Why Self-Guided Language Learning Works (If You Do This)

Self-Guided Learning

Learning a language on your own is very different from learning in a classroom. In a classroom, you’re physically present, there’s a schedule, there’s a teacher, and there’s usually some pressure to pay attention (like quizzes or tests). But there’s a big downside: Lessons aren’t tailored to you, you have to move at the pace of the class. And honestly, the quality of your learning depends heavily on how good the teacher is.

Now compare that to self-guided learning or learning online. You can move at your own pace, but suddenly there’s no teacher watching, no strict schedule, and sometimes not even a clear structure. So this raises the question: How can you stay motivated and actually progress with self-guided learning? A recent study has all the answers!

Why Self-Guided Language Learning Works (If You Do This)

Self-guided language learning has gotten more and more popular over the last decade. And where trends come, science follows to let us know if it was a good idea or not. As you may have seen just in your own circle, self-guided learning can vary in its success. So what does science say about how to make self-guided language learning work?

Research on Self-Guided Learning

In 2023, the Computer Assisted Language Learning Journal published a study trying to identify what makes self-guided language learning successful. They tested 615 online language learners in 69 different countries to figure out what helps some people succeed at self-guided learning.

The researchers found that the number one factor in successful self-guided learning was “grit.” We’ve all heard this term in conversation, but in this study “grit” was defined as a combination of perseverance and passion for long-term goals. That means keeping up your motivation and determination for extended periods of time means success with self-guided learning.

The second most important factor in self-guided language learning was being prepared to do online learning. That means these students understood how the learning process might be different from a classroom and felt prepared to stay on track based on their own schedule.

And lower down on the list was autonomy, in the sense that these students felt confident they could work by themselves and hold themselves accountable to complete their learning.

How You Can Make Self-Guided Language Learning Work

As the study suggested, “grit” was the most important factor in successful self-guided learning. But how do you increase “grit?”

Motivation and Persistence

The study suggests breaking “grit” down into two factors: motivation to learn and persistence in learning. In this self-directed process, you get to decide what you learn, when you learn it, and how important it is to you.

If what you’re learning feels important, then you’re more likely to stick to it and be excited to work on it. You get to guide your own process by setting personalized goals, selecting resources that interest you, and tracking how much you improve over time. Keeping this in mind over time should help you keep up your “grit.”

Autonomy and Curiosity

But if that isn’t enough, there are other important factors that will play into your “grit” as you go! The next two most prominent factors are feeling autonomy and having curiosity.

When you have autonomy in your learning you’re in control of what and how you learn. And when you’re curious about learning, it means you’re genuinely interested in exploring the language you’re learning (like culture, ideas, new words, or new phrases).

If you can harness autonomy in your learning and curiosity for what you’re learning, you’ll be much more likely to stick to your goals.

Growth Mindset

Your mindset affects every aspect of your life, especially learning. Coming at your learning with an expectation of improving is going to set you up for success when compared to someone who’s already decided they’re bad at learning. In this case, the difference is a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset.

A fixed mindset says: “I’m just bad at languages.”

A growth mindset says: “I can improve with practice and effort.”

How you talk to yourself is going to dramatically impact your results. So make sure to adjust how you’re thinking before you get started.

Making Self-Guided Language Learning Easier

Even with a growth mindset, curiosity, motivation, and persistence, the first hurdle to get over is figuring out what materials you want to use.

This first step is where a lot of people have trouble, and then never get started. The problem is you have to:

• search for resources
• organize / pay for those resources
• decide what to study / where to start
• figure out how often to review what you learn so it sticks

That process alone is exhausting, but there are tools designed for self-guided language learning that can make a big difference! So instead of wasting hours searching for vocabulary lists, audio recordings, practice materials, and more, try out to MosaLingua language learning tool.

MosaLingua already has all the language content you need coming from real native speakers, so you can just focus on learning. With all of these features built into you’re learning, you’ll be supporting in the aspects of self-guided learning that matter to most: “grit,” motivation, curiosity, persistence, and autonomy!

Closing Thoughts

So all of this research boils down to tell us that successful self-guided language learning doesn’t come from talent, it comes from persistence.

The learners who succeed are the ones who keep going week after week, month after month. And the best way to make that easier is to create a learning system that supports you.

Stay curious. Adopt a growth mindset. And use tools that reduce the friction of learning. Because when you remove the barriers, consistency becomes a lot easier. And consistency is exactly what builds “grit.”

FAQs

How often should I review with self-guided language learning?

If you’re learning a language, it’s essential to review vocabulary often enough so that it sticks in your head. At MosaLingua, we utilize a Spaced Repetition System so that our users review cards right before they forget them. Each time they review, it stays in their memory for longer and prevents them from having to re-learn what they already studied.

What do I do if my motivation is down, even though I know it’s important to keep going?

As we discussed, there are so many factors that play into successful self-guided learning. If motivation is all you’re struggling with, then you’re doing great. That being said, it can be hard to come back from a period of low motivation. Luckily, our teacher Abbe wrote this article about overcoming a lack of motivation.

Where should I start looking for online resources to start my self-guided language journey?

The internet is so big that it can feel overwhelming just to get started. Over the years, our language experts have gathered resources for learning a total of 11 different languages online. Check out our catalog about online resources and try looking for your target language to narrow the results.