ABSTRACT

The concept of learner engagement has traditionally been examined in the field of education and it has been found to be associated with positive educational outcomes. While several studies in second language acquisition have looked at learner engagement with corrective feedback, there is a dearth of research investigating its relevance to successful language learners and effective language learning. Through a narrative inquiry, this study reports an individual language learner’s engagement in the acquisition of a second language (L2) – Cantonese. The learner went through three different stages in his learning process, namely the period of silence, the period of early production and experimentation, and the period of continued development and communicative competence. At each stage of learning process, three major types of engagement were observed: behavioural, affective, and cognitive. Individual and contextual factors that influenced learner engagement with language learning were also identified. The findings of this study suggest that the integration of the three types of learner engagement with L2 learning goals, tasks, and context is conducive to effective language learning. The study concludes with some pedagogical implications for both L2 teachers and learners.

摘要

传统上，学习者参与的概念在教育领域得到了检验，并被发现与积极的教育成果有关。尽管有几项关于第二语言习得的研究着眼于学习者参与与纠正反馈，但缺乏研究调查其与成功的语言学习者和有效的语言学习的相关性。通过叙述性调查，本研究报告了个体语言学习者对第二语言 (L2) 的习得——广东话的参与。学习者在学习过程中经历了三个不同的阶段，即沉默期、早期生产和实验期、持续发展和交际能力期。在学习过程的每个阶段，观察到三种主要类型的参与：行为、情感和认知。还确定了影响学习者参与语言学习的个人和背景因素。本研究的结果表明，将三种类型的学习者参与与第二语言学习目标、任务和背景相结合，有利于有效的语言学习。该研究总结了对二语教师和学习者的一些教学意义。