Perceptions Of Learner Autonomy Research Articles

Impact of Time in College on Learner Autonomy: A Comparative Study on English-Major Students with Different Academic Years

Learner autonomy (LA) is proven to have a significant impact on English learning and teaching. However, almost no research has examined the impact of students’ time at university on their LA. Therefore, this study focuses on clarifying the impact of students’ time at university on their LA by comparing students’ awareness of LA in different academic years. This research stems from the hypothesis that the more students are at university, the more their LA will increase. Designed as a comparative study, the study used a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to collect data from three groups of English majors studying in different academic years, then compared the hypothesis to check whether or not the students’ awareness of LA is affected by their time in college. The results show that the hypothesis was partly correct because the juniors and seniors had higher LA than the sophomores. However, the juniors even had higher LA than the seniors. In other words, students’ time at university changes their perception of LA. The cause of the difference in LA, besides time at university, was also the difference between high school and higher education, individual differences, or subject matters. Some suggestions profoundly given to help increase LA as well as the quality of teaching are mentioned. The big difference between teaching and learning in high school and university needs to be shortened so that students’ transition from high school to university could be smoother. Also, due to the difference between the two levels of study, first-year students need much more attention to avoid being shocked when they change their learning environment. Keywords: time in college, learner autonomy, a comparative study, English-major students, academic years

Hungarian higher education EFL students’ perceptions of learner autonomy

Technology has provided language learners with opportunities to learn English autonomously. Despite previous studies in the Hungarian context (e.g., Édes 2008; Szőcs 2017), more research on learner autonomy is required in order to find out what might explain university EFL learners’ lack of autonomy and help them become more autonomous. The purpose of this quantitative study was to address the problem by investigating learners’ perceptions of their own and their teachers’ responsibilities in language learning, their perceived abilities and motivation to learn English, their autonomous behaviours outside and inside the classroom, and the relationships between the above variables. The questionnaire was completed by 74 EFL students from a Hungarian university. The data were analysed by SPSS 26.0. The results indicate that in the investigated context, in the EFL learners’ perceptions, teachers were more responsible for their in-class learning than themselves. Nevertheless, the students demonstrated some autonomy both inside and outside class, to an equal extent.

Parents’ Contributions to Vietnamese English as a Foreign Language Students’ Perceptions of Learner Autonomy

Learner autonomy has been consistently identified to foster independent learning over the last three decades, and its promoting practices have primarily been targeted by empirical investigations. However, only little attention has been paid to students’ perceptions and the specific social factors that can sustain the development of this capacity, particular in the case of young learners. To bridge this gap, the current study investigates if high school English foreign language (EFL) students’ perceptions of learner autonomy is mediated by their perceived parental supports. Employing a quantitative approach, this research distributed a Likert item questionnaire to 515 high school students who learn English as a foreign language to find out their perceptions of learner autonomy and its relation to the level of parental support that they perceive. The data analysis shows a positive correlation between the two. The more care that the students think they can receive from their parents, the greater appreciation of learner autonomy they express. This indicates the significant role of parents in fostering the development of learner autonomy and calls for further research on this complex relationship.

THE EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNER AUTONOMY AND ITS DEVELOPMENT IN AN INDONESIAN CONTEXT

Creating long-life learners has become a long-term educational goal in many educational settings including Indonesia. An initial step towards this goal is to develop autonomy in students. Currently, learner autonomy or independence in learning has been promoted in higher education through the concept of Merdeka Belajar (freedom of learning) by the Minister of Education and Culture. In high schools, the 2013 curriculum has also emphasized learner autonomy development. Thus it is necessary to look back at how teachers perceived the concept of learner autonomy long before the concept of Merdeka Belajar was introduced. This article reports a quantitative study that investigated English teachers’ perceptions of learner autonomy and its development in Indonesia. This study was conducted in 2014 using a questionnaire and involved 145 high school English teachers in Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The findings revealed that these Indonesian teachers held positive perceptions of learner autonomy and strongly supported psychological elements of learner autonomy. These EFL teachers also showed strong support for social aspects of autonomy. These junior high school teachers perceived social interaction and cooperation as important for promoting learner autonomy in the Indonesian context.

