Importance Of Learner Autonomy Research Articles

English Teachers’ Perspectives of Learner Autonomy in Online Reading Comprehension in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The objectives of this research were focused on English teachers’ perspectives on learner autonomy and to what extent do English teachers feel their learners are autonomous in online reading comprehension in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. These research questions were answered by using observation, interview, and Likert-scale questionnaire in the form of qualitative method. The sample of this study was 26 English teachers in 4 elementary schools and 5 junior high schools in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The results of the study showed some points on learner autonomy, such as: (1) the importance of learner autonomy, (2) the way English teachers promoted learner autonomy, (3) the challenges of English teachers to implement learner autonomy, (4) English teachers’ responsibility in online reading comprehension, (5) English teachers’ observation to learners’ autonomy in online reading comprehension, (6) learners’ activities in online reading comprehension strategy, (7) English teachers’ preparation in online reading comprehension class. This research concluded that the degree of learners’ autonomy during the pandemic was higher rather than before the COVID-19 pandemic due to some reasons.

E-Learning and Learner Autonomy in an EFL Class in Vietnam

Learner autonomy has long been a matter of great interest in the world of EFL pedagogy and practice. It is one of the qualities that teachers want to cultivate as they know that developing this core value is synonymous with training an independent, confident, and effective learner. There have been numerous studies on this subject in the educational setting; however, those conducted to examine learners’ ability to self-control their learning in the online context are still far from sufficient. This research was conducted with the exploratory survey to examine learner autonomy in EFL classes in Vietnam, where e-learning has recently been made mandatory due to the Covid 19 pandemic. It involved the total participation of 20 teachers and 100 students randomly selected from five Vietnamese tertiary institutions. Results showed a good understanding of the course instructors about the importance of learner autonomy in the online courses and the need to promote it. The students, however, were not well aware of their self-regulated learning tasks. From the study results, we could realize some problems regarding the students’ behavior in the virtual learning environment and differences in teachers’ and students’ perceptions of this notion. The research findings also supported the researcher in making recommendations to motivate self-controlled learners.

Learner Autonomy: Attitudes and Practices of Moroccan University Students in English Departments

The study at hand examines learner autonomy in the Moroccan higher education context. The relevance of autonomy stems from the need to empower learners with the necessary life skills to succeed both in their personal and professional lives. This study is thus concerned with the possible ways to foster autonomy within Moroccan University students. It also takes into account how teaching English at university and motivating autonomous behaviours in classrooms can be attained in an integrated way. To these ends, quantitative research was conducted through a survey of 326 students studying English at Moroccan universities. Findings revealed a great awareness of the importance of learner autonomy among Moroccan university students. These students hold positive attitudes towards learning autonomously and are engaged in manifesting various autonomous behaviours in class. In short, the survey yielded evidence of very promising ground upon which can be built a culture of autonomy in Moroccan higher education.

Learner Autonomy in English Language Learning: Vietnamese EFL Learners’ Perceptions and Practices

Learner autonomy has been regarded as an important value which is expected to be present in any English language students as it can have positive effects on their learning. In Vietnam, the notion of learner autonomy has attracted more attention, and various studies have been conducted on teacher beliefs and practices regarding learner autonomy over the last decade. Nevertheless, not much evidence has been provided on how EFL students perceive and practise autonomous learning, especially at a time when there has been a shift towards student-centered instruction. To contribute to bridging this gap, this study is aimed to report on an investigation into Vietnamese EFL students’ perceptions and practices of autonomous learning. Data were collected from 50 English-majored students at a university in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam by using a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. It was found that the students had an agreement on the importance of learner autonomy in their language learning. However, their perceived level of abilities to act autonomously was just above average. This result was the same as that found on their frequency scale of reported practices of autonomous activities inside and outside the classroom. Therefore, it is suggested that, to better enhance learner autonomy in teaching and learning English in Vietnam, it should be integrated into English language instruction by making it an integral part of EFL curricula.

Professors’ and Students’ Perceptions of Learner Autonomy in the University of Prizren’s Department of English Language and Literature

The aim of this research was to investigate the perceptions of learner autonomy (LA) of 92 EFL undergraduate students and 11 professors in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Prizren. In order to reach this aim, three research questions were raised: 1) What are EFL students’ perceptions regarding learner autonomy? 2) What are EFL professors’ perceptions regarding learner autonomy? and 3) Is there any difference between EFL students’ and professors’ perceptions regarding learner autonomy? This study was conducted through the collection of quantitative data. The instruments of the current study were two questionnaires, one for students and one for professors. The findings of the study showed that students’ and professors’ perceptions regarding learner autonomy in the English Department do not overlap at all points. As expected, both students’ and professors’ perceptions of learner autonomy were generally positive. The study revealed that even though students showed a tendency to like LA in learning, they seemed unsure to take responsibility and control their learning; moreover, they considered the teacher as a central figure (giver) who is responsible for their learning. On the other hand, professors agreed to involve learners in making decisions related to their own learning. The study verified the hypothesis that there is a slight difference between students’ and professors’ perceptions regarding learning autonomy in the Department of English Language and Literature. To sum up, professors’ and students’ awareness should be raised about the importance of learner autonomy in learning and teaching. Keywords: autonomy, learning autonomy, student perceptions, professor perceptions, higher education DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-17-06 Publication date: June 30 th 2021

