AN INVESTIGATION INTO LEARNERS' PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNER AUTONOMY AT TERTIARY LEVEL

Abstract

Learner autonomy has gained popularity over recent years. While some teachers do not hand over responsibility for learning, others acknowledge the role of learners in language learning. Successful learners like to take responsibility for their own learning process and make decisions about what to learn and how to learn. However, some less successful students have no self-agency or autonomy. There seems to be a problem with learners and learning. Hence, this study aims at identifying learners’ perceptions of learner autonomy involving responsibilities, abilities, motivation, and in-class, out-of-class activities and behaviours. As a quantitative data collection method, a questionnaire in which 110 students participated was conducted to gather and analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed the fact that the majority of the participants were autonomous English learners. They were aware of whose responsibility it was- the teacher's or the learner's. They were also able to make decisions about the content and methodology, have a high level of motivation to learn and enjoy participating in-and out-of-class activities. However, the minority of these participants tended to rely on their teacher and did not study English independently. They held teachers responsible for the learning process, so they did not spend a lot of time studying English on their own and did not develop strategies to succeed in learning English. Teachers should foster learner autonomy and train learners to become more autonomous. Learners need to be self-directed and selfagent rather than spoon-fed.