Paper Title
Mapping Language Learners’ Belief Systems: Metaphor Elicitation
Abstract
Drawing on the Cognitive Metaphor Theory, this article presents metaphor elicitation as a practitioner-friendly
means of investigating the implicit beliefs of learners and shares insights gained from the metaphors of 101 Japanese university
students. Linguistic metaphors were collected from members of freshman university English classes, which were grouped in
terms of their underlying conceptual metaphors. Nine distinct conceptual metaphors for the language learner were identified
(striver, container, explorer, baby, work of art, embryo, automaton, acquirer of tools and defective organism). These were
interpreted revealing insights into beliefs about the language teacher and language learning. The metaphors were analyzed in
terms of whether from a theoretical perspective they were likely to expedite or hamper language acquisition. It was found that
metaphor elicitation was effective in providing insights into the learners’ expectations of their teacher, attitudes towards
learner autonomy and the nature and degree of motivation of the learners.
Index Terms— Learner Autonomy, Language Learner Beliefs, Motivation, Metaphor