Open AccessExperiential research for understanding the complexity of teaching and learning English as a foreign language
Author(s) -
Laura Miccoli,
Raquel Bambirra,
Carolina Vianini Amaral Lima
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
ilha do desterro
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.223
H-Index - 6
eISSN - 2175-8026
pISSN - 0101-4846
DOI - 10.5007/2175-8026.2020v73n1p19
Subject(s) - experiential learning , construct (python library) , narrative , mathematics education , foreign language , psychology , pedagogy , computer science , linguistics , philosophy , programming language
Narratives reveal complex nets of experiences, typical of dynamic systems. Disentangling them reveals their nature, broadening and deepening the understanding of complex language teaching and learning processes. In this paper, we present over 20 years of research done in Brazil, focusing on foreign language teaching and learning experiences. Reviewing the motivation that led Author 1 to the emergence of experiential research, we discuss experience as a construct and unit of analysis and its complex nature; share visual representations of the complexity of teaching and learning experiences with illustrative data excerpts; and finally present teachers’ and students’ experiential frames of reference for research. To conclude, we defend experiential research as a successful approach to investigate language teaching and learning, hoping that other researchers may find it useful.