and exercise

showed a positive correlation with the divergers focusing on concrete

experiences. Also, students' cooperative brainstorming on their assignments or

projects showed that there is an emphasis on social interaction.

Looking at their average scores, the divergers were followed by the

accommodators. This group of students learns through "feeling" and "doing".

They were good at adapting to changed circumstances and they solved the
 87

problems in the homework given by the instructor intuitively. They usually chose

to learn through self-analyzing such as trial and error and discovery learning.

Although Shaw (2012) in his study on learning programming in online forums as

well as Wang et al. (2011) have emphasized that when learning how to program,

it is essential that the practices of the students verify an important conclusion that

actual practice in the programming language learning is superior to just watching

information. The enhanced features of the synchronous system used in this study

might create a monitoring and follow-up environment far beyond the simple

online forum and contribute to the learning performance of the students.

On the other hand, the common feature of "feeling" in the groups of

divergers and accommodators indicates that the feature of "feeling" can be of

importance in synchronous settings. The assimilators and convergers have a

common feature of "thinking". The convergers are those who choose to learn

through practical applications of concepts, and most of the students in the class

adopted this style. These students like decision making, problem solving, and the

practical application of ideas. It is interesting that convergers had lower average

scores in the programming course, which consists of problem solving, although

these students adopted problem solving and learn this way.

In addition, the assimilators, who learned through demonstration, have the

lowest average scores; however, a significant number of students chose this

learning style. These students incorporated a number of different observations

and thoughts into an integrated whole. In fact, it was emphasized that

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programming can be understood during a lectur,; however, writing programming

codes required different features (Robins et al., 2003).

Granting the concentration of the divergers and accommodators with

higher average scores on the concrete structures is an important common

feature, it is interesting that the assimilators and the convergers most commonly

preferred among the distance learners focus on abstract structures. The

divergers showed reflective characteristics, while the accommodators with a

close average to the divergers chose to be actively involved in learning. Similarly,

the assimilators adopt a reflective learning style, while the convergers adopted

an active learning style. In this sense, it is seen that the active involvement in

learning would not have a considerable effect on learning programming inan

online synchronous setting.

Although Dringus and Terrell (2000) and Lippert et al. (2001) in their

studies based on Kolb’s LSI found that learning style had no effect on success in

online learning, this study provides some evidence that styles may be important

while benefiting from various online learning technologies or may be affected by

teaching strategies.

In this study, students were separated as poor, average and good based

on the pretest results. Among the poor students, the average scores of the

accommodators and divergers were equivalent to 37.5, and these scores were

higher than those of the convergers to 15.1 and the assimilators to 21.4. Among

the average students, the accommodators have the highest average scores,
 89

while the number of the students in this group was the lowest. The ranging of

average scores as accommodators, divergers, assimilators, and convergers

among the average students was the same for the good students. Considering all

three groups, it was seen that the accommodators and the divergers had higher

average scores than those of the convergers and the assimilators. At this point, it

was quite interesting that the number of students in the groups of the

accommodators and the divergers were low within each of three poor, average

and good groups.

Especially in the studies conducted among Turkish university students, it

can be seen that the numbers of the divergers and the accommodators had a

small share among the participants involved in the studies (Akkoyunlu &Soylu,

2008). Similarly, this study addressed some new data which were the same for

online learning.

The correlations between the learning styles and the average scores were

also an important result of this study. The "doing" learning style was associated

with nearly the same performance as the "watching" learning style because the

divergers had higher average scores, while the average scores of the students

adopting another learning style (assimilator) with watching had a lower average

score. Similarly, students adopting the accommodator learning style featured with

"doing" had higher average scores than other students adopting the "doing"

feature.
 90

As a result, in this study, it has been asserted that there was a significant

relationship between the learning style and the average scores as learning

performances. In this sense Mitchell (2000) concluded that learning style may be

an important indicator of how effectively different instructional strategies can be

applied for different types of learners enrolled in online courses. So, the findings

of this study can be considered as evidence that learning styles can be an

indicator for success in online courses carried out through an online synchronous

system as an enhanced version of a DL course.

The results of this study showed significant relationships between the

students' learning styles, study habits and performances in online learning, and

have offered an insight into the mode of delivery. The design of effective courses

for distance learners was most likely to be in connection with the characteristics

It was seen that the learners usually showed characteristics of

assimilators in online synchronous settings. However, the results have shown

that the "divergers and accommodators" styles were associated with higher

learning scores in synchronous settings. Another common characteristic of the

good students was "feeling" according to the results of this study. So it was

suggested this for programming language learning, with online synchronous

settings, and the students' active involvement to have positive feelings and to

improve their learning performances.

It was found that there is a significant correlation between the two study

habits (concentration and planning of subjects). Considering that it was difficult to

 91

control concentration in online synchronous settings, it was deemed necessary

for the instructors and the environment designers to take special measures in this

respect. The planning of work was not an easy task for distance learners to

perform.

At this point, instructors can announce their syllabus which may provide

support for these students at the beginning of the terms. Hence, learning

performances can be enhanced with measures to easily bring forward study

habits for distance learners. In this study, home environment and planning of

work, reading, and notetaking habits do not have a significant correlation with

academic achievement in online synchronous settings. In particular, it was quite

difficult to apply notetaking habits due to the nature of the online synchronous

setting. At this point, it may be proper for instructors to highlight the course

records and to direct the students to watch these records.

Learning styles and study habits not only indicate how learners learn, but

they can help an instructor support individual students, so that they might teach

successfully (Tseng et al., 2008). The results could help instructors get to know

and use different tools for different learning styles and study habits to increase

the performance of the students. As Mupingo et al. (2006) stated, some of the

online classes may have an unknown make-up so the characteristics of online

students may be unclear which makes it difficult to develop effective online

courses. An instructor should take into account all the related factors and include

the necessary components in the program when designing a synchronous course

 92

to facilitate student learning, through examination of the learning styles of the

distance learners, various learner performances, and involvement in online

environments. Considering the idea of Wolfe et al. (2006) using videos, chat

rooms, whiteboards, discussion boards, and providing assignments to suit

learners' preferences may enhance learners' academic performances.

