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Cem BALÇIKANLI

Gazi University, Faculty of Education,

English Language Teaching Department

E-mail: balcikanli@gazi.edu.trVilnius

Lithuania

3–4 May 2007

THE INVESTIGATION OF THE INSTRUCTORS’ ATTITUDES

TOWARDS LEARNER AUTONOMY AT

PREPARATORY SCHOOL

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learner autonomy

“the ability to take charge of one's own learning” (Holec, 1981:3).

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During the learning process, no one can deny the vital role of teachers since the

ability to behave autonomously for students are dependent upon their

teacher creating a classroom culture where autonomy is accepted

(Critchley, 2001:3) .

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Research focus

to investigate

the instructors’ attitudes towards learner

autonomy

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Instrument

Camilleri’s questionnaire (1997)

and

two open-ended questions

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SCOPE

51 English language instructors at Gazi University, Preparatory

School.

38- female

12- male

1- not specified

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Statement 4: Learners should be involved in decisions on the time, place

and pace of the lesson.

Never Partly Much Missing

46% 34% 20% -

The learners should be considered as equal partners and through the process of interaction,

they thus should be given a share for determining the time, place and pace of the lesson

(Dickinson, 1987).

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Statement 5: Learners should be involved in decisions on the methodology

of the lesson.

Never Partly Much Missing

30% 28% 42% -

learners need to be involved as equal partners in the decision making process regarding the methodology of the lesson if they are expected to take initiatives that shape their own learning processes and accept

control over more aspects of their own learning (Little, 1991).

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Statement 6: Learners should be involved in decisions on classroom

management.

Never Partly Much Missing

26% 44% 28% 2%

In order for the learners to feel the ownership over their learning contexts, they can be encouraged to formulate classroom

and group rules through negotiation (Dörnyei, 2001).

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Statement 12: Learners should be encouraged to explore their own learning

strategies.

Never Partly Much Missing

20% 29% 51% -

“Without strategies, learners will remain trapped in their old patterns of beliefs and behaviors and never be fully autonomous”

(Wenden,1998).

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Statement 13: Learners should be informed on how to study English better

on their own.

Never Partly Much Missing

18% - 78% 4%

Learner training aims to help learners develop the ability to take more

responsibility for their own learning (Dickinson, 1993).

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Thus,.......

there has been a support towards learner autonomy among the participating

instructors in the study.

........ the majority of the instructors are rather

positive towards learner autonomy in the teaching environment and regard some points of teaching and learning as more

appropriate than others during the implementation of learner autonomy.

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Comments on LA

• learning is too vast a task to be limited to class hours.

• learner autonomy helps the learners to learn better.

• spoon-feeding is not the correct way of teaching a foreign language.

Promoting LA

• motivation

• portfolio assessment

• learner training

• open-discussions

• learner-strategy training

• keeping journals

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