Development Of Learner Autonomy Research Articles

Helping Vietnamese university learners to become more autonomous

Autonomy is an important educational goal in international universities in countries with Confucian heritage cultures, such as Vietnam. However, approaches taken to support autonomy can sometimes be limited by over-generalizations about culture, dependence on pre-packaged materials, and a focus on technical practice. This can result in the slow development of learner autonomy. We report on an attempt to stimulate autonomous practices among EAP learners in Vietnam. This collaborative action research first focused on discovering how learners perceived and experienced autonomy, with data collected through questionnaire and focus groups. Data were analysed and discussed with teachers, autonomy levels identified, and strong autonomy-supporting strategies selected for use. Priorities included developing goal setting and self-reflection. An independent learning journal that included focused autonomy-supporting tasks was developed, trialled, and evaluated. Although this was a small-scale intervention, it provided evidence that socially mediated support for autonomy can help Vietnamese university learners take greater control over their own learning.

On Relationship between Teacher Autonomy and Learner Autonomy

In the process of the development of learner autonomy, teachers play a very important role, even determining to some extent whether learner autonomy can be realized. However, there is a lack of strong finks in theories concerning the relationships of learner autonomy, language proficiency, and teacher autonomy. This article explores the relationships between teacher autonomy and learner autonomy in terms of autonomy theory and teaching application and formulates the opinions that teacher autonomy does have positive effects on learner autonomy to some extent and learners with autonomous learning ability can make faster progress in language proficiency than those without learner autonomy

The Relationship between Learner Autonomy and Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in Iranian EFL Learners

WTC is very important for English learners. Without WTC it is impossible to use the target language. On the other hand, developing learner autonomy as the independence in one’s own learning is considered a crucial goal of education. More important than that learner autonomy in WTC is a necessity that has to be considered in language education. In this study, the researcher investigated whether there is any statistically significant relationship between learner autonomy and WTC in Iranian EFL learners. To this end, 77 English learners were homogenized out of 100 advanced learners. A learner autonomy questionnaire and a WTC scale, for measuring trait-like WTC, was given to them; and they were observed, for measuring situational WTC, for 6 sessions. The quantitative data gathered through these instruments were analyzed to determine the degree of correlation between these two constructs. The results demonstrated a significant and strong relationship between learner autonomy and trait-like WTC in Iranian EFL learners and a significant but weak correlation between learner autonomy and situational WTC in Iranian EFL learners. So it can be concluded that a significant relationship between learner autonomy and WTC can be seen in Iranian EFL learners. The regression analysis provided further support for this result.

Practices and Prospects of Learner Autonomy: Teachers’ Perceptions

Language learning process works through the learners’ own reflection on how they learn and it makes learners active in the sense that they learn to analyze their learning strategies. So they start making decisions, e.g., whether to improve them or not, and in which way. Generally, this trait is missing in traditional language teaching process and students are not expected to reflect upon their own learning, analyzing and evaluating their learning experience. Retrospective tasks, such as interviews, group discussion and structured questionnaires encourage learners to reflect upon learning and these retrospective activities may help learners to take responsibility for their language learning processes as autonomous learners and thus making a motivated learner. The role of the teacher is central to the development of learner autonomy (Hurd, Beaven, & Ortega, 2001; Benson, 2009). A teacher is required to create a classroom learning environment that is supportive of learner autonomy. This may involve the teacher first addressing learners’ past learning experiences, then slowly raising their awareness to the benefits of increased independence in their learning. Dickinson (1993) adds that learner training should aim to help learners develop the ability to take more responsibility for their own learning. To do this, a survey was conducted at Taif University English Language Centre (KSA) to collect the opinion of teachers regarding the practices and prospects of learner autonomy in their classrooms. The sample consisted of 60 teachers from different countries teaching English to Arab students at University level. The study focused on the teachers’ notion of learner autonomy, its practices and prospects in Saudi Arabian context. Findings stress that it is important to provide learner training together with the studies and make it an integral part of the teaching process so as to help learners become autonomous.

