The Theory & Practice of the Materials

Development Process for the Self-Access Learning

Centre:The Past, Present & Future
Richard Allen


What Id like to advocate is not the replacement of closed self-access activities but
their supplementation by genuinely open activities which require learner investment
of both the mind and the heart and which provide opportunities for the broadening
and deepening of experience as well as for the acquisition of the target language.


(Tomlinson, 2005)

Abstract
This article aims to give an overview of the materials development process for
the Self-Access Learning Centre (SALC) at Kanda University of International
Studies (KUIS) since its inception in April 2003. It highlights some of the key
theoretical arguments behind the development of self-access materials for the SALC
and demonstrates how the materials development team has attempted to turn this
theory into practice over this five year period. Opportunities for future practice are
also introduced in the hope that existing and future materials developers and policy
makers can use these to discuss and shape the future of the materials development
process both in the short and long-term.

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Introduction
Like most 36 year-olds who passed through the British Education system in the
1980s, I studied French from the age of eleven. In my secondary school years, I was
lucky enough to have two great teachers (one of whom was a native speaker) and
this prompted me to go on to continue studying at college and continue in my first
year of university, a total of eight years study. When I reflect back on this, all be it
with my selective memory, what stands out for me are the extremes of my learning.
The first of these extremes was being made to read eighteenth century French
literature in class at college and absolutely hating this. The second, more positive
experience, was getting a part-time job in France in my first year of university and
keeping this for four summers. The job was in the south-west of France and I was
able to surf with French friends, read French surf magazines and immerse myself in
all things French, including the French language.
I feel that my language learning experiences have inevitably shaped the values
and beliefs I hold about language learning today. The first of these being that I feel
immersion in the language and culture of the target language is by far the best way
to effectively learn a second language. The second, that motivation to learn is often
guided by the materials that are on offer or that are given to the learner to use. I
know that I was engaged to learn new vocabulary and grammar by reading and
talking about the surf magazines in a way that being handed the written work of
Gustave Flaubert couldnt come anywhere near to.
I can link these two beliefs to my current experiences of working in the English
Language Institute at KUIS and more particularly, to the work I have undertaken
for the SALC Research Group (SRG) here since 2005. In terms of immersion as a
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The Theory & Practice of the Materials Development Process for the
Self-Access Learning Centre: The Past, Present & Future

means of language learning, the SALC could be considered a surrogate mother

for students unable to spend time living in an English-speaking country. With its
multi-cultural English language environment involving fifty-seven teachers from
nine different countries from Jamaica to New Zealand1, it offers what many would
consider the next best thing to actually spending time living and working abroad.
In relation to materials on offer, the SALC currently offers a wide variety of
materials (over 12,0002) ranging from self-access worksheets and books specifically
designed to promote language or learner development, to materials often labelled
authentic which include DVDs, CDs, magazines and satellite television. All of
these resources fit in with the SALCs aims to offer materials and facilities relevant
to academic communication and specialist studies in all university departments as
well as catering to broader social or personal needs. By offering such a wide range
of materials, often used in conjunction with learner training modules, learners can
choose materials they wish to use to address their self-diagnosed learning needs to
develop as autonomous learners (Cooker, 2008). From my experience, I would argue
that the variety of materials on offer outside of the classroom extends learner choice
and for some students will motivate them to learn English in ways that would be
unavailable in a more traditional classroom environment.

The Materials Development Process at KUIS: Theory & Practice

Despite having such a wide range of resources and materials on offer in the SALC
in 2008, when the current SALC was opened in 2003, there was recognition that
the materials on offer were inadequate in some areas. At the time, it was suggested
1
2

Information provided in the ELI Handbook 2008-2009

Information provided by the SALC Assistant manager

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that the published self-access materials tended to focus on providing extra practice
on discrete grammatical or lexical items which students found challenging in class
(Rowberry 2004a, Tomlinson 2005). Some of the drawbacks of relying on the use of
these types of self-access materials are highlighted by Tomlinson:
Their predominance has meant for many learners that their experience of selfaccess materials has been restricted to basically closed activities requiring a narrow
left brain focus and little utilization of prior personal experience, of the brains
potential learning capacity or of individual attributes or inclinations.

