Mcleodbrandoncasestudy

Brandon McLeod
Case Study Observation Log Entry: 1

9 April 2015
8:55 AM ~ 10:15 AM
Setting
The setting is a Community College ESL Classroom. This is a multi-level class with
students from more than ten different countries and seven different languages. Today there are
twelve students present in the class with levels ranging from two to six (according to the Casas
test, reading component). The classroom has computers, which students may use if they finish an
assignment early or as a dictionary or translation device. The class does not have any textbooks
provided by the college, so the instructor uses worksheets from Cambridge University Presss
Ventures series (required text for instruction). Observation begins just before the class starts and
lasts through break.
Observations
The case study (CS) student arrived on time and said hello to his classmates. He asked a
classmate, What you did last weekend?
o When given a recast by the instructor, the student repeated with, Oh yeah, what
did you do last weekend?
!
The other student replied. CS responded with, Oh thats good. Nothing

else was said.
Class began with an activity called Gotcha, where the teacher wrote a paragraph on the
whiteboard using primarily the verb got to describe morning actions (got up, got
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dressed, etc.). The students needed to substitute the verb got with other phrasal verbs
thy have been practicing.
o CS mostly used target-like forms except in place of got dressed, CS used had
dressed
The teacher passed out a cloze worksheet on phrasal verbs and the students worked
silently.
CS finished the worksheet before most of the other students (he is one of the highest level
students in the class) and began to read a modified version of the Joy Luck Club by Amy
Tan as part of an input flood.
o CS read aloud (quietly) to himself, occasionally looking up words in Websters
Learners Dictionary or by using Google Translate.
The teacher began to go over the worksheet on the board (worksheet was projected),
having the students write the answers in the blanks.
o CS wrote, Please turn it down the TV.
When reviewing some of the vocabulary from the worksheet, the teacher asked about
what you can do with a hose
o CS answered, You can use it fill it out a water tank. And You can use it fill out
the gas tank.
!
After two explicit feedbacks on fill out versus fill up the student
seemed to understand the difference.
The class went on break. Jacinto (CS) remained at his desk and read his book aloud to
himself. Every few sentences he looked up a word in the dictionary or on Google
Translate.
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Comments
Jacinto does not seem to interact with his fellow students very often on his own. He did
greet the person who sits next to him, but apart from that he said almost nothing to anyone but
the teacher for the entire first hour of observation. I expected more talking with his neighbors
during the class. Even still, I was able to observe several interesting errors.
Brandon McLeod
McLeod 4!
9 April 2015
10:15 AM ~ 11:35 AM
Setting
twelve students present in the class with levels ranging from two to six (according to the Casas
Ventures series (required text for instruction). Observation began during the break and continued
until the end of the class. About halfway through, the class transitioned from the classroom to the
large foyer on the first floor for a campus event Spring Fest, which included booths advertising
various majors offered at the college. It also featured a DJ, free food, and an inflatable basketball
goal set.
Observations
After the class returned from break, they began an exercise with phrasal verb questions
and answers. Jacinto was paired up with a lower level student and had to explain in
simple terms the meaning of clean up and put away. He made multiple attempts to
use some metalinguistic talk. After each student asks and answers each others questions,
they switch questions and find new partners.
o CS frequently used filler phrases such as, Whos next? when looking for a new
partner.
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o Each time he got a new partner, he began with OK Mr./Ms. and the first name
of the partner (e.g. Mr. Anwar)
The question and answer activity lasted about 25 minutes. At this point, it was close to
eleven oclock. Two of the students (from Laos) got up to leave. The class, including CS,
said Goodbye or See you tomorrow. CS also said Muunpokanmai (See you
tomorrow in Lao).
The class was dismissed with instructions to go to Spring Fest and talk to the people at
the booths about a major they may be interested in.
o At Spring Fest, none of the students ventured over to the booths. Jacinto, also, did
not try to speak with them.
o CS did ask someone, Is this the line for the food? and replied with, Thank you.
after getting a response.
o While eating, almost nothing was said among the students.
After the students ate, Jacinto said, Mr. Gerzayn, you want shoot the basketball?
o The two students began to compete in who could get the most baskets in one
minute. The instructor kept time and the observing students counted out loud.
!
Jacinto lost and said, Aw man!
o Two different ESL students stepped up to shoot the basketballs. CS asked the
instructor, Who you think gonna win?
!
During the game, Jacinto counted (aloud) both students goals. At the end
he said, You won, Mr. Marlon.
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Basketball continued in this way for several more rounds with little variation on the
dialog. Almost all of the students tried at least once. Following that, they all said,
Goodbye. or See you tomorrow.
Comments
There was a very small amount of communication between the ESL students and the
native English speakers at the event. To encourage more participation, the instructor should have
made an assignment (like a survey or interview) that required the students to speak with the
native speakers. I was pleased to see Jacinto using more language with his classmates outside of
the classroom than he does inside the classroom. It is very interesting that he refers to everyone
as Mr./Ms. and their first name.
McLeod 7!
Brandon McLeod
13 April 2015
8:55 AM ~ 10:15 AM
Setting
twenty students present in the class with levels ranging from two to six (according to the Casas
lasts through break.
Observations
Several students arrived to class early. CS, arrives about 15 minutes early, says Good
morning. and sits down. He logs into his computer, checks his email, and opens
Memrise.com. He starts practicing vocabulary words on a list that he chose for himself.
o Since the flashcard set has audio, he gets headphones (provided by the school) so
he can hear the words. He also repeats the words out loud as he studies them.
CSs friend comes in and says, Good morning. Jacinto says, Good morning, Mr.
Nsang. How was your weekend? His friend replies, My weekend? Work. Work. Work.
All weekend work. Jacinto responds, Oh me too. I work all weekend, but on Sunday go
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to church. Hows your baby doing? Nsang says, She good. She sleep a lot. Good baby.
Jacinto says, Good, and returns to studying.
Class begins with checking homework: writing sentences using phrasal verbs in a chart
pairing verbs with particles or prepositions (for example, take out, take off, take up, take
on, take in, take down, get out, get off, and so on.)
o CS wrote, I take out the garbage, I put away my tools, and, I dont give up
studying English on the board.
o The teacher asked for additional examples.
!
CS offered out loud, I put on my shoes and, I take off my socks.
CS and class laughed when an older woman loudly said, Take off
your clothes!
This activity took almost an entire hour.
When he wasnt writing answers or sharing them orally, CS was