LEARNER AUTONOMY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION: VIETNAMESE EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Learner autonomy plays a vital role in self-enhancing language learning quality. Nevertheless, ESL\EFL teachers’ perceptions of learner autonomy and their teaching strategies for learner autonomy enhancement vary from one context to another. This study aimed to explore EFL teachers’ perceptions of learner autonomy and the use of teaching strategies to promote learner autonomy at high schools in a Province, Vietnam. The mixedmethods approach was employed in this study to collect data from a cohort of 106 high school teachers of English from 14 high schools who participated in the survey, and 20 of them were selected purposively for the individual interviews. The quantitative data were processed by the software SPSS, while the qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. The findings revealed that the participants had good understanding of learner autonomy in three aspects including decision-making ability, learner independence, and learning psychology, and they usually applied teaching strategies for the promotion of learner autonomy among their students relating to decision-making ability (e.g., making their own decisions and choosing learning materials), learner independence (e.g., developing their own study plans, identifying their own needs, delving into language concepts on their own, and recommending autonomous learning strategies for obtaining their own goals) and learning psychology (e.g., evaluating their own learning, reflecting on their own learning, and monitoring their progress).

Myanmar English majors' perceptions of learner autonomy in Learning English at tertiary level

Abstract Autonomous language learning has drawn many researchers' attention in the field of language teaching and learning due to its relevance to the current education context. Consequently, research on autonomous behaviors of learners in learning English inside and outside the classroom has been remarkably relevant with a view to fostering autonomy in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes. As this area of second language acquisition (SLA) constitutes a niche in the Myanmar EFL context, the aim of this paper is to fill this niche by conducting a quantitative replication study to investigate Myanmar EFL learners' autonomous behaviors. The original questionnaire by Spratt et al. (2002) was adapted and administered online. A total of 60 first-year and second-year English specialization students from a Myanmar university participated in the study. The results showed that learners appear to view their teachers as more responsible for in-class learning and themselves for outside or private learning, and they demonstrated surprisingly little autonomy inside the classroom. Their level of autonomy outside the classroom was significantly higher; however, it still approximated the lower end of the Likert scale, which is indicative of the need to foster learner autonomy in the context investigated. At the same time, the results have raised a need for further research in the same context on the focus of the study and its possibly related aspects impacted by culture, prescribed curricula, etc.

EFL University Teachers’ Beliefs About Learner Autonomy and the Effect of Online Learning Experience

Learner autonomy (LA) has always been viewed as an essential component of successful language learning. It is one of the factors that contributes to creating a learning community in which learners are capable of developing their knowledge and skills. Since it plays an essential role in language learning process, it can be reflected in both students’ and teachers’ beliefs as well as practices. Despite its importance, EFL teachers’ perceptions are insufficiently explored in the Saudi context. To address this gap, this study deals with teachers’ own reflection on how they perceive learner autonomy in Saudi universities and what they do to make their students autonomous learners. It also explores their views about the effect of the online teaching experience during COVID-19 pandemic on LA. To do this, a questionnaire designed by Borg and Al-Busaidi (2012) was used in addition to semi-structured interviews to explore in more detail the teachers’ perceptions of LA. The analysis of quantitative and qualitative data showed that teachers hold a variety of perceptions of LA and have highly positive attitudes towards enhancing it. They also believe that it is theoretically desirable to promote LA among EFL students; yet, it is partially attainable in the practical ground. Additionally, the experience of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift from face-to-face setting have created more opportunities for more practices of LA. Teachers’ role cannot be disregarded since they create adequate opportunities for LA development. Although a number of obstacles that would hinder LA can be identified, some solutions can be of great appeal in encouraging LA in EFL contexts.

