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Review of Exploring Psychology in Language Learnin
Review of Exploring Psychology in Language Learnin
Review of Exploring Psychology in Language Learnin
eu
EJAL
Eurasian Journal of
Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics 2(1) (2016) 65–70 Applied Linguistics
examined each approach, the authors, then, provide their reflections on educational
psychology in general and concurrent development in foreign and second language
(L2) education. In doing so and reflecting on various models they dwell on, the
authors quite effectively and usefully provide implications for language teachers to
help them understand their own teaching practices and to find suitable strategies to
employ in their own classes.
The notion of ‘the group’ is the subject of the second chapter of the book. Language
learning does not happen in a vacuum as language learners are often embedded in a
set of ‘nested systems’ (Davis & Sumara, 2006), the starting point of which is the
learner and expanding towards to the family, school/class, local community and
finally national culture. In line with this understanding, the authors delineate the
related concepts like group membership within contextual networks and how such
structures are translated into the language classroom as a ‘community of practice
(Lave & Wenger, 1991) where learners and teachers cooperate with an ultimate aim
of learning. This chapter elucidates what teachers can do for forming and managing
effective group work in the language classroom. Different forms of group structures
are discussed thoroughly with their implications and challenges for language
teachers.
In the third chapter, the concept of ‘the self’ and its relation to language learning
and teaching is explored. Firstly, the authors try to highlight the need for
understanding the self since our sense of self within the process of language learning
often plays an important role in how we navigate all encounters either as a teacher or
a learner. Self and self-related constructs are then elucidated. These include self-
efficacy, second language linguistic self-confidence, self-concept, self-esteem, and
identity. The chapter successfully describes how individuals come to develop a form of
self and elaborates on some salient factors on the development of the sense of self:
cultural factors, experiences of success and failure, internal comparisons, feedback,
social comparisons, and self-driven behavioral styles. Each factor is clearly illustrated
with vivid examples by the authors. The authors acknowledge the complexities
implied in the development of a sense of self and the possibility for teachers to help
language learners to develop a positive and healthy sense of self. They offer
suggestions as to what can be done by the class teacher to create an environment that
is conducive to the development and maintenance of a positive sense of self among
language learners.
The ‘beliefs’ that learners and teachers hold about language learning and teaching
do exert an impact on their approach to learning and teaching. In the fourth chapter,
the authors turn their attention to explaining beliefs that are helpful to learning. In
order to define beliefs accurately, they make a clear distinction between belief and
knowledge. The strength and nature of the beliefs –either facilitative or debilitative-
are influential factors that also have an effect on learners’ actions. The authors
provide clear illustrations of these factors on learners’ actions and offer suggestions to
language teachers. They, then, explain that beliefs are not static; on the contrary,
they can change and evolve over time. Therefore, it is better to think of beliefs as
Kadriye Aksoy / Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics 2(1) (2016) 65–70 67
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my dear colleagues, Ramazan Yetkin and Funda Ölmez, for
reading the earlier versions of this paper and providing me with the feedback on the
language. I also would like to express my sincere gratitude to my dear advisor, Assoc.
Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Erten, for encouraging me to write the review of the book and
his endless support not only for this work but also for my other studies.
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