READINESS FOR LEARNER AUTONOMY OF PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS MINORING IN ENGLISH

Abstract

Learner autonomy is one of the key factors in successful language teaching and learning, therefore teachers’ task is to develop learners’ autonomy. However, teachers can foster learners’ autonomy only if they are autonomous learners themselves. The article reports findings of a survey study of the level of readiness for learner autonomy among prospective teachers minoring in English at Nizhyn Mykola Gogol State University in Ukraine. The data were gathered through a questionnaire, designed to investigate each learner’s perceptions and beliefs in four domains associated with learner autonomy: willingness to take learning responsibilities, self-confidence to learn autonomously, motivation to learn English, capacity to learn autonomously. The research indicated that the general level of the prospective teachers’ learner autonomy is moderate though mean values fluctuate considerably from item to item. Thus, their motivation to study English and willingness to take learning responsibilities are on a high level, while their capacity and self-confidence to learn autonomously are moderate, with some items having means lying in the range that characterises a low level of learner autonomy. The implications of this study suggest that teacher trainers need to pay more attention to creating conditions in the classroom that will help prospective teachers become highly autonomous learners themselves.