In addition, Dag and Geçer (2009) with their review stated that improving

academic achievements in online learning not only involves learning styles but

also motivation of the learner, demographic factors, teaching strategies and

teaching methods. Moreover, Gögüs and Günes (2011) pointed out that study

skills, time management skills, and learning habits exhibited strong relations with

academic performance in online learning. Thus, conducting workshops and

sessions may help students to develop appropriate study habits for the nature of

the teaching strategies and technologies used. At the institutional level in

particular, institutions that want to transfer some of their conventional courses

onto the web may grasp the differences among students' learning styles in

creating flexible instructional strategies that allow for synchronous settings.

For future studies, it was recommended that some new correlations can be

assessed between learning styles and study habits, regardless of whether the

learning styles may be effective in controlling study habits in online learning

environments.

Plummer (2001) cited Allport (1943) who stated that the diary is the

document par excellence, chronicling as it does the immediately

 93

contemporaneous flow of public and private events that are significant to the

diarist. The word 'contemporary' is very crucial here, for each diary entry—unlike

life histories—is sediment into a particular moment in time: they do not emerge

'all at once' as reflections on the past, but day by day strive to record ever.

Furthermore, diaries are acknowledged to be an underused method in social

science research, they are more commonly associated with historical,

anthropological and developmental psychological research which draw upon

personal diaries as "documents of life”. Individuals document their daily lives and

experiences for personal recollection rather than for the consumption of an

audience, except, of course, those who later decide to publish their diaries.

Whilst for some the keeping of a diary is something very personal, for others it is

much more of a public practice with life writing or (auto) biographical writing

becoming increasingly visible through the Internet via applications such as

Facebook or blogs.

Conclusions

Based on the findings that there were four specific dominant learning

experiences mentioned by the participants among others, namely: gaining

knowledge and information; participating in group work; positive marks on

teacher’s personal qualities and style of teaching, and enjoying interactive class.
 94

Only one student each identified none other learning experiences such as

recalling

Their experiences also included the use of reference materials, visiting

facilities relevant to their activities, group work, consultation with their professor

and oral presentations.

The participants have experienced frequent problems in group activities

especially in group meetings, availability of time, language communication,

attitude and behavior, personal, social, academic and cultural differences. Some

others complain about their environment and homesickness, because of the

distance from their families and loved ones. During classroom activities some of

the participants failed to either participate or submit requirements that hinder their

academic performance.

There are times when some of the participants get bored with some of

their professors because, of the teaching styles and strategies. However, some

of the participants also appreciates the interactive activities they did inside the

classroom. They revealed that some of the professors of the school can be

humorous and serious, but most of the participants prefer faculty who have a little

humor and personal considerations in their academic needs. Their academic

performance is affected by either positive or negative result depending on how

the class activity transpired during the session.

It can be positive if the participants were able to comply, participate, and

clearly understand the lesson and activities. It is negative when they fail to
 95

comply and communicate well to express their thoughts and feelings. Another

factor that affects their academic performance is when there is misunderstanding

and confusion among the members of the group.

Recommendation

It is highly recommended that the teaching style of the teachers should be

a combination of different teaching strategies or the eclectic approach whenever

applicable to the current lesson/subject of the students, because some of the

 96

participants prefer to work alone rather than to work in a group. The teacher

should give the students the option when and how do they prefer to work and

accomplish their requirements. There should be and extension of discussion of

the lesson on line or during the compatible free time of the students either in the

office or in the classroom. Faculty should be a little more accommodating among

students who are slow in understanding the lessons and who are less resourceful

to get the materials necessary for the requirement.

It is also recommended that there should be more interactive activities

where both faculty and student are engaged. Oral presentations should be

organized and the teacher should clearly give the criteria of evaluation so that

there is a greater chance for the students to pass and get better rating

performance in their subject.

A thorough study is also recommended in identifying learning experiences

of the students so that the school and teachers can assess the feedback how

these learning experiences can be corrected or enhanced. It is also

recommended that the next researchers should consider more number of

participants and should not be limited to foreign students, but naturally born

Filipino students, because this will give better feedback to the stake holders

responsible in the academic performance of the students in general.

Implication to teaching

Teachers should think about and continually assess their personal

theories of learning and teaching in light of the evidence classroom experience

 97

provides. Teachers should experiment with different teaching approaches and

activities and monitor the results, not only by using conventional tests but by

carefully listening to students and evaluating information reflecting different

aspects of their learning. In this way, teachers may continually analyze and

refine their theories of how students learn.

Finally, students should be encouraged to assess their own learning as

well as their notions of how they learn, by giving them opportunities to reflect on

the teaching/learning process.

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APPENDICES

Appendix A

Schiffrin’s Transcription (2004) Transcription Convention

 108

Symbol Meaning

() vocal noises

$ non- transcription line

? a question mark indicates a rising inflection, not necessarily a question

, continuing intonation

… noticeable pause or break in rhythm without falling intonation/pause of ½

second or more/show ellipsis, parts omitted in quotations from other sources

. indicates sentence final falling intonation

CAPS indicate emphatic stress

/words/ in slashes show uncertain transcription

/?/ inaudible utterance

XXXXxxx applause

[] speech overlap

…(N) long pause

‹ xx › uncertain hearing

_____ no text or no transcription

Appendix “B” interviews P1 (Day1)

Day 1

Below is the interview transcription.

T - . . . Can you still recall what are those learning experiences you have?
 109

S - _____ lots of information each day, I get from my class. _____ how the
studies presented by each instructor. _____ always an interactive class.
Teacher is always joking to the students. Students _____
T – How do you find, how do you find whenever there are interactions from the
class, as thrown questions by your subject teachers? How is it to you?
With me, _____ to really help your performances in class?
S- . . . So basically in _____ terms they are not just any question but challenging
questions which requires a lot of mind, a lot of thinking _____ my academic
performance
T – So in this in your class . did you find any difficulty in the task given to you?
S – Not really but, I wouldn’t say difficulty but _____ was _____ challenge.
There is, to start everything is _____ ups and downs so getting my self to
start with my group, starting to write chapter one of thesis, chapter 2 _____ a
lot from you. _____
Day 2
Below is the interview transcript.
T – . . . So what what was your learning activity yesterday? Could you still
recall?
S – Ah basically my _____ ah I would say _____ so yesterday we discussed the
structure general structure of thesis thesis writing which will inform from the
simple to the complex and then lastly to the conclusion so _____
T – Do you have a an _____ write down everything ah or free writing?
S – _____
T – Ah free writing? A free writing activity write down your introduction?
S – yes _____ we could write something then show _____ and that would be
_____
T – So, what do you think? Ah what particular writing activity would you suggest
to improve or to improvement of the learning experience of the students?
S - _____

“Appendix C” Interviews P2 Day 2

T – . . . what have you learned in your English class on Wednesday?
S – We don’t have, last week we don’t have class
S – Last _____ we don’t have class but _____ reporting
T – reporting
S – Yes reporting _____
 110

T – you experienced to report in class?

