scholarly journals Evaluating Learner Autonomy: A Dynamic Model with Descriptors

2012 ◽  
pp. 24-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Giovanna Tassinari
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Affective Components ◽  
Learning Competencies ◽  
Evaluation Of Learning

Every autonomous learning process should entail an evaluation of the learner’s competencies for autonomy. The dynamic model of learner autonomy described in this paper is a tool designed in order to support the self-assessment and evaluation of learning competencies and to help both learners and advisors to focus on relevant aspects of the learning process. The dynamic model accounts for cognitive, metacognitive, action-oriented and affective components of learner autonomy and provides descriptors of learners’ attitudes, competencies and behaviors. It is dynamic in order to allow learners to focus on their own needs and goals. The model (LINK) has been validated in several workshops with experts at the Université Nancy 2, France and at the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany and tested by students, advisors and teachers. It is currently used at the Centre for Independent Language Learning at the Freie Universität Berlin for language advising. Learners can freely choose the components they would like to assess themselves in. Their assessment is then discussed in an advising session, where the learner and the advisor can compare their perspectives, focus on single aspects of the leaning process and set goals for further learning. The students’ feedback gathered in my PhD investigation shows that they are able to benefit from this evaluation; their awareness, self-reflection and decision-making in the autonomous learning process improved.

scholarly journals Developing learner autonomy in language learning: A study in the Thai EFL secondary school context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Muthita Chinpakdee
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
School Context ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Based Instruction

<p>Learner autonomy, primarily defined as “the ability to take charge of one’s own learning” (Holec, 1981, p. 3), has gained much research interest in the field of language learning and teaching due to its potential contribution to effective language learning. Although the concept of learner autonomy has been extensively discussed in the literature, little research has empirically investigated how this concept is realized in language classrooms.  This research explored learner autonomy and its development in the Thai secondary school context. The research was structured in two phases. The first phase of the study was an exploratory phase conducted to identify the Thai teachers’ perspectives towards learner autonomy and how their classroom practices prepared learners for autonomous learning. Data were collected through class observations, teacher interviews and learner group interviews. The findings revealed that although the teachers shared positive views about learner autonomy and regarded it as a useful concept, they did not sufficiently promote autonomous learning in their classroom practices. Learners’ accounts of their learning experiences also indicated that their classrooms did not prepare them methodologically and psychologically to take responsibility for their own learning. Findings from the exploratory phase indicate that the teachers’ use of the teacher-led teaching method as well as the learners’ lack of skills and confidence in their ability to direct their learning process could pose significant challenges to learner autonomy development. Building on findings from the first phase, the second phase of the study featured a strategy-based intervention program designed to promote learner autonomy. This intervention phase involved 30 learners from an intact class in which the strategy-based instruction program was implemented, and 32 learners from a comparison class who received regular English lessons. Data regarding the intervention’s impacts on learners’ development of knowledge and skills to direct their learning were obtained from learner group interviews and weekly learning journals while the intervention’s influence on learners’ language proficiency was observed through reading think-aloud sessions and three sets of reading tests. Findings revealed that strategy-based instruction was an effective means to raise learners’ awareness of their learning process and foster autonomous learning. First, the intervention lessons significantly contributed to learners’ gradual development of knowledge and skills to independently direct their learning process. Secondly, learners’ learning experiences during the intervention also motivated them to create learning opportunities in which they can interact purposefully and creatively with English. Furthermore, learners’ strategic approaches to learning appeared to have led to their increased scores in English reading. In sum, this study indicates that learner autonomy is a viable goal in the Thai educational context. It also provides empirically-grounded insights into the process of developing learner autonomy in language classrooms and reveals factors that can mediate the process. Findings from this study contribute to the current understanding about learner autonomy in language learning and offer practical implications for teachers in creating a learning space to promote autonomous learning.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing oral proficiency for intercultural professional communication: the CEFcult project

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Ana Beaven ◽  
Antje Neuhoff
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
European Languages

