A study on autonomy and its influencing factors in adult language learners.

Abstract

The last three decades have seen a growing interest in the concept of autonomy. In the field of language education, autonomy is defined by Holec as “the ability to take charge of one’s own learning” (1981), and by Little as “a capacity – for detachment, critical reflection, decision-making, and independent acquisition” (1991). The autonomous learner is someone who is responsible for their own learning, has an active role in its planning, and is able to reflect back on it, identifying strengths and weaknesses. This work hopes to investigate the factors that influence autonomy and the awareness of the learners on the topic. An overview of the theory on autonomy will be presented, with particular focus on the autonomous language learner and the role of the teacher in the autonomous setting. A few models for fostering autonomy will also be presented, as well as published studies on real life attempts at developing autonomy. In relation to this thesis, a case study was conducted on 44 adults learners who attended an English course at the Centro Linguistico d’Ateneo at Ca’ Foscari University. A questionnaire and an objective meter for measuring autonomy based on its four main areas were devised. Four main aspects emerged from the gathered data. The first is that there are indeed background factors that influence autonomy, namely having studied more languages and having integrative motivation, but due to the limited number of subjects the results were not conclusive. Secondly, most learners seemed to be stronger, or weaker, in one particular area of autonomy, and different areas were influenced by different background factors. Thirdly, through an open question it was found that the majority of learners did not have a clear idea of what it means to be autonomous, but most seemed to associate the term with being a strategic learner. Lastly, it emerged that a large number of students hold the teacher responsible for their own learning. These results show the need to make learners not only more autonomous, but also more aware of what it means to be an autonomous language learner and more responsible for their own learning.