Strategy-based instruction: A learner-focused approach to developing learner autonomy

This study investigates the effects of strategy-based instruction (SBI) on the promotion of learner autonomy (LA). LA was conceptualized and operationally defined as learner self-initiation and learner self-regulation. An intervention study was conducted with the participation of 37 students in an experimental group, and 54 students in two control groups at a Vietnamese university. An eight-week metacognition training package was incorporated into the academic writing programme of the experimental group. Students in the experimental group improved their ability to plan, monitor and evaluate a writing task more than students in the two control groups. Planning became the most often exercised skill, followed by evaluating and monitoring. Improvements in writing were maintained on a delayed test. Overall, the study suggests that strategy-based instruction in the form of training learners in task-specific metacognitive self-regulation improved learners’ autonomy in both learning and their writing ability.

The European Language Portfolio in whole-school use

This article reports on ‘European Language Portfolio in whole-school use’ (ELP-WSU), one of the projects of the third medium-term programme (2007–2011) of the European Centre for Modern Languages. It begins by briefly introducing the ELP and goes on to consider the three challenges that the ELP poses to L2 pedagogy: the development of learner autonomy, intercultural awareness/competence, and plurilingualism. It then summarises ELP-WSU's successive phases and outcomes, which included reports on ELP projects carried out in 10 different countries (Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Lithuania, Norway, Romania, and Russian Federation) and describes some of the ways in which the projects responded to the ELP's three pedagogical challenges. Although more than 100 ELPs from 70% of the Council of Europe's member states were validated and accredited between 2000 and 2010, the ELP remains largely untried in most national education systems; this helps to explain why only a minority of ELP-WSU projects were able to undertake whole-school implementation of the kind originally envisaged. At the same time, some of the project reports suggest that the ELP has a central role to play in achieving the goals of the Council of Europe's Languages in/for Education project, which promotes the concept of plurilingual and intercultural education.

Computer-mediated communication as an autonomy-enhancement tool for advanced learners of English

This article examines the relevance of modern technology for the development of learner autonomy in the process of learning English as a foreign language. Computer-assisted language learning and computer mediated communication (CMC) appear to be particularly conducive to fostering autonomous learning, as they naturally incorporate many elements of autonomy that give learners control over and responsibility for their own learning, such as choosing the materials used, managing their contact with various genres and types of interaction, often in authentic contexts, and evaluating their own progress, measured through their success in understanding and conveying meanings. However, providing access to language resources does not automatically lead to the development of autonomy, as much depends on other factors, such as the learners’ level or previous experience in learner training. The present study investigated whether advanced learners of English made use of out-of-class CMC engagement for the purpose of learning English autonomously. The results indicate that most of the participants were eager to use CMC opportunities to deliberately practice their English, although, quite naturally, leisure and social reasons for using CMC predominated. The expressed willingness to deliberately focus on practicing English during beyond-theclassroom meaning-oriented online interactions confirms the great potential of CMC as an autonomy enhancement tool.

Developing learner autonomy in a grammar class

Traditionally, grammar classes have tended to follow a teacher-led, prescriptive curriculum with students given little opportunity to demonstrate understanding, or lack of it, on a given topic before being asked to tackle the next grammar point in a textbook. The university class under study made such an approach even more challenging by being open to students from a variety of year groups and language learning backgrounds. With a view to establishing a class which could allow students of all levels to examine the weaknesses in their grammar and share learning patterns, the curriculum was adjusted to allow for the variety of levels and encourage autonomous learning of grammar. The resulting classes made for a dynamic and collaborative learning environment which allowed students the freedom to examine and share a variety of learning styles of grammar points relevant to their English levels. 伝統的に文法の授業は教師に主導される規範的なカリキュラムに従う傾向がある。残念なことに、この方法では教科書の次の文法項目へと進む前に、現在の文法項目に対しての理解度を学生が示す機会がほとんどない。大学で様々な学年や学力の学生で構成されたクラスを教える場合、文法項目の理解度の差がより一層顕著になる。本論では、様々な学力の学生全員が、自身の文法の苦手分野を見つけ、新たな学習方法を互いに共有することができるようなクラスづくりを目指した。様々な学力に対応し、自律的な文法学習を促進するようにカリキュラムを調整した。このような形式のクラスは、学生に各自の文法の弱点を見つけ、様々な学習スタイルを共有する自由を与え、さらに活動的で、協働的な学習環境を形成する。

A Double-Channel Model for Developing Learner Autonomy in an EFL Context

Using Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) to develop learner autonomy is a challenging task in the context of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). A new, double channel model for developing learner autonomy is proposed. This provides the basis for an experimental study, which investigates the impact of an autonomous learning platform (ALP). Both self-directed learning and socially-mediated learning are incorporated into the platform. The results of the study indicate that the double channel model supports the facilitating effects of scaffolding through English communication in an EFL context.