S – yes
T – How is it?
S - _____
T _____ ok
S - _____
Field notes: shyness due to vocabulary lacking, difficulty to use the English
language, nervous, and soft voice.

Day 3
Below are some of the transcripts for this interview.
T – Ok so can you recall what you have learned in your English class _____.
S – today _____ _____ we started writing
T – Ok we started writing
S – Yes _____
T – At first activity, What do you think this activity to you by your teacher? Do
you find difficulty?
S - _____ because this is my first time.
T – This is your first time. So how did you manage this difficulty that this activity
given to you?
S - _____
T – Because your, the activity given to you is a group activity, what did you do?
S – I give _____
T – Ok so, ah did you accomplish the task given to you?
S – _____
T – So you have your _____ activity _____ your activity given to you by your
teacher. And then the, how is this activity affect your performance in your
class.
S - _____

Field notes: soft voice, unease during the interview activity, a good listener
Day 4

Below is a sample transcript.

T – Ok ok you can still recall your learning experiences in your English 2?
S – Yes I can I can sir
T - ok what you can still recall ok. Ok what are those learning experiences?
S – In laboratory class we learned check ah thesis _____ and checking notes.
Then we have. Then we have a group activity. For submit to. To make up or
not to _____
T - ____ so how did you find this activity to you?
S – The activity is not really simple but we we find ourselves by internet. By
laboratory. So _____ library we ourselves not to be so_____ I I have I have
 111

learned how to make note taking

T – ah note taking ok. So writing down notes. So writing down notes could be
really useful to you
S -yeah
T – Ok so you consulted your teacher ok you’re asking what will you do with
research paper. Did you ever tried to talk collaboratively with your
classmate. With your group mate?
S – Groupmate. Yes
T – Yes. How was it?
S - _____ I don’t
T – Ah you don’t want to talk with them?
S – You know. We can share we can share our idea with only group mate. So I I
prefer to do myself.
Field notes: suggestive, improved the listening habits, promptly answered the
questions, and ease during the interview
Day 5

T –. . .You had your activity in English 2. The process assessment in prewriting

technique. Ok what is this prewriting techniques to you. Your activity
given in the class.
S – this is _____ an express discovering our idea we _____ that is our idea
T – Ok the process of writing or formulating your idea. That is your ah prewriting
skill. So, how is this prewriting techniques to you. Did you find difficulty?
S – Its just _____some some how to write an _____ how to get an idea _____
writing is _____ to help me to write. How to make
T – ah using dictionary. What else?
Field notes: maintain a good listening habit, still nervous and soft voice
Day 6
T –. . . ok so what was the activity given to you by your teacher?
S – ahm ah. We create create animal. We create animal make animal _____ this
animal is will be strong then we create then we we write about event and its
problem. So we give explanation to mam about this how we create this
animal.
T – do you think the activity given to you creating ah a certain situation or
thinking about a problem help you in your academic performance
S – this is very helpful. Its about ah thinking skill. Create create skill. So its
helpful. Its for me its force me to speak English
T- Ok by this activity really help you to improve your critical thinking. Help you to
communicate well using the English language
S – We we can make ah _____ with our _____ yes.
T – Ah yeah Its good its good to communicate from time to time using the English
language. Cause English is your second language right?
S – Yeah
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T – Ok so ah do you do you have something to suggest more to improve the

speaking skills of your classmates as well as the _____
S - _____ to _____ if they give me too much opinion. This will help me to _____
Field notes: Generally, vocabulary was still a problem, improper pronunciation,
and difficulty in the use of the English language speaking.
Day 7

Recall of Lessons
Day 8
Class Participation
Day 9
Positive thought
T – So today is your number 9th entry of your diary. So according to this diary
you submitted so your teacher gave you time to revise and to make a _____
activity how is this activity to you?
S - _____
T – Do you think the activity of proof reading given to you by your teacher _____
S – No _____
T – Ok do you find difficulty in doing this activity?
S - _____
T – Nothing much, so how would you handle that activity?
S - _____
Day 10
Taking responsibility and making use of time in research
Below is a transcript from the interview.
T – Ok so this afternoon is the last entry day . . . Do you still remember what
particular activity your teacher gave you in class?
S - _____
T – According to here, you are mandated to visit the library. And to look certain
related books in your research _____. And you talk with your group mates.
Ok .
S – Yes. We went to ah we went to library to look for some books related to our
topic ahm _____ we get book that we use for _____
T – Now because your activity is a group of a group activity did you find any
difficulty communicating with your classmates?
S – Yes _____
T – So your ideas different from your classmates. How would you handle
whenever you encounter difficulty with your classmates? Particularly in your
group?
S - _____

Appendix” D” Participant 3
Day 1
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Learning Satisfaction/ Appreciation and enjoying interactive Class

Below are some of the transcripts from the interview.
T – . . . Can you recall what you have learned in your English class today?
S – Yes ah actually I have learned a lot. Because ah as I have said to you
before when I just came here. I don’t even know how to greet someone or
say “Hi”. But when I start study English in this school, I learned a lot how to
put the sentence on the right way. How to say with respect. How to
organize my idea. Everything. I try to learn everything here.
T – So could you enumerate other activities given to you by your teacher besides
the from essay writing?
S ----- I learned how to how to make _____ if you put together _____
T – So vocabulary activity. Ok so did you find difficulty in performing the
activities
S – yes actually I do. In my local place we don’t speak English _____ to get the
lesson _____
T – How did you manage how did you manage to accomplish _____
S- Ah asking _____ from my friends because they help me a lot. So my friends
my classmates and of course I need to give more than them, cause _____
T – What do you think. What was what was the result of your performance ah in
the task given to you
S – Great, it was great
Field notes: nervous, soft voice, unclear pronunciation of words, good listener
Day 2
Educational Entertainment, personal Evaluation, and Summarizing a Story
Day 3
Obedience, Industry, and Diligence
Below is a transcript for this interview.
T – Can you recall what you have learned in your English class today?
S – Ah yeah we actually had the all the discussions about _____ we did _____
and how to _____ topic being relevant to to the question _____ and also
_____ getting the problem. We also stated ah some _____ like ah the
words, the words used in ah in a sentence in the choice of words, we have to
make sure we do go beyond what is required of us. For example we stated
_____ that if it is formal we use formal word and we make sure the
understanding is is good _____
T – Ok, Do you find difficulty in formulating or constructing research statement in
your class?
S – Well sometimes sometimes because initially _____ like brothers, same sex
marriage _____ we are supposed to think out of the box to produce
something.
T – . . . Did you find any difficulty in performing you activities?
S – Ok I _____ I was not alone I was with a group. Group of eight we share
ideas. We contributed _____ which is right which is supposed to be added.
 114

