Blended learning (BL) is becoming increasingly popular and a trend in higher education in the twenty-first century. The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of English ...as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners toward the current implementation of BL and their learner autonomy (LA) development in a private university in China. It employed a qualitative case study, and the data was collected from five undergraduate students majoring in English through interviews, observations and reflective journals. Through thematic analysis of the data, the study concluded that EFL students at this university generally held negative attitudes toward the BL model and perceived the development of LA in this model as ineffective. Four themes related to the negative attitudes and perceptions emerged. First, a shortage of time was a common issue among students, and they felt mentally and physically overwhelmed by the blended tasks. Second, there was a lack of complementarity and integration between online and face-to-face instruction in the BL model. Third, students noted a lack of support and timely feedback from teachers in the online part of the BL model. Finally, more supervision was needed in terms of student characteristics. The findings have implications for future BL curriculum design and delivery, pedagogical adjustments and support for autonomous learning. More empirical studies focusing on the pedagogical design and the cultivation of EFL learners’ intrinsic motivation for autonomous English learning in the BL environment are essential to address the current situation.
This paper delves into the vibrant domain of VR digital gaming through the critical lenses of metacognition and learner autonomy. It introduces an integrated framework designed to illuminate the ...interplay between these two pivotal concepts within the VR digital gaming environment. Central to this framework are distinct regulatory mechanisms that empower learners by allowing them to navigate and take control of their learning journeys. The framework interprets metacognitive processes from elements of adaptivity, control, and feedback, while exploring autonomy through the dimensions of location, formality, pedagogy, and locus of control. This framework is grounded in the recognition that enabling learners to exert control over their technologically mediated learning environments is a fundamental issue in building a language learning community. The paper not only sheds light on the theoretical underpinnings of metacognition and autonomy but also offers practical implications for their application in VR digital gaming. It delineates the evolving roles of teachers and learners within this dynamic educational landscape, highlighting how these roles are being reshaped to accommodate and leverage the affordances of VR digital gaming for enhanced language learning.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Learner autonomy has attracted considerable scholarly attention in language learning. Research on this concept is abundant and continues to flourish. However, to date, scant attention has been paid ...to researching autonomy in the Moroccan context. Thus, the present mixed-methods study aimed to partially bridge the gap by investigating university EFL students’ beliefs and their perceived readiness level of autonomy. For this purpose, both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to collect data. Questionnaires were administered (n=245), and interviews were conducted with selected participants (n=16). An autonomy scale consisting of five parameters (planning and goal-setting, learners’ expected teacher roles, learners’ beliefs and affect management, learners’ social behaviors, and learners’ self-assessment and learning strategies) was used to elicit and analyze data. The items that made up the learner autonomy scale were adopted and modified from different influentially existing scales. Three main themes were generated and analyzed in the qualitative strand following thematic analysis procedures. The results demonstrate that most students held positive beliefs towards autonomy and appeared ready to embrace it in their learning journey. Students exhibited a strong inclination towards using English outside the classroom (89.8%), displaying a willingness to take responsibility for their learning (85.3%), and setting learning goals (82%). The qualitative results highlight some aspects, such as participating in content creation within lessons and effectively managing their time. In light of these findings, this study suggests pedagogical implications for EFL teachers to enhance learner autonomy in their classrooms as well as a set of recommendations for future research.
This article delves into the emerging idea of teacher autonomy in language education pedagogy. Even though it is commonly acknowledged that teacher autonomy is essential for professional development ...and for promoting learner autonomy, the term has proven challenging to define. To provide a more comprehensive grasp of the concept, this article compiles the various definitions of teacher autonomy offered by various authors. While doing so, it seeks to demonstrate the significance of educating educators on the value of learner autonomy-promoting pedagogical techniques and the significance of self-inquiry and reflection for professional growth. This article draws on the research of several scholars to explain why teacher education curricula should incorporate the concept of 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.
Research has revealed that utilisation of the English language learning strategies (ELLSs) is essential for supporting learner autonomy (LA). Yet, most of these studies focus on English as a foreign ...language, leaving studies on English as a second language on the fringes of current literature, though the two are distinct. Thus, this paper examined the effect of ELLSs on LA of ESL technical university students, as well as the individual effects of the six categories of ELLSs (memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective and social strategies) on LA. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted on 2022/2023 first-year 773 students who were selected through stratified random sampling. Oxford’s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and Karabıyık’s measures of learner autonomy were used to assess ELLSs and LA, respectively. Data were collected via google form. A multiple regression analysis was used to test the proposed research model. The results revealed that ELLSs have a positive impact on LA. While all six categories of ELLs improved LA, affective strategies improved LA the most. Despite the significance of affective strategies in fostering LA in this study, earlier research has largely focused on affective factors such as motivation, for autonomous learning. Thus, this study reveals a novel finding that affective strategies may be the most effective at facilitating autonomous learning in an ESL context, specifically a university setting in Ghana. The study backs up the Constructivism theory's claim that learner autonomy occurs as a result of social interaction, which includes learning strategies. The study confirms that in a Ghanaian ESL context, when the learners utilise ELLSs, they go through the zone of proximal development (ZPD) until optimal performance is achieved (in this context until the learner becomes an autonomous learner). Thus, Ghanaian technical university English teachers should be trained on effective ELLSs use to help students adopt appropriate ELLSs to improve their autonomous learning.
