An Analysis of a Japanese ESL Learner's Diary: Factors Involved in the L2 Learning Process

This article presents the findings of an analysis of a daily diary, or
language learning journal, kept by a Japanese college-level ESL
learner in the target language (TL) environment. The analysis
resulted in the identification of65 factors which were involved in the
diarist's second language (L2) learning experience over an 8-week
period of intensive study in the ESL classroom. Several oftbe more
prominent personal factors are discussed, separately and in their
relation to other factors, and the results are compared with past
diary studies. Significant findings include the effects of positive
feedback on learner motivation, the importance of affective classroom
climate for the leamer's L2 development, and the role of selfawareness
and self-analysis in the diarist's L2 learning process.