So _____
T – So meaning there is a collaborative discussion _____ group _____. In order
for you to fix any difficulty you _____ ok last question. So if there is no ah
difficulty in your case, ah _____ to the activity given to you by your
professor. What was the result of your performance in your _____
S – Ok, I would _____
Field notes: unclear pronunciation, the voice improved, comfortable during the
interview
Day 4
Recall of lessons
Day 5
Gaining Knowledge
T - . . . what are your learning experiences in your English class?
S – Yeah . . . ok today learned something about _____ ahm after writing your
draft it doesn’t end there . You need to _____ some of the _____ you need
to add up _____ when you want to change that _____ draft
T – so what was this ah learning activities to you as you teacher give you an
activity.
S – Ok one I learned _____ that just writing the draft is not enough so if you want
to do this kind of activity writing _____ you just have to provide a _____ to
achieve or reach your goal as in give of _____
T – Did you find difficulty in the writing they give to you?
S – No.
T – No. Not really . so. Do you think your academic performance affect this your
activity?
S – Sure.
Field notes: Generally, a lot of improvement during the interview activity, gets
comfortable while communicating to speaker, relax and with good listening habit.
In this case, if the participant always involve in the discussion it certainly acquires
the learning in class whether voluntary or involuntary participate on the
discussion in this situation it will be expected the improvement of the academic
performance of the students as well

Day 6
Learning the Principles of Academic Writing
Below are sample transcripts.
T - . . . Do you can you still recall what are your learning experiences.
S – ah
T – Ok. Should you enumerate or should you state what are the learning
experiences or activities given to you by English teacher.
S – Sir the last meeting we learned something about revising and today . its
_____ we learned again that revising does not end. Writing does not end
when you are revising _____ . You still have to make sure that your work
 115

is accurate English . Ah so we learned about how to edit our.

T – Is it the writing test given to you by your English teacher is individual?
S – sure
T – so do you have group activity on your English class?
S – Today’s work was individual.
T – Ah how is it to you if you are working alone in your activity?
S – Its kind of hard because some parts you write to _____ in comma. You don’t
know when to _____ unless you learn from the book _____ in the in the
_____
T – Ok so ahm did you ever find difficulty in doing your ah writing task alone?
S- ah slight

Day 7
Learning the Principle of Academic Writing Style
T – . . . So can you still recall what are your ah academic ah activity in your
English 2 class? Ok can you still recall
S – So today we talked about the writing _____ and one thing that I _____ today
_____ the one I kept on my _____ . Effective _____ as students who are
writing we have to show them the messages we are conveying were
understood by readers. so effective _____ is very important when it comes
to academic writing because if we write something and your reader does not
understand that _____ will be a waste so in writing we have to make sure
the _____ will be understood by readers..
T – So meaning diction is also important. Yeah so the proper pronunciation of
this language used by the speaker and for you to understand clearly what is
the intended message of the speaker. Ok so ah . What kind of this activity
given to you. Is It an oral or in writing?
S – Well we were not given the activity on this with this we just discussed it.
T – Ahh oks discussion. So how is it your participation in class?
S – Ahmmm. _____
T - _____? Ok so most probably you are actively participating in the discussion
because you are _____ by _____. So the ah hearing of the English language
usually structure will not become so difficult in your case because you are
much familiar with the use of the English language. . .
Day 8
Learning to Write the Introduction of Research
T – . . .Ah your wrote here writing the introduction or in your research paper. So
how is it this writing introduction task given to you ah by your English
professor . from what introduction?
S – Ok so . I was at the _____title because _____. The introduction is very very
important because writing an _____ to where ahm will determine whether
your research paper or _____ we don’t have interest in your research
paper. Right from the beginning you have to make sure that your
 116

introduction is catchy. _____ some scenario in your introduction so that the

reader will have interest in what you are writing about. And also you are
making a research at the end you want to you would like to propose
something to your readers. And so if you are start where you have no inte
rest in in that in what your trying to to
T – Ah no so cooperatively your classmates. Very cooperative your classmates.
so . . . Do you have something to add about your leaning experience in the
writing research paper?
S – It’s kind of difficult but if you know what you are up to you’ll surely make it.

Day 9
Principles of business Letters and the positive Thought of landing a Job
T – Fine. So how is your stay here in the Philippines studying here at the Cavite
State University.
S – Not really interesting.
T – Not really interesting? Why?
S – Because I miss home and I’m not that happy in here.
T – Ah you’re not happy anymore. And what do you is the reason why you’re not
happy?
S - ________________
T – Very good friends. So ok so let’s talk about your learning experiences again
in your English 2 class. So can you still recall your learning experiences?
S – So right now we almost about to end the semester and we learned about
business communication.
S – Ah business communication and in that the last chapter _____ for this
semester. The last semester ah book.
T – Ok.
S - _____ coverage for the semester. and business communication _____
students ah . English _____ first year students _____ even _____ what
business ah communication is all about. When it informs about
communication among people in an enterprise to ahm for the benefits of that
enterprise. So we also learned about something called the seven c’s in
business writing or in business communication and some of which include
ahm clear, concise, correct. Thus when your writing a business
communication can be a resume ah an application that ah that of resignation
_____ _____. But in writing any of these business letters you just have to
_____. No matter how _____. No matter how may be what you want to
convey in someone getting messages you have to be positive enough to be
_____ you have to be concise you have to be clear to make sure what you
are writing will be well understood by the reader and so you have to make
sure that everything you’re writing down is complete.

