Social context and resources for language learning

A Review on

"Social context and resources for language learning"

By

David Palfreyman *

(Zayed University, P.O. Box 19282, Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

System 34 (2006), 19 pages(352–370)

Introduction

The author in this article in contrary to all researches in applied linguistics which have tended to treat learners relatively in isolation from their context, and to study primarily classroom and other educational contexts, has focused on the contexts which form learning, and in particular the resources which these contexts provide.

The author has outlined a model which includes both material and social resources for language learning, and the interactions between them. Then they applied this model to the learning resources used by a group of female university students in the United Arab Emirates.

The author tried to explore the answers of these questions

• What is the range of resources available to these students in learning and using English outside the university?
• Which of these resources do students typically draw on?
• To what extent do students act as English resources for others?

The aim of the study was to gain an overview of these issues in the community in which the students live. So, a sample of 131 students was asked to respond to an anonymous online survey. This sample included students from all levels of study.


The author found that students make use of a rich variety of material and social resources to practice English and to attempt to clarify their understanding of the language. The level of English use is fairly high, and in addition to public situations where the competence of interlocutors requires it, English is also used in more private domains, on- andoff line, for purposes of entertainment, self-expression or exclusion.

Social networks were found to influence the accessibility and use of these resources. In addition, students were found to act as sources of English expertise for other members of their family, in ways that contribute to their social identity within the family.

Critique

Considering the questions that the author had been posed in his article as a aim of his research, we can see that he could achieve his goal and found the answer of his questions.

To make a more reliable and valid research he used both qualitative and quantitative data and computed them using SPSS.