The Development of Learner Autonomy Through Internet Resources and Its Impact on English Language Attainment

Abstract Since the arrival of the Internet and its tools, computer technology has become of considerable significance to both teachers and students, and it is an obvious resource for foreign language teaching and learning. The paper presents the results of a study which aimed to determine the effect of the application of Internet resources on the development of learner autonomy as well as the impact of greater learner independence on attainment in English as a foreign language. The participants were 46 Polish senior high school students divided into the experimental group (N = 28) and the control (N = 18) group. The students in the experimental group were subjected to innovative instruction with the use of the Internet and the learners in the control group were taught in a traditional way with the help of the coursebook. The data were obtained by means questionnaires, interviews, learners’ logs, an Internet forum, observations as well as language tests, and they were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results show that the experimental students manifested greater independence after the intervention and they also outperformed the controls on language tests.

Motivating Chinese Students by Fostering Learner Autonomy in Language Learning

Autonomy in language learning is a relatively new field and research on learner autonomy started in 1970s. However, as the theory and practice of language teaching enters a new century, the importance of helping students become more autonomous in their learning has become one of its more prominent themes. Nowadays, autonomy is widely accepted as a desirable goal in education. A common theme in justifications for autonomy, especially in general education but also in language learning, is that autonomous learners become more highly motivated and that autonomy leads to better, more effective work. This paper is aimed to investigate the link between motivation and learner autonomy, especially how motivation and autonomy can mutually reinforce each other with the emphasis on how the development of learner autonomy through developing negotiated syllabus helps to motivate students in language learning. We trust when we shift the power of making decisions for their own learning through negotiations into students’ hands, they will become highly motivated and whole-heartedly involved and take on greater responsibility for their own learning.

Wikis for Building Content Knowledge in the Fo r eign Language Classroo m

Most pedagogical applications of wikis in foreign language education draw on this collaborative tool to improve (formal) writing skills or to develop target language cultural sensitivity, missing largely on the opportunity to support student-developed L2 content knowledge. Seeking an alternative to traditional teacher-centered approaches, this paper proposes a social-constructivist model which integrates computer-mediated communication (CMC) and collaborative learning to teach two advanced undergraduate L2 content-based courses—French sociolinguistics and modern French. It reports on the processes and learning outcomes for thirty students who build a wiki among other collaborative and active-learning exercises to develop content knowledge in French. This approach provides an authentic and meaningful language learning setting and integrates technology-assisted collaborative learning in syllabus design from the outset. Post-course evaluations indicate that students developed a sense of class community through the collaborative approach and felt engaged with course content. This exploratory, qualitative project also provides insight on the importance of continuous critical instructor feedback for optimal quality of student output and of a system encouraging and controlling equal participation of students. The study suggests that the read-and-write internet offers a unique medium for constructive learning approaches which together can help students develop learner autonomy and metacognitive skills.

Fostering Learner Autonomy as Agency: An Analysis of Narratives of a Student Staff Member Working at a Self-access Learning Center

This study investigates narrative stories of a student staff member working at the Self Access Learning Center (the SALC) at Kanda University of International Studies, Japan in order to discover whether / how her working experiences in the SALC have an impact on her identities especially focusing on her development of learner autonomy as agency. Drawing on four layers of narrative positioning (Wortham & Gadsden, 2006), I will explore: 1) the ways that agency is projected; and 2) how the learner’s involvement in a SALC impacts on her identities. The examination revealed that the learner’s involvement as a student staff member enhanced her agency to access a target community of English in the SALC. Drawing on the Communities of Practice (CoP) framework by Lave & Wenger (1991), I discuss the possibility that gaining voice in the target community might enable a learner to be more autonomous. Finally, this paper addresses the importance of learner involvement in SALCs – not only for the learners involved, but also for other SALC users in order to provide opportunities to activate both agency and autonomy.

What happens in different contexts and how to do learner autonomy better?

