Ethnographic Investigation of Learners' Perceptions in an ESL Program

The Second Language (ESL) classroom has various aspects that would influence a learner's proficiency development. The current study investigated the teacher's personality in relation to the learner's perception of it, aiming to draw more general understanding of a direct influence of both on successful language learning. The investigation was mainly conducted with an ethnographic approach, using nonparticipant observation, emails, questionnaires, and structured interviews to refine the research focus along with the investigation. The researcher meticulously observed two Japanese ESL learners and an ESL teacher selected from an ESL writing class at a middle-sized U.S. college for three weeks in 2009. Based on the collected qualitative data, the study revealed; (1) the learners had contrastive views on active participation in the class discussion, and (2) two learners had similar expectations about the ESL instructor and the teaching role in relation to her personality. It was concluded that the perception of the teacher's personality differed among the ESL learners; moreover, utilization of the teacher-centered approach although providing equal opportunities to the learners, inadvertently limited the dynamics of class interaction. Based on the findings, several pedagogical implications were addressed for successful learning in ESL.