Day 10
 117

Understanding the Rewards of knowing How to write Business Letters

Below is a sample transcript.
T - . . . What ah learning experiences you experienced in your English 2 class.
S – So still on business writing. Ahm business writing Yes _____ about that.
T - _____
S- Business _____ writing is not _____ kind of difficult if the process is the
procedures are not well followed. Yeah, because you never know your
reader or the receiver of the letter. So in writing a business letter you have to
make sure that the term you use would be very formal. Yeah. You choose
the correct diction in writing such letter and also you have to use gender
sensitive _____. Yeah because you wouldn’t know what are the one who
receive the letter will be a male or female. So instead of using certain words
like chairman which would be a little to a male then you use chairperson.
Yeah to prevent any bias in writing business English.
T – So that is the gender sensitive. The use of language you I agree to that.
And how is it you have said here in your last entry. Ah. Realize that it can
be difficult and risky.
S – Yeah
T – Ok. So how did you realize the difficulty and the risk in in
S – Yeah it is it’s kind of difficult and risky because the one if you use if you make
any slight mistake ah it will use any informal ahm if you write informal. if ah .
. . if your writing or if your letter affects your reader positively then it will
show that your what you are looking for will be positive response but if you
are not careful what your writing is informal words and then the reader finds it
Insulting and something_____ what you are looking for you couldn’t get.

Appendix “E” Participant 4

Day 1
Starting a conversation
20150107 – 120212 Nginda Jacinto Day 1 Intv 1
T – . . .Can you recall what you have learned in your English class today?
 118

S – Yes ah actually I have learned a lot. Because ah as I have said to you

before when I just came here. I don’t even know how to greet someone or
say “Hi”. But when I start study English in this school, I learned a lot how to
put the sentence on the right way. How to say with respect. How to
organize my idea. Everything. I try to learn everything here.
T – So meaning _____ communication is very important.
S – of course
T – So could you enumerate other activities given to you by your teacher besides
the from essay writing?
S ----- I learned how to how to make _____ if you put together _____
T – So vocabulary activity. Ok so did you find difficulty in performing the
activities
S – yes actually I do. In my local place we don’t speak English _____ to get the
lesson _____
T – How did you manage how did you manage to accomplish _____
S- Ah asking _____ from my friends because they help me a lot. So my friends
my classmates and of course I need to give more than them, cause _____
T – What do you think. What was what was the result of your performance ah in
the task given to you
S – Great, it was great
Field notes: friendly, comfortable when communicating, relax, ability to think prior
the use of the English language
Day 2
Words that bind
Day 3
To understand and be understood/ use of preposition
Field notes: possesses natural conversation, good listener
Day 4
Choosing a topic
T - ____ so how did you find this activity to you?
S – The activity is not really simple but we we find ourselves by internet. By
laboratory. So _____ library we ourselves not to be so_____ I I have I have
learned how to make note taking
T – Ok so. Do you think the ah. Do you think you experienced difficulty in your
writing activity?
S – Yes I I have difficult. Some some place. Some place
T – and what what are those difficulty you encountered?
S – This is my first time. So I’m _____ some how to put the main idea because
T – because that is only first time for you
S - first time for you
T – Ok so you consulted your teacher ok you’re asking what will you do with
research paper. Did you ever tried to talk collaboratively with your
classmate. With your group mate?
 119

S – Group mate. Yes

T – Yes. How was it?
S - _____ I don’t
T – Ah you don’t want to talk with them?
S – You know. We can share we can share our idea with only group mate. So I I
prefer to do myself.
Field notes: relax and comfortable in the interview process
Day 5
Interview and the Wh questions
Below are sample transcripts.
T – . . .to hear from you to recall what are your learning experiences in your
English teachers.
S – ah yes, as I use to say in my previous interview ah all the activity in the
English it has ___ it has been used for me as also for this one. And this one
is I think I don’t know is I think alike. Ah I could share it with others also
and I see to share and _____. So in this activity . my teacher gave to me .
ah a key . You have to be the key how to interview. Ourselves or myself
and how to interview other persons also . Like ah we talked all about the
key
questions that we need to do when we want to know about something how
I’m going to interview when I going to research about the _____ . So in this
activity I could get those things. I I know before but I didn’t know like those
are the keys that I can use for any interview . for my self . for another thing .
because we don’t ask that question. No need not exactly
T – so meaning ah the using or observing this five “w” questions will help you ah
to develop your thinking
S - of course
T – You know critically and analyzing everything. Conversation even in the wri in
the printed text would really help you. So do you think this experience in
your case would help your academic experience in the school?
S – It will there is the time when I had like a when I have a doubt. When I
couldn’t learn the lesson. I can go to my teacher and ask . and they will ask
what are the things the things that I couldn’t get. And they will use the five
wh- questions. It will be like the key . because I couldn’t get. So what should I
do to get . what should I do to learn. I’m still using the wh- questions. Yes, it
will help.
Field notes: emotionally ease during the interview process, groping of words,
insufficient vocabulary
Day 6
Participation in class/ rules in writing
Day 7
The value of reading/ writing an introduction
Below is a sample transcript.
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T – . . . . So can you still recall what are or what is our ah learning experiences in
the activities given to you by your English 2 professor?
S - _____ actually . as I used to say I have learned a lot from the activity given to
me _____. So in this activity _____ which is ah write an introduction. And so
in this activity I could realize that . and this activity came to us that we can be
we can be able to write any introduction. Because there is a time we are in a
class and the teacher gave one topic for us. Just to make any introduction
and we we sometime we face and many topic to do that. So this activity
came to us to help us or to be able to discuss anything that we can face. Like
well prepared. But we faced the topic and we have some idea that topic with
just a short _____ that we have. But still we can be able to discuss anything
T – Is this writing an introduction ah an individual writing task?
S – Yes
T – So how do you find ah writing an introduction in your English 2 class.
S - _____. It was a little bit hard coz like I just came to the class and that that
time I didn’t open my book . _____ say to us we need to do the activity. And
then it was like ah it was like to make an introduction about my friend. To
make an introduction about other things that the book _____ to us. So
sometime we have ah _____. Yeah but . how to explain. How to start.
Sometime we find it either difficult for us.
T – Ok
S – But _____ I was able because I want you to give us like some guide that we
can follow and _____ to us. I was able to do that.
T – ahm so do you think looking looking into the guide from the book ah make
your performance in your academic class ah changes or include?
S – Yeah sure . sure.