(Tomlinson,

2005:320)
Rowberry argued that in order to offer a more holistic approach in self-access
language learning, organizations would need to produce materials themselves.
Thus, in its inaugural year the university granted permission for a team of five
materials developers whose focus was to create materials that would supplement the
class-based curriculum, help learners devise and carry out individualized learning
pathways and offer scaffolding and learner training to promote autonomy (Rowberry,
2004a).
In his paper, Rowberry explains the materials development process at that time
and it is interesting to note that materials developers (from this point on referred to
as developers) focused on connecting their work to areas they were teaching in class.
This was an interesting development, because it showed an attempt to create links
between the formal and informal curriculums on offer in the ELI which continues to
this day.

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Self-Access Learning Centre: The Past, Present & Future

Gardner & Miller (1999) give a detailed overview of some of the benefits of
producing in-house materials for self-access learning. As well as having positive
impacts on areas such as cost and manageability, a list of other possible benefits is
given below:
1 Diversity

materials can be designed to cater to a wide range

of learning styles

2 Cultural Sensitivity

materials can be adapted to their local context (e.g.

manga)

3 Intra-Linking

materials can promote other materials on offer (e.g.

through cross-referencing)

4 Adaptability

Materials can be updated to keep them relevant

5 Teacher Interest

Materials can display an interest in teachers

helping their students

6 Variety

with a range of developers comes a range of

beliefs, styles and content

7 Teacher Development

Materials development can help teachers learn

about the needs of self-access learners and develop
interest in self-access learning

Points six and seven are explained in more detail by Hall who says :
In the end your materials and the writing of the materials will not be the simple
passive implementation of someone elses ideas. They will be developed in the
interaction between the writers (the teachers) and the students. They will contribute
to the sum total of the materials writing experience. Both your own and other peoples
beliefs about effective language learning will be modified and enriched by your
experiences.


(Hall, 2003, pg283)

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It can be seen that there were (and still are) a number of theoretical arguments
as to why materials should be produced in-house for the SALC. In his article,
Rowberry picks out some of the main achievements of the work done by the inhouse developers from the start of their work over an eighteen month period up
until September 2004. He gives special mention to the positive impacts that the inhouse materials had in the areas of diversity, intra-linking and teacher development.
He develops this last point by adding that the developers helped to raise the profile
of the SALC across the university and establish a link between the SALC and
classroom teachers which continues to the present day.
In his concluding remarks, as well as reiterating the advantages of setting up
an in-house materials development team, Rowberry (2004a) does pick out some
recommendations as to how to make the materials development process as efficient
as possible, including:
a)The importance of the commitment of the developers to the goals of the
SALC
b)The need to set realistic and appropriate objectives
c)The need to be fully informed of the various issues when producing materials
specifically for self-access learners (e.g. piloting materials, publicizing
materials, informing colleagues about the materials and the need for
evaluation)
Luckily, these points were taken on-board and at the same time that I began my
work as a materials developer, Brian Tomlinson was invited to come and give a
two-day workshop on materials development for self-access learning. This was a
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The Theory & Practice of the Materials Development Process for the
Self-Access Learning Centre: The Past, Present & Future

voluntary workshop for those involved in the materials development process but
was attended by around fifteen people including SALC Coordinators, the External
Consultant and the developers. As someone who had always spent time developing
materials for class-based lessons and who was relatively new to the ideologies
linked to self-access learning, this workshop was vital in helping me (and my
colleagues) to develop an understanding of the key issues that Rowberry raised in his
recommendations, and in particular to the need to be fully informed of the various
issues when producing materials specifically for self-access learners.
The quote at the start of this paper gives a quick insight into what the main theme
of that two-day workshop was and really what Brian Tomlinson did was to bring to
life what he explained in his paper entitled Access-Self Materials (2005). Attendees
were taken on a journey through poetry (e.g. First Day at School by Roger Mc
Gough), short stories (e.g. Looks & Smiles by Barry Hines), fairy tales, newspaper
articles and other literature. The key lasting impression for me from that workshop
relates to the part of the opening quote which says require learner investment of both
the mind and the heart. Tomlinson showed us ways to engage learners in self-access
materials to create an emotional response to those materials. He argued that this was
the most effective way for learners to become motivated to use self-access materials
and that language awareness would follow on naturally after this initial emotional
engagement with the materials on offer. Tomlinson summarizes this when he says:
I am recommending a more humanistic approach to self-access activities which
aims to develop both the declarative and the procedural knowledge of the learners
as well as making a positive and broadening contribution to their education.


