Promoting self‐regulation in low achievers: A case study of Japanese university EFL students

This paper reports on a multiple case study made of 15 EFL university students who failed the required English course and thus had to take part in a repeaters' class. It aims to explore the process by which low achievers can become better self‐regulated learners if given pedagogical intervention to assist their style of language learning. Qualitative analysis of multiple data sources (closed−/open‐ended questionnaires, review sheets) on individual learners highlighted the idiosyncratic nature of learner development. Results suggest that, though many of the learners were in the preparatory stage of self‐regulation, the degree to which they retained low self‐regulation characteristics and manifested the sheer variety of its aspects differed in each individual.