Abstract
Self-reflection in language education has opened the path to a deeper understanding of cultural nuances and personal growth, enriching teaching practices and learning experiences. More recently, authors (Thanh, 2019; Upton & Hirano, 2022) have noted how the inclusion of self-reflection practices in language learning can promote awareness, critical thinking, and autonomy, to name a few. Therefore, the evident intersection between agency and language learning is becoming more significant as this intersection allows learners to take a more enduring responsibility for their language learning processes; to illustrate, language learners can take ownership of their own language learning by setting specific learning goals, highlighting their own strengths and weaknesses, and engaging more deeply in the decisions needed to continue advancing their language skills. For this reason, the present study situates self-reflection as it intersects with the agency and autonomy learners develop as they incur in self-reflection practices. About 90 college students enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) courses in an American institution participated in the study. Results demonstrated that, despite many participants expressing confidence in their oral presentation skills, self-reflection practices revealed areas for improvement that they had previously overlooked. Furthermore, the results underscored that integrating self-reflection practices among students can enhance their language acquisition by refining their oral proficiency. These results emphasized that agency and self-reflection are interconnected in language learning; thus, agency provides learners with the freedom and responsibility to direct their learning, while self-reflection allows them to evaluate and refine their learning strategies to improve their linguistic skills.
Author Information
Laura E. Mendoza, University of Texas at El Paso, United States
Paper Information
Conference: IICE2025
Stream: Learning Experiences
This paper is part of the IICE2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Mendoza L. (2025) Self-Reflection and the Interplay of Agency in ESL Learning ISSN: 2189-1036 – The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii 2025 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 245-252) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2025.21
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2025.21
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