reading in The Joy Luck Club. He is now on page 18.
The class dismissed for break and CS returned to studying Memrise on his own. He was
interrupted by another student coming over to talk to him.
Anwar said, Hey Jacinto, what you doin? Jacinto replied, Im studying. What are you
doing Mr. Anwar? The other student replied, Nothin. I just wanted to see what you
were doin. Jacinto responded with, Oh. OK, put his headphones back on, and started
studying again.
Comments
One of the most interesting moments was the bit of humor used by the woman. Though
the joke was rather simple, it takes a fair amount of linguistic competence to make and
McLeod 9!
understand jokes. CS laughed before most of the other students had processed what the woman
had said. It is possible too that his laughter prompted other students who had not caught the joke
to laugh as well. In addition, it was good to see the student interacting with his classmates more.
This is an important aspect of language acquisition that, based on the first two hours of
observation, he was not getting enough of.
McLeod 10!
Brandon McLeod
13 April 2015
10:15 AM ~ 11:35 AM
Setting
twenty students present in the class with levels ranging from two to six (according to the Casas
Ventures series (required text for instruction). Observation begins after the class returns from its
break and lasts until just after the class has ended.
Observations
The class resumed with a sentence scramble activity. The students were divided into pairs.
Each pair was given strips of paper, each strip with one sentence on it. Using context
clues and transition words, the students were to put the sentences into the correct order.
The sentences featured phrasal verbs and told the story of what a worker did throughout
her day.
o CS was paired with someone who was slightly lower level, but who also spoke
Spanish. CS did not use any Spanish during the activity. Even when his partner
would ask questions or comment in Spanish, CS would always reply with English.
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o The two students divided the ten sentences and read 5 sentences each first silently,
then out loud to each other.
!
After all the sentences were read, CS pointed to one of the strips and said,
I think this on is first one. This was followed by, Then maybe this one.
CS acted as the leader of the pair. He placed seven of the strips, while his
partner only placed three (which is understandable considering he is of
higher level).
o After about 20 minutes, CS said, Teacher, will you come look. I think we
finished.
!
The instructor showed them three that were out of place. Jacinto said, Oh
no, and quickly pulled them out of the arrangement they had made.
About ten minutes later, Jacinto called the instructor back over and said, I
think we got it this time. The instructor told them they were correct and
to please wait until the other students finished.
Jacinto returned to Memrise until it was time to check the answers.
The teacher selected Jacinto and his partner to read their story. Jacinto read all of the
even numbered sentences and his partner read the odd ones.
The class dismissed after the other pairs had read their stories as well. Jacinto said, See
you tomorrow, Mr. Nsang, and left after saying, See you tomorrow, teacher.
Comments
The second hour of class did not have much conversation going on. The activity seemed
to be a pretty good one in that it got the students (or at least the CS) thinking a bit more
abstractly. It prevented them from looking at the sentences as isolated examples. Instead, they
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had to be considered as a whole and how they related as a whole. Furthermore, the sentences also
fit in with the content of their current unit: work. By expanding on a central theme, the students
can better understand the context. I am interested the speed at which the CS is acquiring phrasal
verbs. There is no control group and there was no pre-test, so it is not possible to test it now, but
I wonder if activities like this contextual ordering one is more effective than other types of
activities.
McLeod 13!
Brandon McLeod
14 April 2015
8:55 AM ~ 10:15 AM
Setting
eighteen students present in the class with levels ranging from two to six (according to the Casas
lasts until break.
Observations
Continuing on the theme of work, the students practiced using phrasal verbs in regards to
work duties (for example, I have to, Ive got to, I want to, etc.)
Students worked individually creating lists of their duties/responsibilities at work. The

teacher wrote some questions on the board to activate the students prior knowledge (e.g.
What is the first/last thing you do? What do you do before/after lunch? etc.)
o The teacher went around the room assisting students in making their lists. CS did
not need or receive individualized assistance with this task.
Following the list-making activity, the teacher erased the board and instructed the
students to create questions to ask each other. The instructor used scaffolding to get the
McLeod 14!
students to create more complex sentences than they were offering on their own.
Eventually, CS offered the question, What you have to do when you get to work?
o The teacher provided a productive recast with What you have to do? (rising
inflection on the end to indicate an error) Is that right?
o CS responded with, Oh I mean, what did you have to do? Instructor replied,
Remember, were not talking about the past. Did is for the past. What do you
use if youre talking about the present?
o Another student quietly says, Do. Do. Do. CS says, Oh yeah. What do you do?
(Teacher gestures for Jacinto to continue) Oh, uh, when you get to work?
o Teacher says, One more time? CS responds, What do you do when you get to
work?
Once the board had about fifteen questions, the teacher had the students stand up and ask
and answer each others questions. The students switched partners after every question.
CS asked his classmates, What you have got to do at work? When you have to be at
work?
When asked about his work duties, CS answered, I have got to mow the grass. I got to
cut the bushes and cut the trees. I gotta be at work at sometimes in the morning 8
oclock and sometimes in the afternoon, like 1 oclock.
The class is dismissed for break.