(Tomlinson, 2005, 322)

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At the same time as engaging us with suitable texts for self-access materials, we
were also asked to; discuss our beliefs about self-access learning materials, come
up with a student profile and use this to create criteria for the development of selfaccess materials, think about how to raise awareness in self-access materials (e.g.
language awareness) and discuss ways to give effective feedback. The titles of the
four separate workshops were:
P rinciples and Procedures of Materials Development for Language
Teaching
A Flexible Framework for Materials Development
Awareness Activities
Development and Presentation of Materials
Although this was only a two-day workshop, the amount of information that
was provided and discussed was really stimulating and many of us were given the
opportunity to see new possibilities for self-access materials development. Rowberry
(2004a) recommended that developers need to be fully informed about various issues
when producing materials specifically for self-access learners and this workshop
certainly gave us a good overview of issues such as setting target profiles, choosing
engaging materials, providing effective feedback and setting realistic and appropriate
objectives. On a personal basis, as someone whose knowledge of self-access learning
was relatively limited at that time, it certainly helped me to understand the goals
of the SALC and be more committed to these, which was another recommendation
raised by Rowberry.

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The Theory & Practice of the Materials Development Process for the
Self-Access Learning Centre: The Past, Present & Future

Its interesting to look at the materials produced before and after the visit. The
materials produced before the visit were very professional and very well made, but
I would argue that since the visit there has been more of a move towards providing
materials that try to engage students emotionally and then ask them to think about
their language learning.
If we look at the way the materials development process was structured, we can
find some evidence of the type of change that has occurred. In a paper given at a
conference in Kobe in 2004, Bologna & Rowberry showed the developers and their
roles:
The Materials Development Team (2004)
Mike OGrady: Grammar (+vocabulary)

Jon Rowberry: Media (+vocabulary)

Darren Bologna: Writing

Paul Joyce: Speaking and Listening

Yuko Momata: Materials Production

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Below is a table showing the 2008/2009 materials developers and their projects:
Goal (end of spring/summer
semester 2008)
At the moment I see this as a
secondary goal, which will come
after the brochures if time allows
Create first year brochures for
IC Department Semester 2
Curriculum
Develop activities to accompany
popular SALC DVDs. Copies to
be placed inside the DVD covers
and also as a collection of articles
in the learning with movies
section.
Establish an article template, trial
it then create 5 articles

Name

Project

Rich Allen

Involve students in materials

production and workshop
presentations in the SALC
Create first year brochures

Asa Brinham

Help students to develop

strategies for using movies to
learn English.

Brad Curabba

Develop examples of how

magazine and newspaper
articles could be used in order
to encourage students to go to
the practice center or the yellow
sofas.
Promote under-used resources in G e t s t u d e n t s i n v o l v e d i n
the SALC
promoting SALC materials
through class activities.)
Reorganize the writing section of Assess current materials and
the SALC
layout, identify gaps, order
materials
Evaluate how software can be A s s e s s l o c a t i o n , a g e a n d
more easily accessed by students u s e f u l n e s s o f t h e c u r r e n t
software, trial software, link
software with the goals of the
curriculum, write user guides
Create a Sogo Corner (name, Contact Sogo teachers, work
to be changed) in the SALC, with teachers on producing
providing students with actual posters and leaflets, investigate
materials and/or information display options, produce posters
regarding how to find/access to be used in semester 2
(and, possibly, use) materials in
the SALC and websites on the
topics of content-based Sogo
courses

Jeff Durand
Jenn Holland
Tara Waller
Craig Langdon
Julie Matsubara
Marc Sakaguchi

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The Theory & Practice of the Materials Development Process for the
Self-Access Learning Centre: The Past, Present & Future

Matt Kershaw
Chris Stillwell

Promote the use of podcasts for Locate travel podcasts, create

language learning.
worksheets with answer keys and
transcripts
Extending usefulness of SALC Develop short DVDs based on
workshops
5 minute clips of the workshops
offered to students in the SALC.
Produce a handout to accompany
each DVD.