Chongqing University, as one of the experimental universities in China, has implemented computer-assisted language learning to support and practice learner autonomy since 2003. But in 2006, as a Visiting Fellow from Chongqing at the University of Leeds, the author noted pedagogical differences in promoting learner autonomy of language teaching between the two universities. A comparative study focusing on learner autonomy is likely to provide useful insights into the progression of autonomy in language learning. Accordingly, a comparative study through questionnaires, interviews, and learning contexts observations was designed to examine closely the similarities and differences between the two groups in learner autonomy and, more specifically, to find out the main barriers to the development of learner autonomy in Chongqing University. Research findings indicate more autonomous learning practices and constructive interactions among learners, and more support from teachers and the university should be given.

Analyzing student practice in language resource centres of the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg: is planning really central to self-directed learning?

The Language Resource Centres (LRCs) of the Louis Pasteur University1 (LPU) in Strasbourg were created to promote both language learning and the development of learner autonomy among university students. Teacher support in the LRCs is based on the prevailing principles found in the literature on self-directed learning. But little is in fact known about how learner autonomy actually develops and a few authors have started to challenge the assumption that planning is central to self-directed learning. Our doctoral research set out to comprehensively study how university students learning a foreign language in a LRC proceed when encouraged to self-direct learning. The corpus of data was obtained using a methodology combining direct observation of individual learners’ work sessions and subsequent interviews. The confrontation of the data with literature on autonomy led us to identify four lines of analysis, according to which student activity was then qualitatively analysed. This article will focus on one of them: if and how the learners controlled or monitored their learning process. Although our results remain to be confirmed on larger numbers of learners studied for a longer time span, they open challenging areas of investigation into the nature of the processes involved in self-directed learning.

Developing Learner Autonomy through Error Identification and Correction in their Own and Peer Writing

本研究は, 大学生の英語ライティング授業(一年生対象2クラス)における, 学習者の自立と気付きを促すことを目指した実践を報告するものである。自立と気付きは, 将来英語運用力が必要とされる職場に就職をしようとする成人学習者にとって極めて重要な資質であり, 言語産出能力は職業人としての評価を決定づける要因でもある。CALL教室やインターネットで利用可能な機能は, 教師が学生の作文を閲覧することを容易にし, 学生による自身や友人の書いた作文の評価を可能にした。自身や友人の書いたものを日常的に閲覧することは, ライティングにおける情報性と正確さを高めるのに, 有益で現実的な手法である。さらに, 学習者が自分の言語産出に関して気付きと責任感を高めるに役立つ。

Developing learner autonomy in the language class in Turkey: voices from the classroom

This article draws on qualitative interview data from a case study of an English teacher in Turkey. It explores the implementation of learner autonomy in English as a foreign language classroom and identifies the challenges, such as students’ negative attitudes towards classroom practices, dissatisfaction with the language learning activities and lack of motivation among the students, the teacher encountered while promoting learner autonomy. The main purpose of the paper is to analyse the issues that have emerged during the process of implementing learner autonomy in language learning with specific reference to the case study conducted and to discuss the themes relevant to its classroom practice.

Developing Learner Autonomy in Higher Education in Macedonia

Learner autonomy is a new trend in education which emphasizes students’ engagement in their own learning. Macedonia is a country in transition and many changes are needed to improve Higher education. One of main challenges that language teachers face is helping learners move toward becoming responsible for their own learning. This paper examines the techniques that can promote learner autonomy in a Higher Institution in Macedonia, South East European University in Tetovo. The study will reveal the learners’ responsibility for their learning, and it shows that the use of different techniques can promote learner autonomy in Higher education in Macedonia.

The Changing Role of Teachers in the Development of Learner Autonomy— Based on a Survey of “English Dorm Activity”

College English aims at improving the learners’ ability to take charge of his or her own learning. In view of this, the role of teachers is crucial in helping promote leaner autonomy. This thesis discusses the responsibilities of teachers in the exercise of autonomy by analyzing the concept of autonomous learning and the difficulties the students meet in English dorm activity.

Wykorzystanie Internetu w rozwijaniu autonomii ucznia – wyniki badania ankietowego

The aim of the article is to show the extent to which the use of the Internet resources promotes the development of learner autonomy among Polish senior high school learners of English. The data were gathered by means of a questionnaire before and after the treatment and subjected to quantitative and qualitative analysis. It should be noted that the data came from a larger research project in which two groups, experimental and control, received different types of instruction. More precisely, the learners in the experimental group gained access to the Internet and exercised more freedom in learning. On the other hand, the control group students were taught in a traditional way. The results indicate that the experimental learners became more autonomous than their control counterparts.