Day 8
Sentence organization for better understanding
Below is a sample transcript.
T – . . .What is this ah sentence organization activity in your class?
S – Ok talking about sentence organization . ah before this activity I have an
activity which is ah proof reading . Ok I can say proof reading is the key of ah
make my organization of the sentence. Ok when ah most of the time we we
use we use to talk and sometime the way we talk is what define the wqay that
we are going to write in letter. We can talk with someone like sometime not
use the proper grammar. Or not use like ah or not or not to put all the words
on his on his place. But is we’re going to write a letter . a letter we must make
the sentence the way that they must be. Or we must make like any sentence
or _____ . so . in this activity I could learn . how to make any sentence. How
to build any sentence. Should I say that . so and it use to help me a lot coz
most of the time I figure just to say things that I have in my mind. Not accord
to the grammar codes but right now I can say accord the grammar codes
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because I can be able to understand someone and on so that he may be able

to understand the all the person can be able to understand me also.
T – so how is this ah sentence organization for you? Is it difficult or simple or
easy in your case.?
S – Difficult. It is difficult
T – Why difficult?
S- Yeah. There is uhm ah as I use to say. Speaking . everyone can speak.
T – Aman
S – Everyone can speak can be able to speak. But speak this correct way that’s
the problem. That’s difficult. That’s why we have the English or the subject.
Like to _____ able to speak as well correct the way because everyone can
be able to speak. Everyone can be able to make any kind of thing _____ in
speech. But trying to do it on the right way that’s the problem and the _____
of this activity I could be able to learn how to do the things the way that they
must be.
T – Ok so ah meaning ah in your case acquiring the knowledge or the learning
on how to organize the sentences properly makes you better or makes you
effective speaker.
S – of course
T – Of course. So ah. Definitely it affects your academic performance _____.
Whenever you are a good writer and speaker. So particularly the use of
English language. So anyway may be ah . . . sentence construction or
sentence organization. Can be simple and easy in your case because you
are very much familiar with the use of _____ English.
S – Ah not really not really ImIm become familiar with English so that’s why I I
say that it is difficult for me ║ . before ║ to write on the wrong way. But now
I’m learning to write on the right way. I’m learning to speak on the right way.
That’s why its difficult. Like change of process . from the wrong to good . is
kind of difficult. But I’m still deal with that . I’m still figuring until I get my goal.
_____ there.
Day 9
Proof reading
Below is a sample transcript
T – . . . So do you still . can you still recall the learning experiences in your
English 2 class today?
S – Yes I do. Eh . today we talk about proof reading.
T - Ahhh
S – Which is one of the activity that I found difficult to me. An like . to be able to
do a proof reading. You must know how to to organize a sentence or to
organize _____ so that you can be able to apply all the rules about proof
reading. And this is this is one of the _____ I enjoy. Because ah ah, I didn’t
know before things about proof reading that could learn today. That’s why I
enjoy.
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T – so proof reading. So are you familiar with the proof reading marks or proof
reading symbols that your teacher give you?
S – Yes yes I do. Yes I do. Eh most of them I do but ah I got also the new proof
reading . that I could learn and sometime I used to apply. On my language is
is different from writing in English. So we have a different kind of proof
reading. So that’s why. I learn new proof reading and I find also some of
them that I use to use in my language.
T – Ah in your own understanding what is this ah proof reading mean to you?
How are you going to define or explain this proof reading?
S – Ok . so I can define proof reading as ah the key of a good understand in a
one conversation . because if I say I I just say man man many words of If I
just say words without start . without applying the proof reading . It cannot
make sense of I will pass the information but the wrong way. May be the
possible that is going to get the information will not get the way that I want him
to get the information. But applying the proof reading of course is going to get
the information the way that I want that he can able to get.
Day 10
Narrowing a topic
T – . . . How is it your learning experience in this kind of activity.
S – Ok. First of all I would like to say like this activity is the one that I really enjoy.
And I found like is for me. Why? There is ah _____ ahah I say that _____.
_____narrowing a topic like I can express my self. I can say things that I
know in this activity that the professor give us in chance to express
ourselves. Just like ah the teacher gave one topic for us and according to the
topic you know that when things when things related to the topic and and I
was like ah I was like a topic that I knew and I was able to express myself and
say things that I like. Say things related to the topic. An. That was easy for
me.
T – So meaning you. You actually learned from general information to specific
information. So you can narrow that narrative by simply ah . . . extracting ok .
extracting carefully ah thinking what is the topic mean to you.
S – Yes
T – Is this activity an individual or a group activity?
S - Individual yes
T - ah individual . ok so in your case this activity become interesting
S - interesting yes coz ║ I did not apply main cause . I just apply what I know
which is related to the topic
T – Ok so since you ah since you performed this activity individually how is it to
you now? Did you find any difficulty in narrowing a topic?
S – Not not really . as I say . this is like the easiest one that I found . from the
activity one and from the activity 22 this is the one that I I like. I was able to
do it by my own like there was only _____ go something. To ask someone I
knew the topic and knowing that the teacher _____ suggest to say things
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related to the topic and the topic was I could ah _____ about the like. If you
have if you have _____ you can you can _____ our social life our _____ our
_____ just like the _____ is the is the base of everything . so all of the thing
like all of us the environment is related about our _____. So as long as we
have we can be able to do many things. So that’s why it was super easy for
me.