The English-Majored Sophomores’ Self-Perception of Autonomous Language Learning

Learner autonomy, which places the great emphasis on the learners’ independent roles and responsibilities in their learning process, has become the main concern of language education for over three past decades. It is important to investigate the language learners’ self-perception of their autonomous responsibilities, their possession of autonomous abilities, and their enactment of autonomous in-class and out-of-class behaviors. Thereby, the current study adopted features of a mixed-methods research design to examine these autonomous dimensions as perceived by university learners. A sample of eighty English-majored sophomores from Hung Vuong University, Vietnam was recruited for the current study. Their self-perception of autonomous language learning was elicited through two instruments of a thirty-two-item questionnaire and a nine-question semi-structured interview. Then the questionnaire data were quantitatively analyzed and the interview data were qualitatively analyzed. The results of this study indicated that the majority of the participants positively acknowledged the importance of learner autonomy, discerned their gained autonomous learning responsibilities, recognized their existing autonomous abilities, and unveiled some enacted autonomous learning behaviors inside and outside class.

Fostering student autonomy in English learning through creations in a 3D virtual world

The importance of learner autonomy has been researched for at least two decades. However, it has been critiqued that most research mainly focused on theoretical explanations and was based on anecdotal evidence (Dalgarno and Lee in Br J Educ Technol 41(1):10–32, 2010; Hew and Brush in Educ Technol Res Dev 55(3):223–252, 2007). Therefore, this study aims to explore how learner autonomy is influenced by new technologies (a 3D virtual learning platform: Build & Show, BS and (2) an analysis of the students’ self-assessment of learner autonomy supported with the qualitative data. Based on these results, the possible approaches to improving learner autonomy in a 3D virtual world have been discussed.

Iranian EFL teachers’ practices and learner autonomy: Do gender, educational degree, and experience matter?

ABSTRACTOwing to the importance of learner autonomy (LA) and considering the prominent role of teachers in this respect, the present study investigated: (1) Iranian English as a foreign language teachers’ practices for promoting high school students’ autonomy, (2) possible differences among teachers’ practices with different educational degrees, levels of experience, and gender, and (3) factors which, in teachers’ opinion, affect their practices for promoting LA. To this purpose, 80 randomly selected teachers answered Chang's (2007. “The Influence of Group Processes on Learners’ Autonomous Beliefs and Behaviours.” System 35 (3): 322–337.) questionnaire. The statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the experienced/inexperienced and BA/MA groups. However, female teachers were found to outperform males in using specific strategies. Moreover, the interviewed teachers believed that their practices could be affected by a number of factors such as resources, teacher training, freedom in syllabus and tests, as well as students', parents', and principals’ expectations. The findings of this study provide functional pedagogical implications for language teachers and teacher educators.

Learner Autonomy in East Asian University Contexts

There is no doubt that learner autonomy plays a very important role in successful language acquisition. However, there has been an extensive discussion of whether or not learner autonomy is an exclusively Western cultural construct. Some researchers argue that the concept of learner autonomy is perceived differently in different cultures, and the influence of socio-cultural contexts cannot be ignored when trying to implement learner autonomy. Considering the importance of learner autonomy in language acquisition and how it varies according to the socio-cultural context, this paper looked into EFL students’ perceptions of learner autonomy in East Asian university English classes taught by native speakers of English (NSE) and non-native speakers of English (NNSE), and the perceptions of native speakers of English (NSE) and non-native speakers of English (NNSE) in terms of the implementation of learner autonomy in their English language classes. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n7p83

Descriptive study of learner's level of autonomy: voices from the Turkish language classes

The notion of learner autonomy that is thought to bring some benefits in the context of teaching Turkish as a foreign language and the effects of European Language Portfolio applications, developed as a language teaching Project by the Council of Europe, on language learning and teaching are the basis of this study. The importance of Learner Autonomy has been introduced to the literature; however, it has not been applied enough in the context of teaching Turkish as a foreign language. Recognition of this notion by the institutions and teachers that teach Turkish will provide a lot of benefits in the field of Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language. The questionnaire included 43 items about the necessities of learner autonomy and learning strategies. This study group consisted of students attending Turkish courses at the Ankara University Turkish and Foreign Languages Research and Application Centre. This work has been implemented in multicultural classes for 159 adult students. This questionnaire has been analyzed to detect learners’ cognitive, affective and psychomotor strategies on learning. The indicators of the study for autonomy in the Turkish classes have determined that students have autonomy in certain domains of learning, but not all.