Inventory of Language Learning Affordances in Croatian Socio-Educational Context

The chapter takes up the concept of language learning affordances (Aronin in Essential topics in applied linguistics and multilingualism. Second language learning and teaching. Springer, 2014; Aronin & Singleton, 2010; Aronin & Singleton, 2012a; Aronin & Singleton, 2012b; Singleton & Aronin, 2007) to examine the learning trajectories of different languages in the same cultural and educational environment. The main aim was to provide an inventory of language learning affordances in an officially monolingual environment based on the accounts of experienced multiple language learners. The affordances were identified along the lines of various language-, learner-, and learning-related variables evoked by Croatian English language majors (N = 26) in their written linguistic autobiographies. Affordances were examined separately for English and other foreign languages, as the social affordances for all foreign languages were not the same in the Croatian socio-educational context. From detailed accounts of learning processes and outcomes, a clear distinction emerged between the affordances perceived and effectuated for English and those for languages other than English. The results of the study showed that the outcomes of language learning processes are highly dependent on social affordances for particular languages, but still determined by perceived, and eventually effectuated individual affordances. The study presents a list of social and individual affordances for multiple language learning in formal education contexts.