Learner Autonomy between Students and Teachers at a Defence University: Perception vs. Expectation

The success of nurturing learner autonomy lies in the collaboration between two parties—teachers and students. A mismatch of perception and expectation of the desirable level of learner autonomy that should be given in class may lead to failure in developing learner autonomy. Hence, this paper aims to investigate if there are differences between the teachers’ and students’ perceptions of learner autonomy that is currently being practiced in ESL classrooms at a defence university in Malaysia to understand the existing level of learner autonomy in this context, as well as investigate the level of learner autonomy they expect to have in the future. A quantitative research design with descriptive approach was employed using a questionnaire to collect data from 132 students and 10 English teachers. The instrument was based on the twelve categories about learner autonomy through classroom experience and data collected were analysed using SPSS. Results show that the teachers and students are involved collaboratively in carrying learner autonomy. However, all of the significant differences pointed out a higher degree of support for learner autonomy of the students and a lower degree of support for learner autonomy of the teachers. The success of promoting learner autonomy is influenced by the teachers’ beliefs, motivation and encouragement, and also students’ capacity to be autonomous, namely ability, willingness and opportunity.

‘Am I aware of my roles as a learner?’ the relationships of learner autonomy, self-direction and goal commitment to academic achievement among Turkish EFL learners

This study explores the relationships between learner autonomy (LA), self-directed learning (SDL), goal commitment (GC) and academic achievement in English and also examines the scores which Turkish EFL learners obtained on selected measures according to demographic variables. The participants were 248 English-major Turkish undergraduate students. A mixed-method, embedded design was chosen for this study. The participants completed the Autonomous Learning Scale, the Self-Directed Learning Scale, the Commitment Scale and three open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of LA and SDL in foreign-language learning. The results showed that LA, SDL and GC are all correlated with academic achievement and with each other, with the strongest correlation found between LA and SDL. The findings also revealed statistically significant relationships between Turkish EFL learners’ LA scores and all the demographic variables. Furthermore, students’ open-ended responses regarding LA and SDL failed to provide particular examples of how learners exercise control over their language learning. Most of the participants in the study were aware of autonomy and self-direction and had an understanding and perception of both LA and SDL. A major implication of this study is that language learners’ autonomous learning within but more importantly beyond the classroom should be encouraged.

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

Designing and validating the learner autonomy perception questionnaire

The present study aimed to design and validate a questionnaire to investigate students' perceptions of learner autonomy in the context of Vietnamese tertiary education. The questionnaire was adapted from various well-established scales in the literature, and then the back-translation method was used to produce a version in Vietnamese. After the questionnaire development process, 1,565 non-English majors at seven different tertiary institutions in Vietnam voluntarily participated in the study and completed the questionnaire. Evidence of reliability and validity was provided for the instrument using SPSS Version 24, SmartPLS 3, and SPSS AMOS. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability (CR), rho_A value, and average inter-item correlations. Validity was substantiated using Messick's framework of validity (1995). This entailed five different aspects: content, substantive, structural, external, and consequential. The results indicated that reliability reached adequate values and the aspects of validity were mostly confirmed. The questionnaire, therefore, was suited to exploring how students perceive learner autonomy, but it requires more validation for future use in the other contexts.

PROMOTING LEARNERS’AUTONOMY: TO WHAT EXTENT DO STUDENTS PRACTICE AUTONOMOUS ACTIVITIES FOR THEIR LEARNING?