Technology has been part of the language learning process, both inside and outside the classroom, for decades, helping to bridge the gap between different contexts of learning. At the same time, the concept of lifelong-learning has widened our understanding of what learning is, what different forms it can take, and of the importance of considering the learning process as one that will continue once formal education is over and the learner has entered the world of employment. Learner autonomy has also taken a central role, and has brought with it a shift in the role of the teacher in the language learning process. Self-assessment is one aspect of learner autonomy, and is crucial in enabling learners to set themselves clear objectives and thus take responsibility for the leaning process itself. In addition, the importance of including the development of intercultural competence in the language classroom has been advocated by many linguists and educationalists (Kramsch, 1986; Byram et al., 2001; Byram, 2008; Corbett, 2003; Sercu, 2005). It is against this background that the European-funded project CEFcult (2009-2011) was developed. Its main outcome is the production of an online environment for the collaborative assessment of oral skills and intercultural competence in the foreign language. The target groups are language teachers, in-company trainers, those about to start or return to work, and undergraduates and graduates who are preparing themselves for first-time employment. The tool places side by side the widely known and standardised descriptors of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for spoken production and interaction, and the descriptors for intercultural competence in a professional setting, developed within the Intercultural Competence Assessment (INCA) project. CEFcult provides a set of authentic communication scenarios, each containing various tasks through which learners can assess their skills for intercultural professional purposes in different European languages. Although the tool can also be used autonomously, in a classroom setting, teachers can set the learners suitable scenarios, get them to perform the speaking tasks and record the oral communication activities. After uploading the samples onto the online tool, they can be assessed by the teacher, by other experts (including teachers in other countries), or by other learners. The tool can also be used for self-assessment. By encouraging self- and peer-assessment, CEFcult can positively engage learners in a process of reflexive learning that will lead to greater autonomy. However, it also enables the teacher to be an active part of this same process. After a brief introduction to the theoretical background and pedagogical choices underpinning the project, we will illustrate the pilots carried out at the universities of Dresden and Bologna, and discuss some of the implications for learners and teachers.

Learner autonomy: a guiding principle in designing a CD-ROM for intonation practice

ReCALL ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
GUNTHER KALTENBÖCK
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Cd Rom ◽  
Guiding Principle

Building on the experience of developing a CD-ROM for English intonation practice, this article explores some advantages and limitations of this medium for the teaching of suprasegmentals. Despite their undeniable potential for foreign language learning, computers prove to be rather limited in their feedback to pronunciation, especially in terms of error identification and correction, which calls into question one of their very strengths, viz. that of teacher-independent learning. As a possible solution to this dilemma, the present paper proposes to build into the design of a CD-ROM for intonation teaching the concept of learner autonomy, i.e. transferring to an increased degree responsibility for the learning process from the teacher (computer) to the learner. Drawing on the discussion of autonomy by, e.g. Broady & Kenning (1996) and Little (1999), it is demonstrated how incorporating a metacognitive level (by offering the learner the choice to access intonation in different ways) and a metalinguistic level helps to make the CD-ROM users more autonomous in their learning and equip them with the necessary tools for self-assessment and self-monitoring, which in turn can make up for the lack of computerised diagnostic feedback.

scholarly journals Developing learner autonomy in language learning: A study in the Thai EFL secondary school context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Muthita Chinpakdee
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
School Context ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Based Instruction

<p>Learner autonomy, primarily defined as “the ability to take charge of one’s own learning” (Holec, 1981, p. 3), has gained much research interest in the field of language learning and teaching due to its potential contribution to effective language learning. Although the concept of learner autonomy has been extensively discussed in the literature, little research has empirically investigated how this concept is realized in language classrooms.  This research explored learner autonomy and its development in the Thai secondary school context. The research was structured in two phases. The first phase of the study was an exploratory phase conducted to identify the Thai teachers’ perspectives towards learner autonomy and how their classroom practices prepared learners for autonomous learning. Data were collected through class observations, teacher interviews and learner group interviews. The findings revealed that although the teachers shared positive views about learner autonomy and regarded it as a useful concept, they did not sufficiently promote autonomous learning in their classroom practices. Learners’ accounts of their learning experiences also indicated that their classrooms did not prepare them methodologically and psychologically to take responsibility for their own learning. Findings from the exploratory phase indicate that the teachers’ use of the teacher-led teaching method as well as the learners’ lack of skills and confidence in their ability to direct their learning process could pose significant challenges to learner autonomy development. Building on findings from the first phase, the second phase of the study featured a strategy-based intervention program designed to promote learner autonomy. This intervention phase involved 30 learners from an intact class in which the strategy-based instruction program was implemented, and 32 learners from a comparison class who received regular English lessons. Data regarding the intervention’s impacts on learners’ development of knowledge and skills to direct their learning were obtained from learner group interviews and weekly learning journals while the intervention’s influence on learners’ language proficiency was observed through reading think-aloud sessions and three sets of reading tests. Findings revealed that strategy-based instruction was an effective means to raise learners’ awareness of their learning process and foster autonomous learning. First, the intervention lessons significantly contributed to learners’ gradual development of knowledge and skills to independently direct their learning process. Secondly, learners’ learning experiences during the intervention also motivated them to create learning opportunities in which they can interact purposefully and creatively with English. Furthermore, learners’ strategic approaches to learning appeared to have led to their increased scores in English reading. In sum, this study indicates that learner autonomy is a viable goal in the Thai educational context. It also provides empirically-grounded insights into the process of developing learner autonomy in language classrooms and reveals factors that can mediate the process. Findings from this study contribute to the current understanding about learner autonomy in language learning and offer practical implications for teachers in creating a learning space to promote autonomous learning.</p>

scholarly journals A Dynamic Model for Autonomy: Self-Assessment as Reflection

Relay Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 47-54
Author(s):  
Maria Giovanna Tassinari
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Assessment Of Learning ◽  
Learning Contexts ◽  
Directed Learning

