Perceptions of Learners' Private Speech by Teachers and the Learners in Japanese Language Classrooms

The present study examines how teachers and learners perceive learners' private speech in FL (foreign language) classrooms, which are social settings, at university. Data were collected by classroom observations, audio recording of individual speech of six learners and two teachers, video recording of the classes, and stimulated recall interviews with both teachers and learners. The learners were aware of their use of private speech and they seemed to use their preferred learning strategies such as vocalisation in the classes as well as at home, although they may not have used the vocalisation intentionally. They were sometimes aware of being overheard by their classmates while using private speech. The teachers' perception of the learners' private speech varied between them. They tended to notice the learners' private speech when it matched their teaching objective in the classroom.