Comments
CS and the other students seemed really engaged in these activities. CS could easily list
his duties and use the target vocabulary, and he seemed really pleased at that ability. During the
speaking portion of the activity, there were a few problems with question structure. He seems to
McLeod 15!
struggle with the do auxiliary. Overall, his performance was energetic and flowed easily. He
seemed to like interacting with his classmates.
McLeod 16!
Brandon McLeod
14 April 2015
10:15 AM ~ 11:35 AM
Setting
eighteen students present in the class with levels ranging from two to six (according to the Casas
Ventures series (required text for instruction). Observation begins during the break and lasts until
just after the class has ended.
Observations
During the break, the CS asked the student beside him (who had come in late and had
been absent the day before), What you did last weekend? Nsang replied, I went to
Carowinds. Jacinto responded, Oh yeah? You have fun? Nsang said, Yeah. Lots of
fun. Jacinto replied, Thats good.
CS began reading in the Joy Luck Club again. He is now more than halfway through.
o I asked him what he thinks of the book so far. He said, Its really interesting. Its
about Chinese history and Chinese culture. Its good.
o I asked him when he would finish. He said, I dont know. Maybe next week.
McLeod 17!
Class started back with the students being asked to name a job and the different
requirements to get that job.
o CS suggested garbage man
After identifying job requirements for the job, the students (through some scaffolding)
came up with questions that would be asked in a job interview.
o CS suggested, Whats your name? and You have experience?
Students wrote down the questions then got with a partner to practice asking and
answering the interview questions.
CS was paired up with a very low-level student from Laos and had to re-explain the
assignment several times to his partner. His explanations included monitoring his speech
so that it was more comprehensible, negotiation, and the use of gestures (body language)
to communicate his message (this was after the teacher had explained and modeled the
exercise for the class). Jacinto also tried to model the activity, but the other student,
instead of answering the question, copied Jacintos movements and repeated what he said.
o CS said, No. Dont repeat. You need to answer the question. (pointing at self)
Whats your name? (points at partner). Partner says, Jacinto and Jacinto says
(with gestures again), No, youre Teme. I say, Whats your name? and you say
My name is Teme. CSs partner seemed to understand the assignment after this
explanation so Jacinto continued, How old you areare you? Why you want
this job. You need to fill out the-the job application.
o Jacinto hands his written questions to his partner for him to use and says, Now
you ask me. CS answered all of the questions quickly and easily. During the
activity, he had a good bit of trouble with the /y/ pronunciation in the word you.
McLeod 18!
Comments
It was very interesting to watch Jacinto trying to negotiate meaning with his partner. It
took him several minutes and many restarts to successfully communicate. He had to think about
what he wanted to say and how best to say that to someone with less ability in English than he
has.
McLeod 19!
Brandon McLeod
15April 2015
8:55 AM ~ 10:15 AM
Setting
fifteen students present in the class with levels ranging from two to six (according to the Casas
lasts until the class goes on break. Today was a rainy day, so many students came in later than
usual. CS arrived twenty minutes late.
Observations
When CS arrived, class was already checking the homework on the board. The worksheet
that had been assigned was being projected onto the whiteboard and students, selected by
the teacher, were writing the answers in the blanks.
CS did not have his homework complete and began to fill in the answers immediately,
including the ones not yet answered on the board.
When the teacher asked the class, Is this right? CS answered loudly, Yes or, No.
o When the answer was not correct, the teacher asked, What should it be?
McLeod 20!
!
CS answered loudly with the correct answer before most of the other
students, even though he had not done the assignment prior to arriving.
The second half of the worksheet had the students writing personalized sentences.
The teacher selected CS to write his answers on the board.

o He wrote, When I go to work, I need to cut the grass. After that, I have to put
the grass in the bags.
!
Each of these examples followed the sample sentences on the worksheet.
For the next activity, the students had to take the list of job duties they made the previous
day and put the duties into sentences. The more advanced students in the class (like
Jacinto) were told to use adverb clauses to describe when they do those duties. The
instructor provided some sample sentences on the board to demonstrate the target form.
CS wrote sentences such as, When I get to work, first I talk to the customer. After I
talk to the customer, I know what I need to do. Before I cut the grass, I usually need to
pick up sticks. At 12 oclock I take a break and eat my lunch. After that, I work more
in the afternoon. I do whatever the customer wants me to do.
The students were then asked to share their work duties with the class. The teacher asked
each student, What do you like about your job? and What do you dislike about your
job?
o CS said that he like working outside and talking to the customers, but that he does
not like having to work every day. He said that back in Hidalgo, Mexico, you do
not have to work every day because you grow food at your house, so you do not
need as much money.
McLeod 21!
Comments
The biggest thing that stuck out to me during this hour was Jacintos misuse of the article the.
Also, his comment about what life was like in Mexico was surprising. I am not sure how truthful
it is. I know what he and his family left Mexico when he was a young teen. As with most teens
he probably did not realize just how much his parents were working. I wonder if this perception
affects his acculturation.
McLeod 22!
Brandon McLeod
15 April 2015
10:15 AM ~ 11:35 AM
Setting
fifteen students present in the class with levels ranging from two to six (according to the Casas
Ventures series (required text for instruction). Observation begins during the classs break and
lasts until just after the class has ended.
Observations
During the break, CS continued reading Joy Luck Club. He read out loud (but quietly) to
himself. He sometimes would read a sentence two or three times until he seemed to fully
understand the meaning.
Another student interrupted him asking, Whats up Jacinto? CS replied, Nothing much.
Whats up with you, Mr. Anwar? The other student replies, Nothin. Jacinto says, Oh
ok. The other student walks away with neither conversant saying anything else (just like
during the other observation time).
Jacinto returns to his book. He reaches page 38 by the time the teacher is starting class
back.
McLeod 23!
The class restarted with a worksheet being projected onto the board. It was on participle
adjectives and had been assigned for homework as well.
The instructor chose CS to answer the third question, I am frightened/frightening of