Self-assessment, as the independent judgment of the learner on their own competencies or achievements, ideally based upon self-determined criteria (Kleppin, 2005, p. 107), aims at raising the learner’s awareness of their strengths and progress within the language learning process and is therefore crucial in autonomization processes. Beside self-assessment of language proficiency, self-assessment of learning competences and competences for autonomy should be integrated into the language learning process. However, since autonomy is a complex and fluctuating construct, it is advisable to encourage self-assessment with qualitative and dynamic tools which allow learners to reflect on their competences and goals at different times of the learning process and with different focuses. The dynamic model for autonomy (Tassinari, 2010, 2015) was conceived to describe autonomy in its complexity and to support reflection. In this contribution, I will briefly describe the dynamic model and illustrate a procedure for self-assessment and reflection in self-directed learning contexts.

Utilization of Internet for Autonomous Learning in Speaking

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-115
Author(s):  
Witri Handayani
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Direct Supervision

Internet use for promoting students’ autonomy in language learning has been a great phenomenon to discuss. Many researches have been conducted about this issue. Now the tendency is pointed out specifically for improving students’ competency in speaking. Speaking is normally learned in the classroom setting in which learners have interlocutor as their speaking partner and under direct supervision from the lecturer. The discussion bellow will concern about some internet links that can be used for speaking study. The learners can study by using these internet links independently and record their own voice and video for their own self- assessment. They choose their own target and links to access and determine their own learning target. In the meantime, they also collect the recording to their teacher for assessment purpose.

THE ADVANTAGES OF PROMOTING LEARNERS’ AUTONOMY IN EFL CONTEXT

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hapsari Dwi Kartika
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Students Success

This paper explains why learner autonomy is taken into account in language learning where English is a foreign language for the learners particularly in Indonesia. The definition of learner autonomy and its advantages to language learner in EFL contexts will be described within this paper. Many scholars from psychological education and English teaching and learning had proved that language learning can be improved by certain strategy. They revealed the correlation between the autonomous learning with students’ success in learning with different aspect. The definition of autonomy is similar to many different words such as self-regulated and self-determined. Finally, the writer suggests how teacher can promote the autonomous learning atmosphere in the classroom.Keywords: strategy, promoting autonomy, EFL context, Indonesia

Roles in autonomous language learning

1998 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Cotterall
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Critical Dimension ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Teacher Roles ◽  
Culture Learning

Abstract The literature on autonomous learning indicates that role is a critical dimension in implementing learner autonomy. This paper examines the roles adopted by learners and teachers in language learning settings where the objective of promoting learner autonomy has been adopted. It does this first by exploring the ways in which different writers committed to autonomy have characterised learner and teacher roles. It then focuses specifically on language learning and considers how three variables – culture, learning mode and individual differences – might influence the roles which individuals actually adopt. The paper concludes by considering how new or modified roles might most effectively be presented.

scholarly journals Fostering students’ autonomy in learning English in nonlinguistic university

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 03007
Author(s):  
Oksana Pershukova ◽  
Nina Nikolska ◽  
Oksana Vasiukovych
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Autonomy Development ◽  
Special Approach ◽  
And Control

The study aims to find out whether it is possible to foster students’ learner autonomy in the context of ESP language learning in non-linguistic universities by using a special approach. The experiment was carried out at National Aviation University in Ukraine with two groups of first-year students of electronics (experimental and control) in 2018-2019. Testings to determine students’ level of communicative competence in English and surveys to identify students’ level of learner autonomy development were conducted in September and May of the same year of education. The control group did not receive any special training, while in the experimental group were created special learning conditions. With the purpose to prepare students to accept responsibility for their learning, they were given the opportunities to choose educational materials; to set goals of their learning; to reflect the process and evaluate the results of learning, etc. Modern technologies were widely used as well as scaffolding (if necessary). According to the results of the experiment, it was stated that only a part of the most active students used the created conditions and gained experience in autonomous learning. The conclusion was made about creating such an environment. It is a challenge that is appropriate to realize to give an autonomous learning experience to aspiring students.

scholarly journals Teacher’s and learner’s roles in autonomy-oriented foreign language teaching: a theoretical investigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-36
Author(s):  
Dung Nguyen Tri Tran
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Theoretical Investigation ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Teaching Community ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Global Language

The global language teaching community has largely spotlighted students’ autonomous learning for the last few decades. Through the thorough review of the existing literature on learner autonomy, this article aims to theoretically investigate this concept as well as clearly specify the roles played by teachers and students in an autonomy-oriented classroom. Autonomous learning is not at all synonymous with the absolute elimination of teacher’s role and learner-learner relationships. In fact, language instructors need to comprehend their roles in a multidimensional way, and students are supposed to be responsibly active for their own learning process as well as positively interdependent for academic cooperation.

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