As well as being able to see the growth in the number of developers since the
materials development process began, from five in 2004 to eleven this year, it is
evident that there has been a change in the work they do. In 2004, the developers
were working on skills areas such as Writing or Speaking, whereas they are now
able to work on any area they find interesting and they think will be useful in
engaging the learners to use self-access materials. It is evident that this may involve
creating new materials themselves, as in the case of Brad Curabba or introducing
pathways into existing materials, as in the case of Tara Waller, Craig Langdon &
Julie Matsubara. It is particularly encouraging to note that there is an attempt being
made to promote student development of materials for the SALC by Jeff Durand and
it will be very interesting to see the outcomes of this.
And it is outcomes, to which I turn to for the last section of this paper. In
their poster presentation at the Japanese Association of Language Teachers 2005
Conference, Cooker et al. provide an effective diagram to show how the materials
development process works in practice at KUIS. Please see the diagram below:

219

case of Brad Curabba or introducing pathways into existing materials, as in the case of
Tara Waller, Craig Langdon & Julie Matsubara. It is particularly encouraging to note that
there is an attempt being made to promote student development of materials for the
SALC by Jeff Durand and it will be very interesting to see the outcomes of this.
And it is outcomes, to which I turn to for the last section of this paper. In their poster
21
presentation at the Japanese Association of Language Teachers 2005 Conference, Cooker
The
Journal
of Kanda
University
ofthe
International
Studiesprocess
Vol. 21
2009
et al.
provide
an effective
diagram
to show how
materials development
works
in practice at KUIS. Please see the diagram below:

As the diagram shows, after a needs analysis exercise at the start of the semester,

materials
then developed
over a afive
week analysis
period before
being passed
to other
the were
diagram
shows, after
needs
exercise
at the
start of the semester,
As
developers for feedback. Developers then attempted to assimilate this peer feedback into

their work,were
whichthen
was then
passed to over
students
inputperiod
and backbefore
to developers
materials
developed
a for
fivetheir
week
beingforpassed to other
any final changes before getting the final version ready for release into the SALC.

When I first for

became
a materials
developer, this
wasattempted
very much the
we were
developers
feedback.
Developers
then
toprocess
assimilate
this peer feedback
working with and in essence we still work with today.

into their work, which was then passed to students for their input and back to
developers for any final changes before getting the final version ready for release
into the SALC.
When I first became a materials developer, this was very much the process we
were working with and in essence we still work with today.
As Gardner & Miller (1999:113) say materials whether adapted, developed or
purchased, should be constantly open to evaluation. The materials development
process shown above makes strong efforts to incorporate both student and peer
evaluation to assist in the effective development of in-house materials for the SALC.
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The Theory & Practice of the Materials Development Process for the
Self-Access Learning Centre: The Past, Present & Future

Having been involved in the process for three years, I have seen this process work
effectively and help improve the materials that my colleagues and I have developed
over this time. However, in 2007 after having been involved in the process for two
years, I was reading Tomlinsons book entitled Materials Development in Language
Teaching. (2005) At the end of the book, in the Conclusions section, the author
outlines a number of what he describes as key messages and suggests what can be
gained from them.
One of these messages stated we need to find out more about the outcomes of
existing materials. Tomlinson argued that there hasnt been enough research into
the actual learning outcomes of language learning materials. He went on to suggest
that by doing this, as education professionals we would be able to help learners who
currently fail. This area was of interest to me for a couple of reasons. The first was
that from my college experiences of learning French, I have great sympathy for
learners who are given materials that they are not interested in and dont motivate
them to do well in their language learning. The second reason was that before I had
read this work, I had been thinking that although there was effective evaluation of
the in-house materials during the development process, there was no research into
what was happening with the materials after they were released into the SALC.
I then decided to follow-up Tomlinsons challenge to look into learning outcomes of
materials that were produced for the SALC.