spiders.
o CS chose frightening.
o Almost all students chose wrong answers. When checking the answers, the
students were all groaning and complaining. When Jacinto found out his answer
was wrong he said disappointedly, Oh man.
While the students are correcting their worksheets, the teacher draws several scenarios on
the whiteboard (Dracula scaring a baby; people sitting in a movie theater; a person lifting
a large set of weights; someone waking up to an alarm clock; and someone on the street
looking confused). In a manner similar to the worksheet, the teacher wrote sentences
beneath each picture. For example: Dracula is scared/scaring the baby. The baby is
scared/scaring of Dracula.
The teacher answered a couple of the sentences and asked students if they noticed
anything.
o CS said That one has ed and that one has ing.
!
The class goes, Oh!
o The teacher went on to explain the source and receiver functions and how to
recognize each.
CS was asked to choose the correct answer for the alarm clock drawing.
o He chose The clock is alarming and The man is alarmed.
McLeod 24!
As class ended, Jacinto said See you tomorrow to several students, and Tambiet
hotdog to one of the Vietnamese students (tambiet means see you later and the
hotdog was mimic hopjaw, which means teacher). The Vietnamese student correcting
him pointing at herself saying, Tambiet tai then pointing at the teacher saying,
Tambiet hopjaw. Jacinto responded with Oh, I see. Tambiet tai.
Comments
All of the students, including CS, seemed to have a very difficult time with participle
adjectives at first. It seems like it was almost a total waste of time to have the students complete
the worksheet at home before receiving any instruction on the issue. Though the students
eventually got the explicit instruction, they had to suffer through a list of wrong answers before
that happened.
McLeod 25!
Brandon McLeod
16 April 2015
8:55 AM ~ 10:15 AM
Setting
nineteen students present in the class with levels ranging from two to six (according to the Casas
ends when the class goes on break. Today, the case study arrived around 15 minutes late.
Observations
When CS arrived, the class was creating job advertisements (through scaffolding). The
teacher first got a list of jobs, and then had the students name the qualifications needed to
get the job.
CS offered Landscaping (his current job). Other jobs included truck driver, lifeguard,
secretary, etc.
CS listed some of the equipment that a landscaper must be able to use (blower, mower,
edger, chainsaw, hedge clippers, and rake). He also gave other requirements must be
able to lift fifty pounds or more
McLeod 26!
Students were then separated into groups of two or three to create job interview dialogs,
which they would perform in front of the class.
With his partner, Jacinto chose to be the applicant for a landscaping job because, I know
what is needed.
Students were paired up, whenever possible, with a student from a different language
background. Jacinto chose the student next to him, Teme (the same student from Laos
that he was paired up with before).
Jacinto had to, in many ways, walk his partner through the exercise. It took a lot of
negotiation for the pair to develop a usable dialogue.
During the performance, Jacinto said, I am coming for applying job.