Learner autonomy plays a vital role in the success of language education. The specific purpose of this study is to investigate the views English majored first year students regarding the students‟ awareness of the importance of learner autonomy as well as the practice of autonomous activities inside and outside the classroom at Faculty of Foreign Languages ( FFL) of Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City ( IUH). This study was conducted with two instruments: questionnaire and interview. The questionnaires were completed to elicit responses from 100 participants who were English majored freshmen at FFL. At the same time, the writer also made two interviews with teachers who were teaching freshmen. There are four conclusions that are obtained from the findings and discussion. First of all, the majority of the participants in the research have intrinsic motivation when practicing autonomous activities for their learning. Secondly, most of them are aware of the importance of learner autonomy in learning English. And the third finding is about students‟ strategies in their own learning English. The result indicates that most of the students usually practice listening when they practice language outside the classroom. Finally, it is found that both of the two teachers in the research suppose that 90% of English major freshman at IUH have good perception of learner autonomy, which is a very positive signal for the language learning process.

Non-English-Major Students’ Perceptions of Learner Autonomy and Factors Influencing Learner Autonomy in Vietnam

The present paper reports on some stages of an ongoing research project which investigates how Vietnamese non-English-major university students perceive learner autonomy (LA) and which factors, from their perspective, influence the promotion of LA. Data was collected using questionnaires administered to more than 1,500 university undergraduates from different higher education institutions in Hanoi, Vietnam, and 13 students participated in semi-structured interviews. The initial stage of the project, detailed here, was to validate the questionnaire on the basis of reliability and Messick’s (1995) framework of validity. The results revealed that reliability and most aspects of validity investigated in this research were adequately fulfilled, except for the relative goodness indices, which needed improvement. Currently, both quantitative data and qualitative data are being analyzed to reach conclusions. The research results are expected to help the research team to provide suggestions on how to foster LA in English tertiary education. Accordingly, those results will be of interest to language educators in Vietnam in particular, scholars who are researching LA, and those who are interested in the promotion of LA.

Undergraduate students’ emotional intelligence and their perceptions of learner autonomy: Interface between social science and English language students

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) of the students and its impact on their academic achievement has been amply studied since decades ago. However, it seems that the relationship between the students’ EQ a...

Exploring EFL learner autonomy in the 2013 Curriculum implementation

In the Indonesian educational system, learner autonomy has been demanded to be promoted in the teaching and learning process of recent curriculum implementation. Unfortunately, it cannot be denied that learner autonomy still poses a challenge to be implemented in Indonesia since the teacher-centered learning is still dominant. Therefore, it is essential to explore both teacher’s and students’ perception of learner autonomy in one study. By employing a case study, this study used the interview, observation and questionnaire as the principal data collection methods to see in-depth the teacher’s and students’ perception of learner autonomy. An English teacher and thirty-six students from twelve grade of one senior high school in Indonesia were involved in eliciting their perceptions on learner autonomy and how the teacher’s efforts in promoting learner autonomy in the 2013 Curriculum . The findings showed that the teacher understood the basic features of learner autonomy as learners’ independent learning activity outside the classroom. This study also underlined that the teacher had had the initiative to promote learner autonomy in the 2013 Curriculum implementation by making some efforts. However, the teacher has not yet provided the learning process with a wide variety of authentic materials. It was found that the learners’ attitude toward those three perspectives on learner autonomy did not indicate the students to be autonomous learners because they were still accustomed to the teacher-centered learning environment.

Everyone Designs: Learner Autonomy through Creative, Reflective, and Iterative Practice Mindsets

Developing learner autonomy—or the ability to take charge of one’s learning—is a crucial element of teaching and learning and of design work. In this article, we argue that developing learner autonomy in students requires instructors to adopt a two-fold approach through a mindset rooted in creativity and reflective practice. We discuss the theoretical grounding for this mindset, and then situate our discussion by examining an award-winning hybrid-blended course about design thinking in an educational psychology and educational technology doctoral program. The course outcomes qualitatively demonstrated the ways in which students developed a perception of learner autonomy through their work in creating and implementing context-specific educational technology design solutions. We present and discuss evidence from our own formative reflective practice as instructors, along with evidence from students’ reflections, on how themes of learner autonomy emerged via our proposed pedagogical mindset.