Research
A literature review including work by authors such as Reinders (2006) and
Morrison (1999) and authors already mentioned was used to create a survey
investigating:
221

language learning. The second reason was that before I had read this work, I had been
thinking that although there was effective evaluation of the in-house materials during the
development process, there was no research into what was happening with the materials
after they were released into the SALC. I then decided to follow-up Tomlinsons
challenge to look into learning outcomes of materials that were produced for the SALC.
Research
21
The Journal of Kanda University of International Studies Vol. 21
2009
A literature review including work by authors such as Reinders (2006) and Morrison
(1999) and authors already mentioned was used to create a survey investigating:

STUDY
SKILLS

APPROPRIACY

MOTIVATION

FLUENCY

CONTENT
AREAS
OF
INTEREST

ACCURACY

INTERDEPEND
ENCE
INTER
ACTION

CONFIDENCE

EMOTION

We were interested in asking the learners how they felt after using the in-house
materials available in the SALC. After trialling the survey with Freshman students
from my class, we revised it twice. The final version was offered in English and
Japanese as there were some concepts that were quite difficult to express (e.g. the
difference between accuracy and appropriacy). The final survey asked students to
rate how strongly they agreed with following statements:
After using the materials I feel:
my knowledge of the content has improved
my motivation to study English has improved
happier about studying English
my fluency in English has improved
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The Theory & Practice of the Materials Development Process for the

Self-Access
Learning
Centre:
Past,
Present
& Future

We were interested
in asking the
learners how
they The
felt after
using
the in-house
materials
available in the SALC. After trialling the survey with Freshman students from my class,
we revised it twice. The final version was offered in English and Japanese as there were
some
(If you
think
fluency
hastoimproved,
in what
area(s)?)
concepts
thatyour
were quite
difficult
express (e.g. the
difference
between accuracy
and appropriacy). The final survey asked students to rate how strongly they agreed with
following
I can use
English more accurately
statements:

After
I can use
English
more appropriately
using
the materials
I feel:
more confident in using English

my knowledge of the content has improved

motivation
studypeople
Englishmore
has improved
I want tomystudy
with to
other
happier about studying English

fluency in English
has improved
I want tomycommunicate
in English
with other people more

(If you think your fluency has improved, in what area(s)?)

use English
more accurately
I have
anI can
increased
understanding
of how to study English by myself
I can use English more appropriately
more confident in using English
The materials
affected me emotionally
I want to study with other people more

I want to communicate in English with other people more

my English
is better
I have an increased understanding of how to study English by myself
The materials affected me emotionally
my English is better

The survey
was was
administered
and
83%
of students
contacted
The survey
administered online
online and
83%
of students
contacted
responded.responded.
Less Positive Outcome Responses
1

28.6

30
25
20

19

19

19
15

15

% 15
10
5
0

Accuracy

Appropriacy

Emotional Impact

Outcomes

The graph above shows areas where more students had disagreed (2) or strongly
disagreed (1) than agreed (5) or strongly agreed (6) that after using the materials
developed in-house there had been improvements in their language learning. The
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2009

table below shows the full set of results for accuracy (e.g. grammar and vocabulary),
appropriacy (pragmatics) and emotional impact (if they felt they had been affected
emotionally by the materials).

% of Responses
2
3
4
5

I can use English more accurately

19

28.6

33.3

19

I can use English more appropriately

19

19

42.9

14.3

4.8

The materials affected me emotionally

15

15

35

20

10

From the list of areas that we were interested in, these then flag up as ones that
as materials developers we perhaps need to pay more attention to. Of course, there
may be a number of reasons as to why the students gave the answers they did. The
students were asked to give the classmark of the materials they were commenting on
and largely these materials were less grammar-focused and more skills-based (e.g.
song worksheets). This may explain why more students felt they hadnt helped them
with accuracy or appropriacy. However, this doesnt explain student responses about
the emotional impact of the materials. As a developer who has been shaped by Brian
Tomlinsons ideas that we must attempt to engage students hearts and minds through
the materials we make, this was a disappointing result but again there are limitations
to this study that perhaps explain this answer, which I will mention a little later.

