From “I will not understand anything” to “I learned without realizing it:” the lived experience of English language learning

Abstract

Learning a new language involves not only cognitive but also existential challenges. The impact of English learning on the lived dimension has been scarcely thematized in empirical research. Therefore, this research aims to describe the Universidad Tecnológica de Izúcar de Matamoros major students' English language learning lived experiences. Because of its emphasis on lived experience, a qualitative methodology of phenomenological character was chosen. A purposive sample was formed, defined by criteria of maximum variation. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and experiential accounts. A thematic analysis was carried out and three themes were named as linguistic obscurity, language-world, and linguistic clarity. The results show that the theme linguistic obscurity is marked by affective dispositions such as strangeness, grief, fear, and insecurity; the theme language-world is characterized by an attitude of openness to the new language, and the theme linguistic clarity is distinguished by autonomy in learning. It is concluded that students move from “I will not understand anything” to “I learned without realizing it,” which implies a teacher's accompaniment that takes into account this lived dimension.