Secondary school English learners on the road to autonomy (original) (raw)
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Autonomous English learning: Teachers' and students' perceptions
Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2019
This study aims at investigating teachers' and students' perceptions of autonomous learning in English language teaching and to what extent the teachers foster students' autonomous learning. A set of questionnaire was distributed to 30 English teachers and 283 third-year secondary school students in the provincial part of Indonesia. The participants in this study were randomly selected. Furthermore, to obtain the supplementary data, an interview was conducted to two students from each school. The findings indicate that albeit positive tenets on autonomous learning were held by both teachers and students, they still had inadequate understandings of what autonomous learning concepts are. In terms of exposing students to autonomous learning, the teachers possess highly-driven endeavor. This study ends with suggestions for teachers and teacher education programs.
2011
Autonomous learning has already established itself as the key element to language learning for almost three decades, but the concept just received serious attention in the context of Vietnam three years ago when certain colleges and universities started to apply the credit-based system in education. Given the circumstance, this study investigated into how non-English majored undergraduates and graduates perceived their responsibility and ability related to autonomous learning of the language and into the students' autonomous learning activities in and off class. The results show that the concept of learner autonomy is still alien to both the students and the teachers although the former do want to change their current learning situation. The study suggests that autonomous learning be incorporated in the students' language curriculum.
Does Learner Autonomy Affect the Language Learning Process
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The aim of this research is to determine if there is an impact of autonomy level of the learner on his/her language learning process. To determine this, a questionnaire was administered to 20 students studying in ELT Department of Uludag University in Turkey. The students’ ages were between 18 and 22. They were taking professional lessons about their branch such as Approaches in ELT, ELT Methodology, Classroom Management, etc. so they were aware of the term, namely learner autonomy. With the questionnaire, it was firstly aimed to see how much they were autonomous; the following parts of the instrument were about their skills in English. According to the results of the research, there was an effect of autonomy on their performance because we observed that the students who said they were more autonomous; got higher points in the following part. Finally; we reached a conclusion: While teaching, the teachers should try to grow autonomous learners. By that way it gets easier to teach som...
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Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 2012
This article focuses on teacher attitudes towards learner autonomy and discusses whether teachers’ attitudes change through teacher training. The study was carried out with teachers working in different self-access centres within the State University of Nuevo Leon, Mexico (UANL). The aim of the study was to report any changes in teachers’ opinions and beliefs on issues after a teacher training course. These issues range from teacher-centeredness, learner-centeredness, learner autonomy, work in the SAC, views on language learning, the role of teachers, the role of learners, views on local culture, and on motivation. The study was carried out using Q Methodology.
Fostering Autonomy in Language Learning
Fostering autonomy in language learning, 2011
This research paper analyses the work students do in the self-access centre of the School of Languages in the Autonomous University of Baja California, specifically in the computer area, in order to determine the practices students are developing, and how these practices are helping them develop their independent learning. Although in this centre computers are perceived as helpful tools for autonomous language learning, there had previously been no studies to verify this perception. This qualitative research is based on observations and interviews of students who use the computer area in two self-access centres in the School of Languages in Tecate and in Tijuana. The study evaluates the academic use of computers and determines whether computers help students develop independent language learning.
Autonomous learning has played important part in language learning process since the birth of this concept. In Vietnam, there have been a lot of studies on learner autonomy at tertiary and high school levels in the past ten years. However, there have little research on students' autonomous learning in English at secondary schools. This present study has investigated secondary school students' knowledge of learner autonomy, their ability of learning English autonomously and factors fostering learner autonomy in language teaching among students. Then, the study made some suggestions for students, teachers and parents in order to help students to improve their autonomous learning ability. There were 667 students in Nguyen An Ninh Secondary school, Vung Tau City participating in the questionnaire surveys through google forms and 20 students voluntarily joined in the semi-structured interviews. The findings showed that most of the students in this school understood the concept of learner autonomy and they had the ability of learning English autonomously. In terms of factors to develop students' ability of autonomous learning, the present study revealed that students in this school highly evaluated the importance of teachers and parents as well as really willing to adjust themselves to improve their English skills and grammar in an autonomous way.
ESL Teachers’ Perceptions toward the Practices and Prospects of Autonomous Language Learning
Asian Social Science, 2014
The latest shift in Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB 2013(MEB -2025 has emphasized on the usage of Autonomous Language Learning (ALL) as a teaching and learning approach. In reality, most of the Autonomous Learning traits seem to be missing in the traditional learning process due to the exam-oriented education system that has been applied in Malaysia since the past decades. The objective of this study is to explore the teachers' perceptions towards ALL practices and prospects knowing that their roles are very crucial in developing Autonomous Learner. A survey was conducted among 35 in service English teachers teaching in Malaysia public secondary schools to explore their insights and views regarding their perceptions, practices and prospects of learner autonomy in their classrooms. The findings revealed that the teachers are very positive towards the implementation despite the discouraging situation of ALL among students.
Learner Autonomy: Beginner's Guide to Success in English
Autonomy played a significant role for language learners and each learner, based on their previous experiences, educational background, age, level, learning context, learning styles, etc. was supposed to be trained and allowed to decide the kind of activity that suited best their own goals, according to their development inside and outside their classroom, according to their language development and more important, according to their interests, likes and needs. To develop autonomy in language learners, awareness-raising on language learning through learning and communication strategies were advised as the initial steps in learning training . Several activities are offered teachers to help learners realize the importance of their contribution and to develop the abilities to become autonomous. Stages in the process of building learner responsibility were; raising awareness through language learning and communication strategies, changing attitudes through particular forms of classroom practice, and transferring roles by passing some of the responsibilities. In order to become willing and capable of taking more responsibility for helping themselves to learn, learners needed to be able to monitor and assess their own progress. Under these principles, this study suggested that autonomous learning principles, authentic and interactive task, and group work be used as much as possible as it turns out to be very effective in enhancing foreign language learners’ autonomy.
Learner Autonomy: How Teacher Trainers Understand and Apply?
2015
In last decades, being autonomous language learners has been the spotlight of researchers and accepted as crucial and worth to think carefully about it's' applications in teacher training institutions. As a consequence, the Ministry of Education in Turkey always emphasises the learner autonomy in their language curriculums and official documents related to language learning. Even in European context, especially in CEFR, it is also stressed that to learn a language, an individual should be autonomous and monitor his own language learning process. Autonomous learning has been defined by Holec (1981, p.3) as "to determine objectives, to define the contents and progressions, to select methods and techniques to be used, to monitor the procedures of acquisition and to evaluate what has been acquired". One of the results taken into account is being autonomous learner while learning a language really helps and speeds up learning process. In this context, the main question of the study is "What are the views of academics working in an English Language Teaching (ELT) department about 'learner autonomy' and how they implement it in their classes?". This study was designed as a basic qualitative research. The study group was consisted of six teacher trainers of ELT department of a state university in Turkey. Results indicate that teacher trainers know the importance of autonomy, value it and try to implement and foster it. They also thought that they are supporting students to become autonomous and to some extent they are successful in doing so in spite of difficulties.