224

asked to give the classmark of the materials they were commenting on and largely these
materials were less grammar-focused and more skills-based (e.g. song worksheets). This
may explain why more students felt they hadnt helped them with accuracy or
appropriacy. However, this doesnt explain student responses about the emotional impact
of the materials. As a developer who has been shaped by Brian Tomlinsons ideas that we
The Theory
Practice
the Materials
Development
for the
must attempt to engage students
hearts&and
minds of
through
the materials
we make,Process
this
Learning
Centre: The
Past,
Present
& Future
was a disappointing resultSelf-Access
but again there
are limitations
to this
study
that perhaps
explain this answer, which I will mention a little later.
Positive Outcomes of In-House Materials
5

60

52

50
40

32

% 30

29
23

20

29
19

19

10
0

improved motivation

interdependence

interaction

study skills

Outcome

The graph above shows areas where more students had agreed (5) or strongly
agreed (6) than disagreed (2) or strongly disagreed (1) that after using the materials
developed in-house there had been improvements in their language learning. The
table below shows the full set of results for motivation, interdependence (e.g.
wanting to study with others), interaction (e.g. wanting to communicate with
others) and study skills (e.g. having an increased of understanding of how to study
independently).

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The Journal of Kanda University of International Studies Vol. 21
2009

% of Responses
1

my motivation to study English has

improved

4.5

9.1

31.8

31.8

22.7

I want to study with other people more

4.8

9.5

4.8

33.7

28.6

19

I want to communicate in English with other

people more

4.8

4.8

9.5

52.4

28.6

I have an increased understanding of how

to study English by myself

4.8

4.8

33.3

33.3

19

4.8

From the list of learning outcomes we investigated, it is encouraging to see

that the materials are perceived by students as having more positive than negative
impacts on areas such as motivation and interacting with others. One of Tomlinsons
recommendations in his workshop and in his article on Access-Self Materials is that:
(Whereas self-access activities are typically private and individual), access selfactivities include the possibility of like minded learners working together without
reference to a teacher. That way the learners are able to choose between the tailor
made benefits of private work and the opportunity to pool resources and energy with
fellow learners.

(Tomlinson, 2005:323)

The results above are rewarding as they link to comments made earlier about the
use of materials to tie in the curriculum and the SALC. The ELI is founded around
the principles of interdependence, interaction and individualization. When the
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The Theory & Practice of the Materials Development Process for the
Self-Access Learning Centre: The Past, Present & Future

SALC was designed there was a lot of thought as to how these principles could be
incorporated into the design of the SALC and this was extended into the materials
development process. Activities to encourage students to discuss self-access
materials with other students, staff and teachers were written in to the materials
and the results indicate that students are benefitting from these efforts. It is also
encouraging to see that more students agree than disagree that their understanding
of how to learn independently has increased, which ties in with the SALC Mission
Statement to train students to learn how to learn and thus become successful,
autonomous learners
Where do we
go from here?
in with the SALC Mission Statement to train students to learn how to learn and thus
become successful, autonomous learners

In April 2009, the materials development process will pass into its fifth year of
Where do we go from here?

operation. In terms of the scale of the scheme, it has grown from the five people
In April 2009, the materials development process will pass into its fifth year of operation.

terms
of the scale of
scheme, itahas
grownrange
from the of
fivepeople
people involved
at itsbe seen in the
involved atInits
inception
totheinvolve
wide
as can
inception to involve a wide range of people as can be seen in the diagram below:

diagram below:

The 2008-2009 MD Process

Students
(many)
External
Consultant
(1)

Design
Process

Production
Designers
(3)

SALC
Coordinators
(1)

Teachers
(11)

227

The SALC is a key player in attempts in the ELI to promote autonomy and implement the
principles of interdependence, individualization and interdependence that underlie the
curriculum. The materials that are produced for the SALC under the materials
development process attempt to promote these concepts also. As more teachers become
involved in the development of materials, it is hoped that as Gardner & Miller suggest
this will strengthen their commitment to self-access learning and they will promote it
with their students, further strengthening the role of the SALC and narrowing any gaps