Appendix“F” Participant 5
Day 1
Surprises on turn of events/ interactive reporting
Below are some transcripts for this interview.
T - . . . Can you recall what you have learned in your English class today?
S – Ah yeah we actually had the all the discussions about _____ we did _____
and how to _____ topic being relevant to to the question _____ and also
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_____ getting the problem. We also stated ah some _____ like ah the words,
the words used in ah in a sentence in the choice of words, we have to make
sure we do go beyond what is required of us. For example we stated _____
that if it is formal we use formal word and we make sure the understanding is
is good _____
T – Ok, Do you find difficulty in formulating or constructing research statement in
your class?
S – Well sometimes sometimes because initially _____ like brothers, same sex
marriage _____ we are supposed to think out of the box to produce
something.
T – Ok, next question. What are the things that you learned in the English
lessons or activities given to you by your professor today?
S - _____ a lot
T – a lot
S – A lot to say, yes
T – Could you enumerate
S – Ahm, ok, I guess ah one basically _____ of the topic. I know how to get a
strong and a clear problem. _____ state a state a topic a topic should be a
summary of the problem. And also ah I have to go _____ some question.
_____ There was this question about stating the problem of the of the of the
topic and stating the questions of the topic. I think this is how it goes ah
when you explain. If _____ the topic and questions of the questions of the
topic is like some questions your asking me _____ the difference or to help
me to go a _____ my research.
T – Do you think the kind of activity given to you by your professors by your
subject teacher help you improve your preposition? In _____?
S – Yeah cause _____ being specific about talking, about writing _____ he also
T – for another question. Did you find any difficulty in performing you activities?
S – Somehow because he wants to thinking outside of the box. It takes a lot of
time to make things right that way.
T – Not _____
S – Not, yes.
T – So meaning there’s a need for preparation for the activity being administered
by your teacher. Ok so to accomplish the task
S – Ok I _____ I was not alone I was with a group. Group of eight we share
ideas. We contributed _____ which is right which is supposed to be added.
So _____
Field notes: shy, full of nervous, attentive listener

Day 2
Effective instruction/ learning to choose a topic
T - . . . Can you still recall what are those learning experiences you have?
S - _____ lots of information each day, I get from my class. _____ how the
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studies presented by each instructor. _____ always an interactive class.

Teacher is always joking to the students. Students _____
T – How do you find, how do you find whenever there are interactions from the
class, as thrown questions by your subject teachers? How is it to you?
With me, _____ to really help your performances in class?
S- Yes because those _____ decides ah _____ to be relative _____ discussion
_____ the subject and the discussion. So basically in _____ terms they are
not just any question but challenging questions which requires a lot of mind,
a lot of thinking _____ my academic performance
T – So in this in your class . did you find any difficulty in the task given to you?
S – Not really but, I wouldn’t say difficulty but _____ was _____ challenge.
There is, to start everything is _____ ups and downs so getting my self to
start with my group, starting to write chapter one of thesis, chapter 2 _____ a
lot from you. _____

T – How do you how do you consider the difficulty you fact you encounter is a
challenge.
S _ because a challenge _____ proving that I have something new to _____
Discover _____ so it is _____
T – So could you could you ah make or could you state how you handle the
_____ that you challenge yourself particularly _____
S – For me my my _____ to grab _____ all the information given. For example
I’m supposed to be writing chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3. _____ will give me
help like do it in bits. _____ the best for one that is when _____ so I do not
compromise I make sure as a group we do each individually. Divided _____
T – So meaning all of the activity given to you by your professor is purely writing
S – yes
Field notes: with natural conversation at hand, pronunciation difficulty,
cooperative interviewee, gestures reflected during interview process.

Day 3
Efficient instruction
20120104 – 031244 Pius EssumanBentsil Day 3 Intv 3
T – . . . Could you still recall?
S – Ah basically my _____ ah I would say _____ so yesterday we discussed the
structure general structure of thesis thesis writing which will inform from the
simple to the complex and then lastly to the conclusion so _____
T – Do you have a an _____ write down everything ah or free writing?
S – _____
T – Ah free writing? A free writing activity write down your introduction?
S – yes _____ we could write something then show _____ and that would be
_____
T – So, what do you think? Ah what particular writing activity would you suggest
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to improve or to improvement of the learning experience of the students?

S - _____
Field notes: get comfortable during the interview process, pronunciation difficulty,
physically tired.
Day 4
Progression of learning
T – . . . What are the learning to _____.
S – Ah it has a wide range . _____. I am in a new setting as this ., a new
environment with different people full of so different culture as I have. So.
Sometimes I find some intelligibly educated . others are so . I guess it is
like that everybody. But so far its good.
T – So meaning . cultural ah cultural representation _____ really affect your ah
S - yes
T – Ah ok . so I understand that because _____ to different cultures . Now in
your English teachers. Did you find difficulty particularly in that _____
S – Yes. Ah as it is I’m joining _____ BS Psychology and engineering students.
_____ since ah _____ many groups. It is most at times very difficult to
communicate. Plus they have few time . have a class weekend . so we
don’t normally get most of common time so we can meet discuss and to
submit to the teacher. And the way we understand each other _____ is very
clearly in terms of communication.
T – so how would you handle that difficulty in school.
S – Ok I . I know that for a while I know that for the humans we appreciate
communications but I think that is for the best so what is see that it is not
suiting me and the group and . so I confront them. I talk to them about the
situation. And someway sometimes mostly they listen. Hear me out also
T – so as learning experience is concerned . so all your experiences in your
English class so does your leaning experiences really affect your academic
performance in this class?
S – For example . my last class talked about paraphrasing and making
summary. And I think ah its one of the major aspect of writing. Just to give
life on the English _____. And I read a lot of books and there’s time that I
want to ah take some notes. I need to write every part of the book that I am
interested of. There is a why that I can make my own words but of the book
that I have read. That is why _____ paraphrasing. Making summary. It is
very educating . I like it very much.
Day 5
Struggles in class/ frustrations and disappointment
T – . . . So would you please recall can you recall?
S- I II can say something but my diary 5. My class in that morning wasn’t quite
inspirational. I didn’t enjoy it. I just want to call a _____. I think we have
exam after. We were supposed to make exam after the lecture so
everything is in a rush. We were speaking. Ah ah the student reporters
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were really speaking. Talking so fast. After which the teacher. Our
instructor was also quite fast. I just really didn’t enjoy that class. The little I
had we get. That was as I can remember. Methods of. Editing. Yeah. So
editing. And all the kinds of making revision or revising ah everything is I
get to
T – So how is that ah . we can consider a bad experience. Because we believe
that experience always leads to learning.
S – yes
T – Ok so how did you pacify yourself on the situation that ah you are hearing a
very fast discussion you’re hearing a very fast ah presentation an so on. As
well as your exam.
S – Yes I would say. How should I say it. In some way it taught me it taught me
that things things are not always the same. So if there is a change I have to
_____ a change. So _____ I make some adjustments in my mind. Which is
in any time the is going to be such thing _____ thing my brains and my mind.
To move as it is as it goes. . follow go.

