Diary studies involve language learners or teachers keeping journals over time using introspection. This allows insight into aspects of the language learning process not normally accessible. A few published diary studies have looked at different aspects of the learning and teaching process, but findings are difficult to compare due to small sample sizes. To analyze diaries, one should consider the content, context, and form of the narrative. Diaries provide qualitative data about factors influencing individuals' language learning experiences and processes.

1. Diary Study
Bikash Chandra Taly
PhD in English Language

2. Diary Study
A diary is a written account of experiences, feelings, thoughts, attitudes
of language learning and teaching ((Nunan, 1992: 118-119).
“facets of the language learning experience which are normally hidden
or largely inaccessible to an external observer” (Bailey & Oschner,
1983: 189).
"Diary studies allow us to see the classroom experience as a dynamic
and complex process through the eyes of the language learner” (Bailey,
1983: 98).

3. ➢ (Dörnyei,2007:157): Participants become co-researchers as they keep records
of their own feelings, thoughts or activities.
➢ A method for studying people in their own Environment.
➢ "Reflection is an important human activity in which people recapture their
experience, think about it, mull over and evaluate it”.

4. Main Characteristics
Curtis & Bailey (2009) and Pavlenko (2007) discuss diary studies in terms of the
procedures that can be used for collecting and generating data.
1. primary (or direct, introspective)
2. Indirect (non-introspective).

5. Introspective
• The diarist investigates his own teaching or learning. Report on affective factors,
language learning strategies, and his own perceptions – facets of the language
learning experience which are normally hidden or largely inaccessible to an external
observer.” (Bailey & Ochsner, 1983: 189).

6. Non-Introspective
• Some language learning diary studies involve a third person analyzing the diaries
of language learners or teachers.
• Bailey (1983), For example, examined 11 diaries of adult L2 learners to investigate
the competitiveness and anxiety of learners.

7. Why Use diary studies in Applied Linguistics?
• Involve a small number of learners or teachers looking at different aspects of the
L2 learning process. Hence, it is difficult to compare the findings of the studies.
• Studies published so far are based upon diaries kept by linguists, experienced
teachers or language teachers in training, rather than typical learners. Because of
this, they may not be representative of average language learners.

8. Why Use diary studies in Applied Linguistics?
• Based on subjective data, researcher’s interpretation of the teachers’ or learners’
perceptions, with no other data that allows for verification of the conclusions
drawn.
• One can question the extent to which individuals can analyze all of the processes
involved in their own language learning and teaching experiences.

9. Research Design
➢ The research question should be specified, since the research questions are
important consequences for the choices of a diary design.
➢ A decision on the sampling design should be made, e.g. the duration of the diary
study and the measurement frequency.
➢ One has to decide on the number of items to include in the diary.

10. Research Design
➢ A decision has to be made on whether participants have to answer the
questionnaires on predefined (i.e. fixed assessment) or at random time-points.
➢ It should be decided whether the items are momentary assessment or about a
previous time period retrospective assessment.
➢ One has to decide on the delay participants are allowed to respond to the prompt
to fill out the questionnaire.

11. Collecting Diary Study Data
• A careful analysis of the data, either by the diarist herself or himself (in first-person
diary studies) or the researcher (in third-person diary studies).
• In conducting any diary study, Bailey (1990) recommends that the following steps
be taken.

12. Collecting Diary Study Data
▪ The diarist keeps an account of personal language learning or teaching history,
systematically recording events, details, and feelings about the current language
learning or teaching experience in the diary.
▪ The researcher, studies the journal entries, looking for patterns and significant
events. Other researchers may analyze the diary entries.
▪ The factors identified as being important to the language learning or teaching
experience are interpreted and discussed in the final report. Ideas from the literature
may be added at this stage. (p. 219)

13. Organizing and interpreting diary studies
▪ The content or what is said.
▪ The context or where it is set.
▪ The form or how it is said.

