EFL students' classroom experiences: in pursuit of transparency

Students' experiences as learners of English in a brazilian university classroom have been documented, exposing the complexity of classroom foreign language learning (MICCOLI, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004). In the inner dimension, i.e, inside the classroom, learning opportunities given by the teacher originate direct classroom experiences. In the outer dimension, i.e, outside the classroom, the context in which the class occurs and whatever else might have happened before also influence learners in class, constituting the indirect classroom experiences. This article presents analysis and categorization procedures, exemplifying them. Our intention is to stimulate further research on other learners' experiences in different types of classrooms to strengthen Foreign Language Learning Research in Applied Linguistics.