Postmodernism represents skepticism toward metanarratives and universal ideologies that dominated the modernist era. The study focuses on three key postmodernist concepts - alternative assessment, ...process syllabi, and self-directed learning. Alternative assessment emphasizes evaluating the learning process over summative testing. Process syllabi focus on the learning experience rather than rigid outcomes. Self-directed learning enables student responsibility in setting learning goals and processes. This paper examined the effects of postmodernist educational concepts on improving Iranian EFL learners’ autonomy. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was utilized with 60 intermediate level Iranian EFL students divided into an experimental and control group (n=30 each). The experimental group received instruction utilizing the three postmodernist concepts over 14 weeks, while the control group received traditional modernist instruction. Autonomy was measured using a validated questionnaire before and after the intervention. The results showed the experimental group demonstrated significant increases in autonomy compared to the control group. Paired sample t-tests revealed significant differences between pre-test and post-test autonomy for the experimental group across all three postmodern concepts - alternative assessment, process syllabi, and self-directed learning. This suggests postmodernist concepts that decentralize instruction and emphasize student process over outcomes can enhance Iranian EFL learners’ self-direction and responsibility for language acquisition. The study implies EFL syllabus designers and instruction should transition to postmodern models centered on individualized assessment, flexible syllabi, and student-guided learning to boost autonomy. Further research can expand sample sizes and explore additional postmodernist concepts across diverse demographics.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Teaching learners to reflect on their work has been widely researched within language-learning contexts in higher education. Research has revealed that self-reflection leads to both development in ...learners’ reading comprehension and lecturers being enabled to write more meaningful corrective feedback on learners’ assignments. Using a collaborative teaching approach at Benghazi university, this research evaluated the effectiveness of using a self-reflection worksheet for understanding short stories based on the perspectives of 19 tertiary Libyan learners and the course lecturers’ feedback.
The research process involved the learners first reading a short story and answering text comprehension questions and a reflection question in which they commented on their understanding. They were then introduced to the self-reflection worksheet and advised how to use it in their second reading of the same story. This self-reflection worksheet included a section where students added reflections on their understanding following the second reading, supported by the worksheet. Content analysis was used for the qualitative data that investigated the learners’ reflection after their first and second reading. It was also used for staff feedback on the learners’ reflections.
The findings show the usefulness of using the self-reflection worksheet in supporting the learners’ meaning understanding. It also helped them make positive changes during their second reading of the story. Evidence suggests that using worksheets for reading literary texts is effective in improving levels of reading comprehension. Implications and suggestions for effective teaching practice and future research are provided in this paper.
Over the past 40 years, there has been an increasing interest in learner autonomy. The present study was undertaken to examine the extent to which Burundians living in two major cities of the country ...use ICT tools and resources to improve their English autonomously. In doing so, the study first investigated the situations in which they need to use English and their current level of English regarding the different aspects. Adopting a descriptive research design, the study used a convenience sample of 239 subjects who were invited to respond to a questionnaire survey and participate in a two-day training on how to use ICT to learn English autonomously. The collected data were analysed using SPSS version 22. The findings indicated that participants still not exploit to the fullest the benefits of ICT to learn English autonomously. Indeed, 84.9% of the participants do not know what a podcast is and 66.1% of them report that they have no language learning applications on their smartphones. Besides, more than 60% of the participants have not yet tried to learn English using internet. Yet, they feel the need to use English in different situations reflecting a vast range of domains such as Medicine, Law, Economy, etc. Findings also showed that the majority of the participants have a weak or very weak level regarding the different language aspects. Given these findings, it can be concluded that there is a need to raise awareness of Burundians to use ICT tools to learn English by themselves.
Project-based learning (PjBL) is a teaching and learning approach that involves students actively working on real-world projects, to develop knowledge and skills. This method has been shown to be ...effective in promoting learner autonomy (LA) and skills development in language learning studies. There is, however, a dearth of research on the use of PjBL in hospitality education, especially in a technical and vocational education and training (TVET) environment. Using a case study research strategy, this study aimed to investigate whether PjBL could be used to promote autonomy and develop employable skills in students in hospitality education. A convergent mixed methods approach was used to develop a framework for PjBL in promoting LA in a TVET environment. The study included a closed-structured questionnaire with responses from 144 (n=144) students from two hospitality programmes, as well as a semi-structured interview with 18 student participants. The findings indicate that PjBL is an effective teaching and learning approach in hospitality education that can promote LA, lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter, while facilitating the development of a variety of important skills and competencies. Students can apply their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways through hands-on, real-world activities, which can foster a greater sense of autonomy and responsibility for their own learning. Moreover, this study emphasises the significance of incorporating PjBL into hospitality education programmes, to prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world.
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