Learning Far Beyond the Classroom: An Exploratory Study of Self-Directed Learning Activities and Strategies of Adult L2 Learners in Japan

There exists a language learning industry in Japan that caters to adult learners. However, a significant number of adults do not engage in such services but rather study on their own. By better understanding this segment of the population, more effective resources can be developed and made available to L2 learners who struggle after they have left formal education. In this study, eight adult learners who engaged in self-directed learning (SDL) were asked to track their learning activities over the course of three weeks by maintaining a language diary. This was followed by interviews to gather information about the reasons behind their choices and the strategies they employed during the activities within the context of the SDL process (Reinders, 2020). The initial results showed that few learners used strategies to enhance their L2 learning, as the resources and activities were often chosen based on reasons unrelated to language learning, such as entertainment. This suggests that they may benefit from some form of guidance to enhance their self-directed learning.