EFL Teachers’ Perceptions on Learner Autonomy

Abstract

Learner autonomy is the ability to take charge of one's own learning, have the capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision making, and independent action. There have been studies conducted on learner autonomy at university level but not at the secondary school level. This mixed type research was aimed to explore secondary school EFL teachers' perceptions about what learner autonomy is, what the teachers’ role in promoting learner autonomy, desirability and feasibility of learner autonomy is. The participants were selected by purposive sampling method. A questionnaire and a structured interview, which were designed by Al-Busaidi (2012) was adopted and implemented. The data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed with SPSS 26.0 software and the data collected through structured interviews was exposed to qualitative thematic analyses. The results reveal that one of the biggest challenges in implementing learner autonomy is students’ lack of motivation, interest, and reluctance to take responsibility of their learning. It is also confirmed that there is a strong correlation between the motivation and learner autonomy both of which trigger the development of each other.