Good Language Learners’ Qualifications and Social -Promotion: A Case Study in the Iranian Context

Subject Areas : Journal of Studies in Learning and Teaching English

Parviz  Maftoon ¹ (Tehran Azad University)
Mehrdad  Amiri ² (Tehran Azad University)

Received: 2011-10-10 Accepted : 2012-03-10 Published : 2012-01-01

Keywords: Educational development, Promotional feedback, social achievements,

Abstract :

Research in the area of characteristics of good language learners have been the home of choice for SLA researchers since mid 1970. In this regard, both learning and learner variables have been researched (see Griffiths, 2008). Yet, one of the features almost left intact in this scope is the relationship between the characteristics of good language learners and the promotional feedback they receive through their social achievements. The present qualitative study has focused on two successful language learners achieving moderate social and professional promotions. These subjects had received almost high scores in the IELTS academic module. They were interviewed to see which strategies they usually pick up in their language learning development. Since the researcher was familiar with the participants for years the previous observations also were taken into consideration. The subjects also were asked to write down about what has made them successful language learners and the significant points in this regard. The interviews, observations and writings cited above were organized and analyzed. The results presented the researcher with a tentative perspective about the characteristics of these two language learners. Then these characteristics were compared with the ones cited in the good language learners’ literature (Griffiths, 2008) to see their novelty or commonality. The results revealed good language learners make use of similar strategies already cited in the related literature. The only new factor which the language learners of the case study presented was that the job promotion, social achievement, and even educational development of these cases were highly bound to and affected by their second language development and their self- initiating strategies in L2 learning. Since this factor might be highly related to instrumental or situational motivation, it can be concluded that some good language learners are highly potential to make use of their second language development to find better jobs and achieve more privileged social achievements