 21
The Journal of Kanda University of International Studies Vol. 21
2009

The SALC is a key player in attempts in the ELI to promote autonomy and
implement the principles of interdependence, individualization and interdependence
that underlie the curriculum. The materials that are produced for the SALC under
the materials development process attempt to promote these concepts also. As
more teachers become involved in the development of materials, it is hoped that,
as Gardner & Miller suggest, this will strengthen their commitment to self-access
learning and they will promote it with their students, further strengthening the role
of the SALC and narrowing any gaps between the less formal SALC and the more
formal ELI curriculum.
As well as the increase in the number of people involved in the process, in a
university where the majority of staff serve four-year contracts, there is a constant
need to train and refresh teachers and other staff in the theories underlying the key
materials development work they do for the SALC. In response to this, in 2009
there have been regular meetings with stakeholders involved in the process to share
information and knowledge as well as a workshop focusing more specifically on
the theoretical arguments underpinning the materials development process. To a
degree, this workshop recycled some of the ideas forwarded by Brian Tomlinson on
developing materials for self-access learning as well as introducing and sharing other
experiences and opinions about this subject between those involved in the process.
Brian Tomlinson has been invited to come and give another workshop later this
year and hopefully this will reinforce some of the ideas introduced in his previous
workshop as well as offer new ideas for self-access or what he refers to as accessself materials development.
In terms of research and evaluation of the process, the research introduced in this
paper was, I believe, the first to look at evaluating materials after they have been put
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Self-Access Learning Centre: The Past, Present & Future

into the SALC for all to use. A strength of the materials development process has
always been the built-in evaluation cycle involving both peer and student feedback.
However, this research was a response to Tomlinsons call to satisfy the need to look
at the learning outcomes of materials for the learner. Of course there are limitations
to the research; the sample size was relatively small due to the fact that this was
limited by the available records of in-house materials usage. The researchers were
reliant on photocopying records to track the in-house materials over the 2007-2008
academic year. This was a serious limitation as it restricted the number of available
respondents as well as the range of materials that we could investigate (as those that
didnt need photocopying were excluded from the research).
We were able to get some interesting findings from the research however and
this gives an idea as to areas that need more careful thought when developing in
house materials for a SALC, as well as areas of strength. More importantly, as the
research was administered online, it would be relatively straightforward to copy and
duplicate the research again in the future. As this is something that was promoted by
the ELI senior management through a talk given at KUIS by Chris Candlin earlier
in the year, replication studies into the learning outcomes of new materials that are
put out in the SALC in its short and long-term future could continue to add a postrelease evaluation to the comprehensive pre-release trialling that is already working
effectively. If we do this as an institutional body, we have the chance to continue to
offer a choice of in-house materials that cater to a variety of different learners with
different learning styles who have chosen to use materials developed in-house for
the SALC at KUIS.

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The Journal of Kanda University of International Studies Vol. 21
2009

References
Benson, P. (2001) Teaching & Researching Autonomy in Language Learning.
London: Pearson
Cooker, L. (2008) A History of the SALC in The ELI Handbook 2008-2009.
Makuhari:KUIS.
Gardner & Miller (1999) Establishing Self-Access: From Theory to Practice.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hall, R. (2003) Materials Production: Theory & Practice in R. Hall & A. Hewings
(eds.) Innovation in English Language Teaching - A Reader (229-239). London:
Routledge.
Morrison, B. (1999) Evaluating a self-access language learning centre: Why, what
and by whom? In B. Morrison (Ed.), Experiments and evaluation in self-access
language learning (123-135). Hong Kong: Hong Kong Association for Self-Access
Learning and Development.
Rowberry, J. (2004) Developing Self-Access Learning Materials. JALT 2004
Submission Details retrieved from http://jalt.org/jalt2004/submissions/input.php on
27th September 2008
Rowberry, J. (2004) Developing In-House Materials for the Self-Access Learning
Centre in R. de Silva (ed.) Working Papers in Language Education (213-225).
Makuhari:KUIS.
Tomlinson, B. (2005) Conclusions in B. Tomlinson (ed.), Materials Development in
Language Teaching (340-344). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Self-Access Learning Centre: The Past, Present & Future

Tomlinson, B. (2005) Access-self materials in B. Tomlinson (ed.), Materials

Development in Language Teaching (320-339). Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.

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