Foreign Language Learners' Uncertainty Experiences and Uncertainty Management.
Ignoring uncertainty
Maintaining and resolving uncertainty
Reducing uncertainty
Uncertainty experiences
Uncertainty management
Journal
Journal of psycholinguistic research
ISSN: 1573-6555
Titre abrégé: J Psycholinguist Res
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 0333506
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
19 Aug 2024
19 Aug 2024
Historique:
accepted:
07
08
2024
medline:
19
8
2024
pubmed:
19
8
2024
entrez:
19
8
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Uncertainty is unavoidable in life; it is also an indispensable characteristic of educational settings. The process of learning a foreign language naturally involves interaction and coconstruction of knowledge. During this process, students may encounter uncertainty from a variety of sources, including the course, context, friends, or the teacher. Besides, to communicate meaningfully, the mutual effort of both the listener and the speaker is needed to deal with uncertainty. Considering this, the present study makes an effort to comprehend how learners appreciate and manage uncertainty in language learning environments. Although uncertainty is considered a multidisciplinary research topic, a limited number of studies are found in the literature which examine how students experience uncertainty and how they react to it. Regarding foreign language learning, related research focused on a specific form of uncertainty, Tolerance of Ambiguity, which is conceptualized as a cognitive style. In-class pen-and-paper surveys, reflective journals, video recordings, and stimulated recall interviews were the instruments used to gather data. The findings demonstrate that language learners frequently encounter uncertainty during the language learning process due to course-related, cognitive, and social factors, and learners may appreciate uncertainty in both positive and negative ways. Additionally, learners' emotional reactions to uncertainty depend on their positive or negative appraisals of uncertain situations. By recognizing and embracing uncertainty, language learners will adapt to it and be able to handle it through a variety of techniques. The results suggest that learners employ a variety of strategies, such as reducing, maintaining, and resolving uncertainty as well as ignoring uncertainty.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39158767
doi: 10.1007/s10936-024-10100-w
pii: 10.1007/s10936-024-10100-w
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
65Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Références
Afifi, T. D., & Afifi, W. A. (2009). Uncertainty, information management, and disclosure decisions: Theories and applications. Routledge.
Babrow, A.S., Kasch, C. R., & Ford, L. A. (1998). The many meanings of uncertainty in illness: Towards a systematic accounting. Health Communication, 10(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327027hc1001_1
Berger, C. R., & Bradac, J. J. (1982). Language and social knowledge: Uncertainty in interpersonal relations. Edward Arnold.
Blumenfeld, P. C., Mergendoller, J. R., & Swarthout, D. B. (1987). Task as a heuristic for understanding student learning and motivation. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 19(2), 135–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/0022027870190203
Brashers, D. E. (2001). Communication and uncertainty management. Journal of Communication,51(3), 477–497. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2001.tb02892.x
Brashers, D. E. (2007). A theory of communication and uncertainty management. In B.B. Whaley & W. Samter (Eds.), Explaining communication: Contemporary theories and Examplars (pp. 201–218). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Brashers, D. E., Neiding, J. L., Haas, S. M., Dobbs, L. W., Cardillo, L. W., & Russel, J.A. (2000). Communication in the management of uncertainty: The case of persons https://doi.org/10.1080/03637750009376495living with HIV or AIDS. Communication Monographs, 67(1), 63–84.
Bruner, J. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds Harvard University Press.
Dagtas, A. & Sahinkarakas S. (2019). The experience of uncertainty in foreign language learning within dynamic systems framework. Folklore-Literature 25(97 − 1), 306–319. https://doi.org/10.22559/folklor.943
Dewey, J. (1929). The quest for certainty. Minton, Balch, & Company.
Doyle, W., & Carter, K. (1984). Academic tasks in classrooms. Curriculum Inquiry, 14, 129–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/03626784.1984.11075917
Goldsmith, D. J. (2001). A normative approach to the study of uncertainty and communication. Journal of Communication, 51(3), 514–533. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2001.tb02894.x
Hiver, P., & Al-Hoorie, A. H. (2019). Research methods for complexity theory in applied linguistics. Multilingual Matters.
Jordan, M. (2010). Managing uncertainty in collaborative robotics engineering projects: The influence of task structure and peer interaction. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The University of Texas, Texas.
Jordan, M., & McDaniel, R. R. (2014). Managing uncertainty during collaborative problem solving in elementary school teams: The role of peer influence in robotics engineering activity. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 23, 490–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2014.896254
Kramer, M. W. (2004). Managing uncertainty in organizational communication. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Kramsch, C. J. (1987). Interactive discourse in small and large groups. In W. M. Rivers (Ed.), Interactive language teaching, (17–32), Cambridge University Press.
Lipshitz, R., & Strauss, O. (1997). Coping with uncertainty: A naturalistic decision-making analysis. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Process, 69(2), 149-163. https://doi.org/10.1006/obhd.1997.2679
MacIntyre, P. D.,& Gregersen, T. (2012). Emotions that facilitate language learning: The positive-broadening power of the imagination. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2, 193–213. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2012.2.2.4
McDonald, J. P. (1992). Teaching: Making sense of an uncertain craft. Teachers College Press.
Oxford, L. R. (1997). Cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and interaction: Three communicative strands in the language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 81(1997), 443–456. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1997.tb05510.x
Smithson, M. (2008). Psychology’s ambivalent view of uncertainty. In G. Bammer and M. Smithson (Eds.), Uncertainty and risk: Multidisciplinary perspectives (pp. 205–217). Earthscan Publications Ltd.
Stake, R.E. (1995). The art of case study research. Sage Publications, Inc.
Starbuck, W. H. (2009). Perspective-Cognitive reactions to rare events: Perceptions, uncertainty, and learning. Organization Science, 20(5), 925–937. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1090.0440
Van Lier, L. (2004). The ecology and semiotics of language learning: A sociocultural Perspective. Kluwer Academic Publishers.