o He also asked, I will get any break?
His partner was only able to complete the dialogue by reading each line in his notebook.
Jacinto, however, was able to perform the whole scene without his notebook.
Additionally, he added in some improvisation that the other student was not expecting.
Comments
Since the student was able to use a context that was familiar, meaningful, and of interest
to him, it seemed to be a good activity. Target vocabulary words like skills, requirements, and
apply were used comfortably and mostly correctly. The target modal must be was used several
times during the activity. The activity could have been improved by providing greater
scaffolding for the lower-level student or by providing the upper-level students, like Jacinto, with
tools to aid them in scaffolding for the lower level students. Overall, I think it worked well for
Jacinto. The activity appealed to his motivation, and he seemed to enjoy working with his
partnerwhich could be related to learning styleand because he had to work so hard
McLeod 27!
explaining the assignment to his partner, he used much more language than many of the other
students.
McLeod 28!
Brandon McLeod
16 April 2015
10:15 AM ~ 11:35 AM
Setting
nineteen students present in the class with levels ranging from two to six (according to the Casas
Ventures series (required text for instruction). Observation begins during the break and lasts until
just after the class has ended.
Observations
During the break the student practiced on Memrise.com using headphones for the audio
and saying the words quietly to himself.
The second half of class began with the students performing a matching exercise using
pictures and text depicting a job application flow chart.
o Lower-level and mid-level students were chosen to match the image with the
description of that part of the job application process. CS study was not chosen,
but when he saw the other students having difficulties, he tried to help by saying,
you got the wrong one, Not that one, No, its Write a resume and cover
letter is number one.
McLeod 29!
o When other students were taking too long, CS asked, Can I do one?
o One of the answers was left blank by the student assigned to it. The teacher asked,
What does it look like number six is doing?
!
CS said, It look like hes waiting.
o The teacher corrected the mistakes by going through each one and asking, Is this
right? This was followed by walking through the events and having the students
read the order of events out loud several times.
!
The activity was interrupted by the two students from Laos leaving at their
designated time. CS said, Muunpokanmai. Teme corrected him saying,
No, muunpokanmai, see you tomorrow. Tidnapokanmai, see you next
week. Jacinto responded with Oh. Tidnapokanmai, see you next week,
Mr. Teme.
o The teacher concluded this activity by asking the students about their job
application experiences.
!
CS said he has never had a cover letter or resume, but that he has filled out
(correct form) a job application before.
o The last few minutes of class, the teacher introduced the topic for the next week:
likes and dislikes of your job and good/bad jobs.
Comments
This is the final day of observations. The case study student seems to really enjoy using
English, but when there is free time, he typically keeps to himselfonly talking to the other
students when they initiate conversation or during entrances/exits. It will be interesting to look at
McLeod 30!
what Jacintos learning style preferences are and analyzing how those affect his behavior in the
classroom with his peers.
Brandon McLeod
9 April 2015
Case Study Journal Entry: 1
Today was the first day of observations. Though I am familiar with the student, I have
never conducted an in depth observation before. At first, I was unsure about what I should look
for. Even before the class began, however, I found things that should be written down. It is
amazing how much information is available when one is looking.
One of the first things I noticed is that Jacinto hardly spoke to the other students when he
arrived. He said hello to the person next to him, but did not begin a conversation. Instead, he
chose to read alone. It made me consider the different ways personality can affect language
learning. While it is certainly true that the book he was reading, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
(edited for students), is beneficial to his language development, I have to wonder how much
more beneficial it might be if, instead of reading, he had a conversation with those around him.
After all, outside of class, he typically associates with Spanish speakers. It would seem to be
more advantageous, if he were taking advantage of the opportunity around him. It is possible for
him to read a book at home alone, if he wanted to. This is not the case for conversing with people
who speak English. In daily life, one generally must have a purpose (often business related) to
talk with someone you do not know. Even then, the conversations usually follow typical patterns.
This same type of behavior was exhibited during the break and when the class let out to
attend Spring Fest (an event on campus). At Spring Fest, Jacinto hardly spoke to anyone outside
of his class. In fact, the most words from his mouth came when he was watching two of his
classmates shooting mini-basketballs in a carnival style game. Most of the class was watching
and cheering the other students on. These activities are good, but the language use was quite
McLeod 2!
limited. At the other end of the event area, departments from the college had set up booths to
recruit students to their programs. Unfortunately, none of the ESL students, including Jacinto,
approached them for more information. It may be that they had no interest in those programs, or,
perhaps, it was fear of not being able to speak properly that kept them from interacting.
Whatever the case, the need is clear: the students need to be interacting with native speakers
more often. I am thinking of ways as an instructor to try and encourage this.
I am looking forward to the rest of my observations and the analysis of my findings. Just
the act of observing for two and a half hours today gave me good insight into the learner
experience and also into things that I may not have noticed (as a teacher) otherwise.
McLeod 3!
Brandon McLeod
13 April 2015
One of the more interesting things I observed today is the way that my case study subject
interacts with the other students. Jacinto refers to everyone by Mr. or Ms. and the students
first name. I am not as well versed with Latin American culture as I am the French, Japanese,
and Saudi Arabian cultures. I wonder if addressing everyone this way in a kind of culture
transfer or cross-linguistic influence. I am quite curious if Jacinto were speaking in Spanish,
would he address everyone as Seor or Seora/Seorita and their first name in the same way. I
have also considered the possibilities that it is a personality quirk or a way of showing deference
(in regards to status).
The question of status is especially interesting because it could reveal more about the
immigrant experience as a whole. How do immigrants view themselves within the community?
How significant is the role that acculturation (or lack of acculturation) plays in language
acquisition? It is certain that these questions cannot be answered through the observations of a
single student. Additionally, any findings about immigrants as a group would be sweeping
generalizations. It is so easy to slip into the mindset that research on a few individuals (or even
many individuals) can represent an entire group. In the end, language acquisition and
acculturation is still individualized. There are things that are more effective and less effective in
terms of instruction, and the same is true for each learner. Affective factors, motivation, learning
styles, acculturation, and more all influence a learners ability to acquire language. There is no
one method for every student.
McLeod 4!
In regards to affective factors, as evidenced by the students laughter during the lesson,
humor and a good rapport go a long way in making students more active and interested in the
classroom. If the students are relaxed, making jokes (in the target language), and having fun, the
lessons will go smoother and language acquisition will be easier. There are, of course, limitations
to how much joking and camaraderie can be allowed before it becomes disruptive. Though a
friendly, safe atmosphere needs to be propagated, the students and the instructor must keep in
mind the target grammar, vocabulary, and content. Allowing a classroom to become too relaxed
