Abstract:
There is a fair chance that the learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at the upper intermediate level make no perceptible progress in the language learning process despite their efforts and practice. This research addressed the problems that EFL learners encounter when they reach the upper intermediate level (the learning plateau). In so doing, the process by which the plateau phenomenon occurs in an Iranian EFL setting was explored and also a theory on the language learning plateau was developed. Drawing on the grounded-theory study, 31 EFL learners at the upper intermediate level of language proficiency were selected. They ranged in age from 14 to 24 years. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding procedures. To ensure credibility of the findings, the constant comparison method, teacher surveys, and member checking were used. The interview data analysis revealed a substantive theory of language learning plateau in which three major factors were identified to contribute to EFL plateau: Learner-related variables, Instruction-related variables, and Going through problems. Findings show that the factors are interrelated and also play a major role in language learning plateau. The implications of the theory are further discussed.
Machine summary:
"Appendix: Open Coding: Concepts and Categories In the new books a lot of things are just 39 Active participation in class 40 Students should have learning goals Learners should speak correctly (with 41 attention) 42 Our mistakes should decrease 43 Learners should be aware of the stage they are at Metacognition 44 We should think why our marks are decreasing 45 We should have plans for learning 46 Using new words in role plays 47 using new words in speaking and writing 48 Using flashcards 49 learners should pay attention to the details 50 Regular review of lessons Learning strategies 51 talking with a native speaker 52 Learning about culture 53 Repeating the same mistakes again and again 54 Learners monitor their language to eliminate errors 55 get help or feedback to eliminate errors Learners' Cognition 56 Correcting mistakes immediately (feedback) 57 Correcting grammatical mistakes 58 59 60 Learners need to self-correct Learning new materials is difficult for some learners They should go back to the elementary levels Learners' Cognition 61 Having personal problems 62 Having motivation for learning 63 Giving themselves negative suggestion 64 Being Extroverted 65 Being Flexible 66 Learners' Attitude towards English 67 Being open to new lessons 68 Feeling the need to learn English 69 Having Perseverance 70 Being risk taker 71 Having anxiety in learning Learners' Affection 72 Being interested in learning 73 Having confidence for learning 74 Supposing to know everything 75 Avoiding speaking in the class 76 Taking English seriously 77 Not having enough time to study 78 Too much school homework 79 Spending more time on English 80 Spending more time on studying 81 Being more hardworking 82 Teachers should give more difficult tasks 83 Learners confess to be lazy studying English 84 Speaking fast 85 Speaking without much thinking Language 86 Remembering the correct words and structures quickly Automatization 87 I cannot learn speaking and grammar anymore 88 I am not learning much 89 I am moving forward very slowly 90 My marks keep decreasing 91 I don't understand texts and listening well 92 Words have become difficult to learn 93 I can get by with my present knowledge of English 94 Teachers should make students speak 95 Giving translation from L1 to L2 Unpleasant Learning 96 Presenting needed vocabulary before speaking Experiences 97 Introducing topics for discussion 98 We speak slowly like elementary levels 99 Needing to learn a lot of vocabulary 100 Looking up words in dictionaries 101 Teachers should question us on vocabulary 102 Resorting to the existing stock of vocabulary"