Final Report of
Foreign Language
Learners
The Analysis of
Joy’s Language
Learning Experiences
Case Description
 Joy is a trilingual: Chinese, English and French.
 She reached the Intermediate-high level of GEPT.
 She scored 610 in TOEFL.
 Her personality: outgoing, impulsive and extroverted
language
 Her academic background: French major and English
minor in Wenzao Junior College
 She had frequent interaction with foreign friends: native
English speakers. She had many opportunities to use
English. Her speaking ability in English is excellent.
Purpose of the Study
 The purpose of the case study is to
investigate WHY and HOW she
learned English successfully.
Methods
 Data collection: interview and questionnaire
 Data analysis:
a. Interview:
Age
Learner characteristics
Learning condition
English proficiency
b. Questionnaire:
Multiple IQs
Reflective or impulsive
Visual, auditory, or haptic
Extroverted or introverted
Results - Age
 She started learning English at 10.
 She learned English for three years before studying
English in a formal setting.
 Her family has some foreign friends.
 “I have been speaking English every day since the first
day I learned English,” said Joy.
 Around 18 she can use English like her mother tongue.
Results - Learner Characteristics
 Motivation of Learning English
 To know more different cultures
 To get first-hand information throught direct
sources
 Confidence in using languages
 Especially in speaking foreign languages
 Better English ability than other students in junior
high school
Results - Learner Characteristics
 Ways of Learning English
 She used some self-study materials --- Let’s Talk in
English, Studio Classroom and Family Album USA
during the junior high period
 She reinforced her English ability by communicating
with advanced language learners and foreigners
 She Keeps learning and using English.
Results – Learning Styles




Impulsive style
Visual and auditory learner
Moderately extroversion oriented
The scores of each kind of intelligence are
above 5
Results – Multiple Intelligence
Intrapersonal intelligence 8
Interpersonal intelligence 7
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence 7
Musical intelligence 6
Linguistic intelligence are 6
Logical-mathematical intelligence 5
Spatial intelligence 5
Results - Learning Condition




The first year in Wenzao College
An excellent teacher and learning experience
Opportunities to speak English
The influence of overseas experiences and
foreign friends
 English ability
 Motivation vs. Wenzao’s teaching purpose
Results - English Proficiency
She exposed herself to an authentic
English environment
 Reading- Novels, Biography, Magazines, Newspaper,
Traveling Books, Comics, Cosmetics
 Writing- English journal, a university’s instructor
guided her writing skill.
 Listening and speaking- chatting with
her foreign
friends for a long time.
Results - English Proficiency
Sufficient Resources:
 Instructors- Advanced English learners and native
speakers’ facilitation in her young age.
(For example, e-mailing with a family friend in the U.S. helped
her a lot in writing and of course think in English.)
 Centralized finances- Only child in her family. Her
parents have centralized the investment in her
education.
Results - English Proficiency
 Bottleneck in the process of English Learning:
 No further improvement two years ago.
 She gave herself too much stress two years ago.
 It did not solve any problems.
 So she decided not to push herself too much in
learning English.
Results - English Proficiency
 Next Goal or plan for learning English
 No definite goal for herself
 Instead of asking herself to reach a
certain level, she keeps learning as
much as she can do.
Results - English Proficiency
 Suggestions for Foreign Language Learners:
 Force yourself a little hard.
 Think in English.
 Apply the language - every time when you learn
new a new word, a new phrase, or a new structure,
just try to apply it.
Discussion- Learner Characteristics
Age
 Critical Period Hypothesis
 a critical period for Second Language Learners
 Vygotsky’s interactionsim position
 interactions happen between child and more advanced
interlocutors
 Zone of Proximal Development - the level of
performance which is learner is capable of when there is
sufficient support from interactions with more advanced
interlocutors

Krashen’s Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis.
Discussion-Motivation
Combination of
 Instrumental motivation
 Practical goals - get a better job
Integrative motivation (more)
 Cultural enrichment
 Personal growth
Discussion - Learning Condition
 Advantages:
Behaviorism
Interactionism
Socialculture theory
Combination of playing games and intentional
learning
 Limitations:
Comprehensible input (i＋1)
Motivation in Wenzao
 Improvements:
Extra reading
Interaction with foreigners
Discussion-English Proficiency
 Interactionism
 Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
 a great deal of frequent interaction with Advanced
English learners and native speakers
 Three hypotheses in Krashen’s
“Monitor Model”
 Affective Filter Hypothesis
 Monitor Hypothesis
 The Natural Order Hypothesis
Summary
 Learners’ Characteristics
Age – started to learn English at 10
Motivation- to know more languages and cultures
 Learners’ Condition
Natural setting --- family
Instructional setting --- school
 English Proficiency
Expose to a genuine English environment
Sufficient Resources
Bottleneck
Summary
Theories
Interactionism
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH)
Krashen’s 5 “Monitor Model”:
The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis
The Input Hypothesis
The Affective Filter Hypothesis
The Monitor Hypothesis
The Natural Order Hypothesis
Suggestions
 Create an English-use environment
 Seize opportunities to use English
 Set an appropriate goal
 Develop interests in learning English
 Think in English
 Keep a diary or journal
 Actions speak louder than words
Thank you for attention
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Stanley
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