Tertiary EFL Students’ Learner Autonomy: The Roles of Teachers in the Classroom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1308.03Keywords:
learner autonomy, teachers’ roles, out-of-class learning, in-class learningAbstract
Learner autonomy has been considered the central aim of education because of its significant role in enabling students to develop into successful lifelong learners. In modern times, students have many opportunities to learn outside the classroom, the ideal context for learner autonomy development. Therefore, research about the development of learner autonomy in the out-of-class learning context needs to receive more focus, especially in Vietnam. Based on sociocultural theory as the theoretical framework, the current research aims to explore the potential of promoting EFL tertiary students’ learner autonomy in the out-of-class learning context through teachers’ roles in the classroom. Data collected from answers to a questionnaire on learner autonomy and teachers’ roles (N=709) suggested significant correlations between factors of the situational, behavioral, and psychological dimensions of learner autonomy and the roles of teachers as a resource, an evaluator, a controller, an instructor, a facilitator, and a co-learner in the classroom. The follow-up semi-structured in-depth group interviews (N=35) revealed that the factors that mediated the relationship between learner autonomy and teachers’ roles were the students’ motivation, teacher autonomy, trust, and care. These results help to bridge in-class and out-of-class learning and provide pedagogical implications to foster learner autonomy development in the out-of-class learning context.
References
Arıkan, A., & Bakla, A. (2011). Learner autonomy online: Stories from a blogging experience. In D. Gardner (Ed.), Fostering autonomy in language learning (pp. 240-251). Gaziantep: Zirve University.
Arafat, S. (2005). The Roles of English Language Teachers as Perceived by Learners of English as a Foreign Language at An-Najah National University. An-Najah Univ. J. Res. (H.Sc.), 19(2), 679-722.
Bei, E., Mavroidis, I., & Giossos, Y. (2020). Development of a Scale for Measuring the Learner Autonomy of Distance Education Students. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 22(2), 133-144. https://doi.org/10.2478/eurodl-2019-0015
Benson, P. (2011). Teaching and Researching Autonomy. Second edition. London: Pearson.
Bui, N. (2018). Learner autonomy in tertiary English classes in Vietnam. In J. Albright (Ed.), English Tertiary Education in Vietnam (1st ed.) (pp. 158-171). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315212098-12
Dam, L. (1995). Learner autonomy 3: From theory to classroom practice. Dublin: Authentik.
Dang, T. T, & Le, Q. H. T. (2021). Learning Place Control: Vietnamese EFL Students’ Appreciation and Trust. International Journal of Language Education and Applied Linguistics, 11(2), 56-63.
Ding, Y., & Shen, H. (2022). Delving into learner autonomy in an EFL MOOC in China: A case study. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(3), 247-269. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1681464
Dörnyei, Z., & Murphey, T. (2003). Group dynamics in the language classroom (Vol. 10). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Duong, M. T. (2015). A portfolio-based learner autonomy development model in an EFL writing course [Doctoral dissertation, School of Foreign Languages. Institute of Social Technology. Suranaree University of Technology].
Fumin, F., & Li, Z. (2012). Teachers’ roles in promoting students’ learner autonomy in China. English Language Teaching, 5(4), 51-56. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n4p51
George, D., & Mallery, P. (2010). SPSS for Windows step by step: A simple study guide and reference, 11.0 Update (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Habók, A., & Magyar, A. (2018). Validation of a Self-Regulated Foreign Language Learning Strategy Questionnaire through multidimensional modelling. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(AUG), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01388
Koca, B., Ergönül, E., Bektaş, M., Tengiz, F., Gür, E., & Gözüm, S. (2021). Questionnaire to Assess a Teacher’s Perception of Their Current Personal Commitment and Preferred Future Commitment to Each of the Eight Roles: Turkish Version. Journal of Basic and Clinical Health Sciences, 5(2), 162-171. https://doi.org/10.30621/jbachs.920553
Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2013). Techniques and principles in language teaching 3rd edition-Oxford handbooks for language teachers. Oxford University Press.
Le, A. N. T. (2019). EFL Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions and Practices Regarding Learner Autonomy: An Exploratory Study at a Vietnamese University in the Mekong Delta [Doctoral dissertation, Hue University, Vietnam].
Murase, F. (2015). Measuring Language Learner Autonomy: Problems and Possibilities. In C. J. Everhard & L. Murphy (Eds.), Assessment and Autonomy in Language Learning (pp. 35-63). Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137414380_3
Nguyen, T. (2017). Vietnam’s national foreign language 2020 project after 9 years: A difficult stage. In The Asian Conference on Education & International Development (pp. 443-464).
O’Malley, J. M., O’Malley, M. J., & Chamot, A. U. (1990). Learning strategies in second language acquisition. Cambridge University Press.
Pearson, L. C., & Moomaw, W. (2005). The relationship between teacher autonomy and stress, work satisfaction, empowerment, and professionalism. Educational research quarterly, 29(1), 38-54.
Phan, T. T. T. (2015). Towards a potential model to enhance language learner autonomy in the Vietnamese higher education context [Doctoral dissertation, Queensland University of Technology].
Reinders, H. (2018). Technology and Autonomy. The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, 15(3), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0433
Ruelens, E. (2019). Measuring language learner autonomy in higher education: The Self-Efficacy Questionnaire of Language Learning Strategies. Language Learning in Higher Education, 9(2), 371-393.
Shi, W., & Han, L. (2019). Promoting Learner Autonomy Through Cooperative Learning. English Language Teaching, 12(8), 30-36. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n8p30
Spratt, M., Humphreys, G., & Chan, V. (2002). Autonomy and motivation: Which comes first? Language teaching research, 6(3), 245-266.
Tran, L. T., & Marginson, S. (2018). Internationalisation of Vietnamese higher education: An overview. In L. T. Tran & S. Marginson, (Eds.) Internationalisation in Vietnamese Higher Education. Higher Education Dynamics, vol 51 (pp. 1-16). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78492-2_1
Ushioda, E. (2011). Language learning motivation, self and identity: Current theoretical perspectives. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 24(3), 199-210. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2010.538701
Vietnamese Government. (2017). “Decision 2080 on the approval of adjustments and additions to the Project entitled “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2017-2025”.
Voller, P. (1997). Does the teacher have a role in autonomous language learning? In P. Benson, & P. Voller (Eds.), Autonomy and independence in language learning (pp. 98-113). London: Longman.
Wang, Y., & Ryan, J. (2020). The complexity of control shift for learner autonomy: A mixed-method case study of Chinese EFL teachers’ practice and cognition. Language Teaching Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820957922
Yu, P. (2006). On the factors influencing learner autonomy in Chinese EFL contexts. Sino-US English Teaching, 5(3), 5-9.