can lead to a breakdown of classroom management, negatively impacting the learning process
for all the students.
There are so many factors that influence a students acquisition, it is difficult to know
where to begin with assessments. Additionally, it is not clear if, through these assessments, we
can get a full understanding of the student. Each assessment is only able to identify a small
portion of what makes up the learning profile of that individual. Furthermore, certain factors can
change depending on content, context, and level progression. That being said, even a single
assessment would be beneficial in granting the instructor better insight in to the affective issues a
student is dealing with, learning style preference, motivation, acculturation, the types of errors a
student is have, and many more facets of a students personality, progress, advantages, and
difficulties. Though it would be incredibly challenging, in many situations, to perform a careful,
extensive assessment and analysis of all ones students, it would not be too arduous to give
certain activities, quizzes, or exercises to all of the students. Then, take the results of those and
analyze the results as they pertain to the individuals and to the class. Valuable information about
the students can be gained from this, and the new knowledge can be applied to make future
lessons much more effective. While it is unlikely that all of the students will share qualities in
McLeod 5!
motivation, acculturation, proficiency, or learning style, it is certain that all of the students will
have some overlap with each other. In other words, even if a lesson, activity, or exercise is not
optimal for an individual, it does not mean that it will not be beneficial. For example, someone
who is primarily a visual learner will still benefit from an aural activity because everyone has a
mix of learning style preferences. We are not limited to just one or two ways of acquiring new
knowledge.
McLeod 6!
Brandon McLeod
14 April 2015
Having completed six of the ten hours of observation, I feel like I have a pretty good
understanding of my research subject. Though I have not yet begun my activities, I have started
narrowing down the types of activities I would like to do. Acculturation is especially interesting
to me, and I think it could give me a better understanding of the immigrant experience. I know
that Jacinto came to the United States as a teenager, but at the moment I do not know the extent
of his acculturation. One of my ideas is that he is, perhaps, a kind of third culture kid
someone raised within two different cultures and not fully a part of either one.
It is fairly likely, given Jacintos age when his family moved, that he is part of a third
culture. His primary years were in Mexico, but most of his teens and all of his adult years have
been in the United States. It is clear from our conversations that he wishes he could be more
involved in American culture. Since he does not feel like he is fully part of the American culture,
then he must not be. Likewise, when I asked him if he felt homesick, or felt like he was part of
the Mexican culture, he told me that he did not feel Mexican. If he is not American and is not
Mexican, then what is he? Obviously, he is something in between Mexican and U.S. cultures and
something outside of botha unique culture.
What does this unique culture entail, and does being a part of it, in a way, prevent him
from becoming acculturated with U.S. culture? Additionally, if he moved to another culture,
would he be able to relate in the same way to someone who only lived in two cultures? I am not
sure if an acculturation interview and assessment can answer these questions, but I think they are
McLeod 7!
all important ones to ask, when looking at the immigration experience and the different effects
that culture and acculturation can have on second language acquisition.
Another issue that I have been considering is the difference between intrinsic and
extrinsic motivations and the differing effects on language acquisition. For example: Is intrinsic
motivation a better source of drive in language acquisition? What about extrinsic motivation? I
can come up with compelling reasons why both are advantageous. Intrinsic motivation, it seems,
would be much more sustaining. You learn because you want to get better, you want to gain
knowledge, or it is interesting. There are many different internal factors that can inspire someone
to learn a second language. However, external factors can be quite persuasive: the need to
survive, get a job, buy food, go to the bank, make friends, etc. All of these things are very good
reasons to improve ones language skills. Realistically, however, a student needs both intrinsic
and extrinsic influences to encourage them to continue in language acquisition.
As for Jacintos motivations, I know that he wants to start his own business and that he
would like to use English to speak with his customers. He seems to enjoy using English in the
classroom and learning new words, but simple enjoyment may not translate into adequate
motivation. For him, I think the necessity of English is the strongest factor. He wants to start his
own business, in order to make more money, in order to provide a better life for his daughter. In
the end, to give his daughter a better life, he needs to be able to use English effectively and
professionally. Also to be considered is how his daughter feels. Will she feel American or will
she feel like she is somewhere in between and not fully part of either U.S. or Mexican culture?
In order to assess his motivation, I will conduct and interview and directly ask him about
what he recognizes as his motivations. Then, I can get him to look at examples of external and
internal motivations, or the list of needs from the textbook, and have him rank each item
McLeod 8!
according to how suitable he feels it is for him. I will look at the results of both and analyze them
in conjunction with my observations. This test is not perfect, of course, because motivation is so
complex. Additionally, there are motivating factors that we may not realize we have and that are
not observable to a researcher. There are possibilities of factors dating back to his childhood that
are pushing him to (or hindering him from) learning English. A simple assessment and
observations cannot delve into someones subconscious, but, I think, by having Jacinto reflect on
his own motivations and then having him explain and rank types of motivations (in addition to
my interview and observations) I can gain considerable insight into what motivates him and how
it affects his language acquisition.
McLeod 9!
Brandon McLeod
15 April 2015
The case study subject did not have his homework completed when he came to class.
This led me to two possible (but not mutually exclusive) reasons. First, perhaps he did not have
time to complete the assignment at homedue to work, community, or family obligations.
Second, it is possible that he chose not to take the time out to do the homework for various
reasons: wanted to do something else instead (laziness), did not understand, or did not feel like
the task was engaging or challenging enough for him to spend time on it. I labeled these as not
mutually exclusive since it is conceivable that he did not have much available time, but could
have made time by rearranging his schedule, staying up late, or getting up early.
Since during the homework check portion of the class he was able to answer the
questions (though he had not done the homework), it is clear that the assignment was not too
challenging. In addition, since Jacinto is typically a diligent student, it is unlikely that he would
not make an effort to arrange his schedule in such a way that he would have adequate time to
complete assignments. This being the case, it is most likely that he did not feel that doing the
assignment at home was of sufficient benefit to take the time to do it.
That being discerned, it becomes a question of why the assignment was not engaging
enough. The homework was to complete a worksheet using participle adjectives. It was a typical
cloze exercise with the words provided in a box and the sentences down below. Following that,
the students needed to select the correct form of the adjective to complete the sentence. What
makes the worksheet worse is that the sentences the students have to complete are isolated
presented without any context whatsoever.
McLeod 10!
It is already a difficult task to get students to complete homework assignments (especially
