ABSTRACT
This chapter is a slightly revised and updated version of an invited presentation at the Alliant International University, San Diego. In the first part of the chapter, I look at the use of language learning histories as a research genre. Although the use of narratives as a research tool has a long history in general education (Denny, 1978; Bruner, 1985, 1987), it has only recently gained momentum in language teaching (Benson and Nunan, 2005). The chapter will look at the emergence of narrative as a research genre in the context of learner-centered curriculum development, as well as at the use of learners’ stories in pedagogy and research. In the second part of the chapter, I will illustrate the use of narrative as a research tool with reference to a large-scale, longitudinal study that was carried out at the University of Hong Kong.