14. Organizing and interpreting Data
• As Pavlenko (2007) points out, ‘consider not only what was said or written
but also what was omitted and why’ (p. 274).
• one student in looking at her own language learning diary found that she very
rarely talked about her learning experience in the language classroom; rather,
her primary focus was on analyzing how she used language outside the
classroom.

15. Organizing and interpreting Data
▪ The second focus of your analysis can be on the context of the diary entries,
both on a macro- and micro-level (Pavlenko, 2007).
▪ On a macro level, you can examine the political, economic, and cultural
circumstances of where the diary was written.
▪ While on a micro-level you can consider factors such as the actual location
where the diary was written and the age of the narrator.

16. Improving the quality of Diary Studies
▪ Many learners and teachers feel that data is not appropriate for a serious study.
▪ collecting data from language learners that are originally written simply as a diary
rather than as a journal required in a language course.
▪ To minimize the problem is to initially encourage learners to keep diaries in your
class with no indication that the diary might be used at some later date for self or
other analysis.

17. Improving the quality of Diary Studies
• Arises mainly in self-analysis diary studies is trying to objectively look at the data.
• Need to focus on peer to look at the data to uncover insights that may not be
available to the person who kept the diary.
• In analyzing the data, look for representative and salient themes that are in the data
to formulate your analysis. Your themes should emerge from the data itself rather
than be imposed on it.

18. APPLICATIONS of Diary studies
• Narrative Inquiry
• Case Studies
• Ethnographies
• Action Research
• Mixed methods

19. INSIGHT FROM STUDENTS’ LANGAUGE LEARNING DIARIES
Abstract. Language learning diaries have become a very popular source for collecting
qualitative data in foreign language learning research. The data cannot be easily
obtained in another manner since it involves the process of introspection. Since many
aspects of language learning are not easily accessible or observable, introspection
sheds light on the language learning process. The evidence which can be obtained by
diary studies proves that students’ experiences in learning a foreign language can
significantly influence their attitudes and motivation for learning a foreign language.
Furthermore, it can have major pedagogical and practical implications for the
outcomes of foreign language learning. The aim of this paper is to identify the
linguistic and non-linguistic factors from students’ diaries which influence their
learning process. In this study, the students’ diaries were analyzed in terms of the
themes (recurring patterns) which appeared most frequently. After the data from
students’ language learning diaries were categorized into themes, each theme was
analyzed separately both in terms of the count of mentions (frequency) in the students’
diaries (numerical/quantitative data) and qualitatively, by interpreting students’
opinions, feelings, experiences, expectations and attitudes towards learning English.

20. Summary
▪ Diary studies are case studies in which language learners or teachers keep an intensive
journal using introspection or retrospection and self observation over a period of time.
▪ first-person research, but some third-person diary studies have been completed.
●few published diary studies looking at different aspects of the learning and teaching
process, it is difficult to compare the findings of the studies.
● To consider the content, context, and form of the narrative.

21. References
• Bailey, K. M. (1983). Competitiveness and anxiety in adult second language learning:
• Looking at and through the diary studies. In H. W.Selinger & M. H. Long(Eds.),
• Classroom oriented research in second language acquisition (pp. 67–103). Rowley, MA:
• Newbury House.
• In this study Bailey analyzes the diaries of ten other learners of English to determine
• how competitiveness and anxiety influenced their language learning.
• Numrich, C. (1996). On becoming a language teacher: Insights from diary studies.
• TESOL Quarterly, 30(1), 131–154.
• Numrich analyzes the diaries of 22 novice teachers discussing their practicum
• experience to illustrate their common concerns.
• Schmidt, R. W., & Froda, S. N. (1986). Developing basic conversational ability in a
• second language: A case study of an adult learner of Portuguese. In R. R. Day (Ed.),
• Talking to learn: Conversation in second language acquisition. (pp. 237–326). Rowley,
• MA: Newbury House.
• This study reports on Schmidt’s use of a diary to analyze his experiences learning