when there is no grade involved and they do not have to pay for the courseand, as adults, there
is no parent pushing them to learn). It is ever more challenging to get the students to complete a
homework assignment that is not challenging and is not presented in a way that is interesting.
Isolated, context-free examples are of minimal help to students learning a second language.
Furthermore, how can a student acquire a language, if they are not willing to do the homework?
Additionally, it could be that the instructor is taking too much time to review the homework in
class. If it is going to take so long in class and will be explained, then is there a real perceived
need to do it at home?
It seems to be the case that this is a common problem for many second language
classrooms. Teachers so often depend on the old grammar translation methods that, most likely,
they were taught with. It matters very little that those methodologies were not research-based and
there are other much more effective methods of teaching that have been proven to be such
through the research efforts of linguists and educators. In defense of the worksheet, I must say
that some practiceeven if the benefits are only slightis better than no practice at all.
Seeing this assignment fail made me think about what could be done to improve it so that
the student would want to rearrange her or his schedule in order to be able to do it. What can the
instructor do with the assignment to make it appealing and effective? Practical, fun, contextual,
they are all interrelated. Perhaps making a student interest sheet at the beginning of the term
would give the instructor better insight into the types of content students are looking to learn
about.
During the prior class, the teacher had not explained what participle adjectives were or
how they were to be used. It is likely that this homework assignment was given as a noticing
McLeod 11!
activity, to see if the students could recognize the patterns on their own using the guided
worksheet. Considering that most of the students gave incorrect answers during the check, it is
unlikely that most (if any) of them actually noticed any patterns. Later, when the teacher was
giving explicit instruction on how participle adjectives are used (by way of pictures and captions
drawn on the whiteboard), the students still seemed lost. Every time a new example was
presented, the students would shout out guesses as to which adjective form was actually correct
(many times changing their answers several times before the teacher revealed the correct choice).
After about six examples (with two captions per drawing) were on the board, the teacher asked
the students to look carefully at each sentence to see if they notice anything that is the same. A
few moments later, the case study student called out the correct answer: that some of them ended
in ed and some in ing.
This provided a segue for the teacher to transition into a lesson on the source and
receiver. The post-explicit instruction activity was a complete reversal of the homework check.
An overwhelming majority of the students were getting the correct answer every time on the first
try. This is exactly the kind of moment that a language instructor works for. The only problem is
that it happened one day too late. The students had already struggled through the homework
assignment with no way of discerning whether or not they were correct. Then, when they arrived
in class, they discovered they were mostly wrong. This would have to be demoralizing to the
students who worked hard on the homework. Though their spirits were lifted later, when they
finally learned how to find the correct word, it is likely that some of them felt that they should
have figured it out sooner or on their own. This feeling may discourage them from trying to
experiment with the language in the futuremaking them less likely to acquire and use more
complex forms.
McLeod 12!
Apart from having introduced the target form before giving the assignment, this
homework could have been improved. For example, have the students create their own pictures
and captions. The students will already be familiar with the format of the assignment from the
lesson. The teacher can also use scaffolding to get the students to suggest participle adjectives
that could be used in the homework assignment. In these ways, it makes the homework more
active, and, because it involves content created by the students, they will be more interested in it.
Everyone is proud to work on something they created. Giving them something of their own
encourages them to work even harder.
When thinking about the many things that affect language acquisition, many think
primarily about affect, motivation, learning style, and other things that are student-oriented.
These are all important and useful ways to examine language development and proficiency.
However, instruction is as important as any other category. Most, if not all, language students
have had the experience of a bad instructor. In fact, most of the people in the M.A.T.L. program
at the University of Southern Mississippi have such stories. This is not to say that the instructor
in this case was bad, but that it is easy, even for good instructors, to make mistakes that lead to
inadequate participation and postponed acquisition of target forms. All we can do, as instructors,
is consistently work to improve our instruction and activities. By keeping abreast of the latest
research and techniques, employing research-based methodologies, promoting a safe and
enjoyable learning environment, and careful lesson planning, we help our students succeed, and,
hopefully never say that they had a bad teacher.
McLeod 13!
Brandon McLeod
16 April 2015
This is the final day of my observations. Over the course of this project, I have really
learned a lot about my case study and about the many variables that play into a students
acquisition. I have collected observational data regarding the students behavior in and out of the
classroom and gained insight into the kinds of issues that many students deal with, common
errors, and more.
One of the most interesting elements of todays observation was learner negotiation.
Jacinto was paired with a much lower level student. Because of this, he had to use a significant
amount of negotiation to try and complete the activity. Through this negotiation, the research
subject had to analyze and reanalyze the way he was speaking and his vocabulary to try and
make the message more comprehensible to the other student. It was quite interesting to watch
Jacinto form and reform sentences in new and often experimental ways.
Though not all of the forms were target-like (though most of them were syntactically and
grammatically correct), what is most important is that Jacinto was using the language in ways
that he may not have tried on his own. When speaking to a native speaker, it is very likely that he
would not have experimented as much as he did. However, within the safety of the classroom
and the added confidence of speaking to someone who is at a lower level, Jacinto was able to try
out ideas on what could work in English. I think this is an important step in the language
acquisition process. Students must feel free to test the language. Within a classroom is a great
place for this as well. Outside of the classroom, when talking to a native speaker, there are a
couple issues that can prevent this from happening. First, as suggested, a second language learner
McLeod 14!
is less likely to try out things they are not confident about. Second, if they do try something and
it is incorrect, but still comprehensible, the interlocutor may not correct themproviding
positive evidence that the form does work (even though it is incorrect). However, inside a
classroom environment, the instructor is there to provide guidance. If the learner makes an error,
the instructor can provide constructive feedback. Additionally, this is the case for the other
learners in the class as well. When the instructor provides a productive recast or reactionary
focus on form, it is the whole class that benefitsnot just the student who made the error.
Of course one persistent problem with students conversing with other students is that they
propagate errors instead of overcoming them. I remember reading a study of a French foreign
language class, where the students continued to make errors, even after receiving explicit
instruction. The researchers attributed the seemingly fossilized error as a result of the students
having an inadequate amount of authentic input and an abundance of incorrect input.
