Resumen de Ecología: The assumptions, expectations and strategies of modern languages students working in a self‐access learning environment for the first time
Against a background of growing interest in self‐access language learning and considerable investment in the resources which support it, the paper briefly examines claims and theories about learning strategies, with particular reference to Modern Languages. It reports on a short study of 29 second‐year undergraduate students of Spanish working in a self‐access learning environment for the first time and, using data mainly from their learner diaries, presents evidence of their assumptions and expectations about language learning and their learning strategies. Results show that even as Modern Languages students, the group possessed a model of language and strategies for learning both of which were significantly limited, although there is some evidence for development of learning strategies over the period. The conclusion drawn is that the successful implementation of self‐access learning within the undergraduate curriculum is dependent on a well‐structured environment, appropriate pedagogical support, and adequate time and opportunity for learning strategies to develop. Suggestions are made as to how this might be made possible.
