The effect of learner autonomy on English proficiency of non-English major students

Abstract

Learner autonomy (LA) has been considered to be one of the important goals in education. This article investigates the effect of LA on English proficiency (EP) of non-English major students. 635 Vietnamese students from five member universities of the University of Danang completed the questionnaire on LA. The collected data was compared with the scores of their English language course. The results show that there are overall positive and significant correlations between LA and their EP. However, while there are significant correlations between LA and EP among high proficiency learners, such correlations do not exist among low proficiency learners. The results also indicate that LA can predict students’ EP. The study suggests that students should be aware of the importance of LA and empowered to take charge of their own learning process to enhance their language proficiency. Also, LA may be used by university administrators to predict learners’ academic potential.