Furthermore, an instructor, especially during a communicative activity where many of the
students are speaking at once, would not be able to discern most of the errors made by the
students. Given the noise and the number of students making errors (as well as students asking
for assistance) it is not surprising that many errors go unnoticed by instructors. This is another
reason why productive error correction and reactionary focus on form can be so helpful. Since
there are so many errors that go uncorrected, by addressing some errors through productive
recasts or reactionary focus on form, the instructor can assist many students at onceeven
without directly providing feedback to those particular students.
Feedback is an interesting area of instruction and affects acquisition in different ways.
Though I do not have the data within my observations to support a feedback analysis with my
case study, it is a field of second language acquisition that I am profoundly drawn to. I am
McLeod 15!
certain that I will make efforts in the future to perform my own study on feedback in the second
language classroom.
McLeod 16!
Brandon McLeod
21 April 2015
Today I interviewed my case study. This was to continue my study of acculturation and
motivations effects on the language acquisition process. I have also begun my activities. One of
the more interesting assessments was of errors.
There were two errors that Jacinto had significantly more often than the others. The first
was a phonological error. He almost always pronounces the /y/ in the word you as /j/. This is
not the first time I have encountered this error. In fact, it is so common among speakers from
Latin America, that it is considered stereotypical. While I think this is a gross overgeneralization
of the phonological patterns of the Spanish L1 populations from Latin America, from my
teaching experience, and my observations of Jacinto, this is problem that many of the people
from that population have. It suggests that this is a problem of L1 transfer (which is something I
plan to look into in my paper) and also reinterpretation.
As a language learner, reinterpretation is something that I can easily relate to. In my
Japanese studies (as with many native American English speakers) I have struggled to use the
correct vowel pronunciations and the correct pronunciation of the Japanese /r/. Because of their
obvious nature, it is not surprising that these phonological issues are often targeted by those who
wish to mimic or mock second language learners pronunciation. The restaurant scene from A
Christmas Story that uses a common phonological to make fun of the second language learners
from East Asia comes to mind.
The second error that stood out was in Jacintos writing. It is the third person singular
subject-verb agreement. Much of what I have read during my studies in the M.A.T.L. program at
McLeod 17!
the University of Southern Mississippi has identified this as one of the most persistent and
difficult to overcome errors for English language learners. Why is it that this particular error is so
troublesome? For Jacinto, and other Spanish speakers, I think it could be an issue of
underdifferentiation (or, perhaps, an overgeneralization of the rule that English verbs are not
morphologically marked). Going from a morphologically marked system like Spanish to English,
it is relatively easy for students to learn the verb form for most subjects. The verb form stays the
same for first person singular and plural, second person singular/plural, and third person plural.
Given that the verb form is almost always the same, it must be rather cumbersome for students to
remember that only in the case of third person singular does the verb form change (excepting, of
course, the be verb which also has a different form for the first person singular).
The issue of error analysis is intriguing. Through analyzing our students errors we can
learn so much about what they know, what they do not know, and what they think they know.
Often, when corrected by the instructor on the issues of the /y/ phonological error and the third
person singular subject-verb agreement error, the students would respond with Oh yeah. It is
clear that they have been presented the material and that, when prompted, they remember the
correct form, but when it comes to the target form being used in natural conversation or in
written exercises, the students do not even seem to realize that errors are being made. I wonder if
this is perhaps due to comprehensibility. It would be a rare circumstance that a students
mispronunciation of the /y/ or the lack of an s for third person subject-verb agreement would
impede the interlocutors comprehension. This, it seems to me, is the most likely reason that
these errors persist. Other seemingly much more complex issues of pronunciation and grammar
are easily remedied, but they also prevent comprehensible communication. When it comes to
remedying these lasting errors, it is likely that more research needs to be conducted on
McLeod 18!
acquisition and pedagogical practices with this focus in mind.
McLeod 19!
Brandon McLeod
25 April 2015
As of today, I have finished all of my activities and analysis. As I reflect on the all the
work I have done for this case study, I am amazed at everything I have learned. I have observed,
studied, analyzed, and drawn conclusions on a wide array of affective factors (including
acculturation, motivation, and learning style), errors, and communication strategies (specifically
compensatory strategies). Even after all of this, I know that there are still innumerable variables
affecting my case studys language acquisition.
It would an incredible feat to analyze every known factor in language acquisition for even
a single student. Even though it is difficult, and extraordinarily complex, I have been able to gain
wonderful understanding and awareness of my research subjects levels of acquisition and
acculturation, motivation, learning style, most common errors, and communication strategies.
Not only that, but I have also gained a better perspective of what students go through in a second
language environment. From my experience in Japan, I do have a pretty good understanding of
learning a language within the culture that uses that language.
However, one major difference between my language studies there and Jacintos
language studies here (and this applies to many other people in situations similar to his) is that, in
Japan, I was considered a working professional who possessed knowledge that many people
wanted (how to speak and use English). For Jacinto, on the other hand, his cultural experience is
completely different. Likely, few people consider his ability to speak Spanish as something
noteworthy (which is absolutely wrong). Additionally, in Japan, though I integrated myself into
the culture as much as I could, there were limits. I did not plan on remaining in Japan forever. I
McLeod 20!
did not plan on becoming a Japanese citizen. Jacinto has the opposite intentions. He wants to stay
and become a citizen. He intends to fully join in American culture (and, as he said in his
interview, he already feels like he is American). This was a motivating factor (and affective
variable) that I could not relate to. Now, though, through my observations, interview, activities,
and analysis, I have gained much better insight into the second language student experience and
perspectives that I did not have before.
Throughout this paper, I have consistently been surprised at the amount of things I
thought I knew. I am sure, that this will continue for the rest of my studies and any research I
conduct later. This case study has been a profound learning experience.

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Brandon McLeod

Case Study Observation Log Entry: 1

The other student replied. CS responded with, Oh thats good. Nothing

Jacinto lost and said, Aw man!

CS offered out loud, I put on my shoes and, I take off my socks.

This activity took almost an entire hour.

When he wasnt writing answers or sharing them orally, CS was

Jacinto returned to Memrise until it was time to check the answers.

Students worked individually creating lists of their duties/responsibilities at work. The

The class is dismissed for break.

The teacher selected CS to write his answers on the board.

Each of these examples followed the sample sentences on the worksheet.

The instructor chose CS to answer the third question, I am frightened/frightening of

The class goes, Oh!

During the performance, Jacinto said, I am coming for applying job.

CS said, It look like hes waiting.

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