Exploring EFL Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of Learner Autonomy in Egyptian Technical Schools

This study aimed at exploring the perceptions of learner autonomy of 265 students and 89 EFL teachers in technical secondary schools in Egypt. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through student questionnaire, teacher questionnaire, and teacher interviews. The findings revealed that the participants; students and teachers, have positive views about learner autonomy in language learning. Students were generally aware of the autonomy-boosting practices and teachers’ roles in fostering autonomy. Students were neutral about their ability to choose course materials and use appropriate strategies to learn English. The results also showed that EFL teachers had clear understanding of the concept of learner autonomy and were mostly aware of its importance in EFL classes. However, they perceived their students as non-autonomous due to individual and institutional challenges. Both students and teachers were unsure about the relation between cultural backgrounds and autonomy in language learning. Based on the results, some pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research for promoting learner autonomy in secondary technical schools have been provided.

An Analysis of Learner Autonomy and Autonomous Learning Practices in Massive Open Online Language Courses

The study investigates the perception of learner autonomy with Massive Open Online Language Course (MOOLC) participants, more specifically; (i) to what extent EFL learners in an English MOOLC are autonomous, (ii) the perception of learners’ and teachers’ roles in learner autonomy, and (iii) the autonomous learning practices the learners are involved in by participating in the MOOLCs. It contributes to the understanding of online learner as an agent in highly heterogeneous language learning contexts and the link between online learning and learner autonomy. The mixed-method design is employed to present data from a Learner Autonomy Questionnaire by Joshi (2011) conducted with 57 participants from three English MOOLCs with a variety of focus as well as a content analysis method was used on the interaction data in the form of open discussion forum posts, which were added by the participants, to create a frame of autonomous learning activities in these MOOLCs and learners’ attitudes towards them. The findings show that the English MOOLC participants are highly autonomous and willing to be more responsible for their own learning. Similarly, the learners’ perception of their own roles indicates a positive inclination towards autonomy. Furthermore, the participants favor the MOOLCs that encourage learner-centered and autonomous language learning practices. Due to the interactive, communicative, and collaborative nature of MOOLCs, learners are advised to develop globalized autonomous skills to participate effectively in such multicultural learning platforms because learner autonomy goes beyond traditional classrooms.

Learner Autonomy in Language Learning: Syrian Refugee EFL Learners’ Perceptions and Readiness

This study examined Syrian refugee English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ perceptions regarding learner autonomy as well as their readiness for autonomy in English language learning. It also investigated the effects of grade and gender on learners’ perceptions. A mixed-method research design was utilized, and findings indicated that neither grade nor gender had caused statistically significant differences in terms of Syrian refugees’ perceptions of learner autonomy in language learning; nevertheless, both had caused statistically significant differences in terms of sub-scales. While the 8th graders in this study perceived themselves as being more autonomous in terms of experience in language learning, the female students seemed more autonomous in terms of their perceptions of the role of teachers and feedback. Additionally, although the learners’ perceptions regarding autonomy were slightly lower than their readiness for autonomy, there was a statistically significant relationship between their perceptions of learner autonomy and their readiness for autonomy in language learning. When their perceptions about learner autonomy increased, their readiness for autonomy also increased.

The Relationship between EFL Teachers Emotional Intelligence and their Perceptions of Learners Autonomy

Studies on learner autonomy show that teacher’ perceptions of emotional intelligence and learner autonomy might be interrelated. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers’ emotional intelligence and their perceptions of learner autonomy. To do so, 180 Iranian EFL teachers were selected through convenience sampling. The data were collected through administering a learner autonomy scale and emotional intelligence instruments. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and Pearson Product correlation. The results showed that there is a significant correlation between Iranian EFL teachers’ emotional intelligence and their perceptions of learner autonomy and only some components of EI (Emotional Intelligence) significantly predict teachers’ perceptions of learner autonomy. The findings might be useful for teacher educators and teachers.