Day 6
Struggles continued but ended fine
T –. . . ok so what was the activity given to you by your teacher?
S – ahm ah. We create create animal. We create animal make animal _____ this
animal is will be strong then we create then we we write about event and its
problem. So we give explanation to mam about this how we create this
animal.
T – do you think the activity given to you creating ah a certain situation or
thinking about a problem help you in your academic performance
S – this is very helpful. Its about ah thinking skill. Create create skill. So its
helpful. Its for me its force me to speak English
T- Ok by this activity really help you to improve your critical thinking. Help you to
communicate well using the English language
S – We we can make ah _____ with our _____ yes.
T – Ah yeah Its good its good to communicate from time to time using the English
language. Cause English is your second language right?
S – Yeah
T – Ok so ah do you do you have something to suggest more to improve the
speaking skills of your classmates as well as the _____
S - _____ to _____ if they give me too much opinion. This will help me to _____

Day 8
New teaching Style/ light spirit
Below are some transcripts for this interview.
20150305 – 171138 Day8 Pius EssumanIntv 8
T – . . . A room for competence?
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Is this an activity?
S – Ah actually the ah my to the fact that as we _____ for as we had a _____ this
is ahm an _____. It is a full bloomed thesis so we need to got an ah ways
ahm to specially during defense. No no ah there will be questions _____
going to ask that we might find it so easy to lose track so those those
obstacles where he was trying to ah he was trying to train to us. To make
us _____ for him during the defense. So we all we called individually to
stand present a case or ah at that time we had students reports so there’s
student reporters that demonstrated how do report in front of students and
the parts that went wrong the _____ short that teach students according.
And I in my point of view that’s one of the ah good things teacher _____
yeah.
T – So meaning ah the presentation given to you by your teacher is one of the
tools that ah students will enhance their skills particularly in communication
so in speaking so definitely so in your case ah in terms of oral commination
will not be ah something difficult in your case so far
S - so far
T – So far yes. Because you are influenced by English ah English language
used in your country. So ah aside from aside from oral presentation about
yourself as part of your preliminary test in speaking in front how is it to you
do you feel nervous or something.
S – Yeah. There was a point me _____ during the day the d – day when you be
questioned by the panel some of them will throw difficult questions and
questions that you will find _____ really difficult. Such questions might
trigger a sense of feeling and that that leads to nervousness. So we should
not be ah strained away from those those questions or any kind of any
statement that might trigger nervousness so we became our way. So the
nervousness of that instant was very very minimal
T – minimal.
S – Yeah.
T – Ok so . . . what is this what is this moment of sharing ideas together?
S – Yeah, it was ah a period where we we both _____ like ah we we ask some
personal questions like sir during that time what happened and we we give
some experiences me had and and we kind of bit bits of ah the information
me gave us from his own experience . for me for instance. During that time
me said most of his ah maids were crying because of the questions that
were _____ by all those things. _____ myself _____ against that . during
that _____ (laughing) . During those period. So it was a heart to heart
question. It was very _____

Day 9
Successful presentation
Below are some of this interview transcript.
 129

T - . . . can you still recall what is the activity given to you by your English teacher
in your English class today?
S – Ahm ah as the _____ to begin was given the reports. Today was my tenth
T - ahm
S – Yes. So ah for the time ah for the past times I have really been practicing
how to speak well speak confidently and make sure that the information
given to my friends my colleagues they really get it they really understand
so it was my _____ I had to present hedges . ah in in academic writing we
say hedges ah words, phrases that we use to hold the integrity. Ah I see
that by means that. some statements could be considered as facts and
those statements some others could also be considered as an _____ so
during academic writing you as the writer you make your stands whether
what your writing is a fact or a claim for your own opinion yeah that is about
the hedges and also aside my _____ others talk about idiomatic
expressions. Ah generally the expressions that according to the _____ do not
follow any particular idiomatic expression _____ clear to setting languages.
So _____ after the student report reporters are given the ah best. He also
help us ah gets much understanding of the idiomatic expressions by giving us
a list of some of them that he had. So he gave us . for example I had ah this
one is my favorite that he explained that _____ laugh is talk. When you call
someone laugh is talk the person is being ridiculed by others.. A whole lot of
expressions. And we also talked about English actually sometimes you
during the mock conversation we don’t employ so much formal English. So
there was there is there was Standard English and stand ah formal English
and informal English but for the perpetuity of our writing were not were to
note that writing should strictly be based on formal English
T – Ok so meaning ah the academic writing of your subject teacher employ is
sometimes writers employ this ah idiomatic expressions.
S - yes
T – Ok so ah in giving you the activity so what particular topic in academic writing
gave to you by your teacher?
S – ah we . personally I don’t have one. But we are we are really in a group.
_____ basically on the thesis writing that we _____ words to use . we
should not use so much contractions _____ words and the others. So our
topic was on . _____ violence against women. Violence against women.
T – Yeah . in some selected areas of CalumpangCerca in Indang here. Ok so
that was your topic being presented in class and collaboratively discussed
by your group mates
S - yes
T – And then by employing idiomatic expressions or employing the hedging
devices
S - yes actually we were . given the idea that most idiomatic expressions are
used for critic and used for critic writings if you want you’re your reader to
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think more get more knowledge _____ some way _____ that you employ
most of the idiomatic expressions but in the academic writing as _____ that
this is . though we can use some not. It is very limited.

Day 10
Consultation
T – Should you please recall or can you still recall what are your learning
experiences in your English 2 class?
S – and for this one we didn’t do much . Sir Ken just asked us about the process
of our thesis writing. _____. Ahm this time most of the group groups in the
class . were have already finished their survey and presented their results to
statistician to analyze. To analyze yeah. That was my good we have finish
the summary and presented results to the statistician for my thesis also.
And that was the main thing that can _____ they are checking out on our
and the progress of our thesis writing that was all we _____ class so ahm .
He just want to give us time to do all what is required. Yes.
T – So meaning you are _____ to accomplish the ah analysis of your collecting
data inside the classroom while you are freely go
S - no we were he just wanted to know how . If I were you . Grant _____ each
the stages whether we are _____ at each chapter so an a lot of chapters an
_____ completion or _____ that . He tried to give advice to others who are
stuck somewhere. And I think they _____ them.
T – so meaning your experiences in analyzing all the data collected within your
research paper may be will be collected in your ah last entry of your diary.
S – Yeah
T – Most probably
S - most probably
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