The Dynamic Development of Student Immunity in Language Learning Motivation
The Dynamic Development of Student Immunity in Language Learning Motivation

Summary/Abstract: In a study, the distinguishing professor Hiver (2015) introduced a new concept to the education field called “teacher immunity”, proposing that it emerges through the broad experiences of coping with the uncertainties and potential problems of teaching occupation which functions as an indispensable armor to survive as a teacher. As a matter of fact, many foreign language (FL) learners are struggling to continue their learning journey despite the numerous damaging factors which can have an effect upon their desire to learn. Some of these students have the ability to cross over these hurdles via their own self-motivation and self-organizing strategies, while others find themselves inadequate to deal with such problems possibly because they are unaware of their sense of self and identity. The other area which is open to a question is that whether this concept can raise students’ consciousness and make the necessary transformative change on their motivation so that it redevelops more productively to carry on their language learning journey despite its adversity. To do this, a data-driven case study was designed to investigate whether there is the emergence of any stages which can be termed as “student immunity” (the coping strategies students acquire in time) through the lens of CT and to reveal those factors which constitute student immunity. The qualitative interview data suggested that an emergent outcome, student immunity, was developed in return for disturbances which were confronted by the subject student in her/his school-life experience. The new emergent outcome became visible to function as a defense system to be able to sustain on an ongoing basis to deal with relatively ongoing academic difficulty.

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