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IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6 (2), 2019, 133-142
P-ISSN: 2356-1777, E-ISSN: 2443-0390 | DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467
This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
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LANGUAGE LEARNER AUTONOMY: THE BELIEFS OF ENGLISH
LANGUAGE STUDENTS
Istanti Hermagustiana, Dian Anggriyani
Received: 26th August 2019; Revised: 14th November 2019; Accepted: 28th December 2019
ABSTRACT
This study aims at investigating: (1) levels of autonomous learning from three groups of students
with different periods of study, (2) EFL students’ beliefs towards learner autonomy and their
lecturers’ roles in promoting learner autonomy. The participants of this study were three groups
of EFL students at English Department in their second, fourth, and sixth semesters. The data were
obtained through questionnaire surveying Autonomous Learning Scale to find out the students’
levels of autonomy and interview to figure out their beliefs about learner autonomy and the roles
of lecturers to promote autonomous learning. This study revealed that all group of students were
classified as being in the mediate level of autonomy. From the interviews conducted to nine
participants representing each group, it was found that to become autonomous, learners need to
develop the ability to evaluate their own learning. Moreover, out-of-class activities were believed
to enhance learner autonomy since the activities will provide students with self-responsibility to
manage the tasks. Last, in terms of the lecturers’ roles in the classroom, most participants
perceived that the lecturers still had a dominant role in controlling teaching and learning,
particularly in the classroom context. This dominant role eventually led students to become less
autonomous circumstances, both inside and outside classrooms.
Key Words: learner autonomy; students’ beliefs; autonomous learning; EFL context
ABSTRAK
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui: (1) tingkat pembelajaran mandiri dari tiga kelompok mahasiswa
Bahasa Inggris dengan periode studi yang berbeda, dan (2) keyakinan mahasiswa Bahasa Inggris terhadap
pembelajaran mandiri dan peran para dosen pengajar dalam mendukung pembelajaran mandiri di kelas.
Para partisipan penelitian ini adalah tiga kelompok mahasiswa yang belajar di Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa
Inggris di semester kedua, keempat, dan keenam. Data diperoleh melalui angket survei Autonomous
Learning Scale untuk mengetahui tingkat pembelajaran mandiri mahasiswa dan melalui wawancara untuk
mengetahui pandangan mereka tentang pembelajaran mandiri dan peran dosen pengajar untuk
mempromosikan pembelajaran mandiri. Hasil yang didapat dari penelitian ini adalah bahwa semua
kelompok siswa dari tiga periode studi yang berbeda diklasifikasikan dalam pembelajaran mandiri tingkat
menengah. Dari wawancara yang dilakukan kepada sembilan peserta yang mewakili setiap kelompok,
diketahui bahwa untuk menjadi mandiri, mahasiswa perlu mengembangkan kemampuan untuk
mengevaluasi pembelajaran mereka sendiri. Selain itu, kegiatan di luar kelas diyakini dapat meningkatkan
pembelajaran mandiri karena kegiatan tersebut akan mengembangkan tanggung jawab dalam mengelola
tugas. Begitu pun dalam hal peran dosen di ruang kelas, sebagian besar mahasiswa merasa bahwa dosen
masih memiliki peran dominan dalam mengendalikan proses belajar mengajar, terutama di dalam kelas.
Peran dominan dosen ini pada akhirnya menyebabkan mahasiswa menjadi kurang mandiri baik di dalam
maupun di luar kelas.
Kata Kunci: pelajar mandiri; keyakinan siswa; pembelajaran mandiri; Konteks EFL
How to Cite: Hermagustiana, I., Anggriyani, D. (2019). Language Learner Autonomy: The Beliefs of English
Language Students. IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6(2), 133-142. doi:10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467
IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6 (2), 2019
134-142 http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee
| DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467
P-ISSN: 2356-1777, E-ISSN: 2443-0390 | This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license
INTRODUCTION
In the field of foreign language
learning and teaching, the importance
of supporting students in becoming
more autonomous has become one of
the most prominent themes. The
majority of theorists, researchers, and
methodologists have been stressing the
need for making learners capable of
taking responsibility for their own
learning (Cakici, 2017; Chan, 2016;
Henri, Morrell, & Scott, 2018; Liu, 2011;
Mutlu & Eroz-Tuga, 2013; Nguyen,
2014; Rungwaraphong, 2012; Salehi,
Ebrahimi, Sattar, & Shojaee, 2015). In
addition, autonomy is currently viewed
as a prerequisite for success in language
learning.
Learner autonomy has been a
major area of interest in foreign
language teaching for some 30 years.
According to Borg and Al-Busaidi
(2012), it has been claimed that learner
autonomy improves the quality of
language learning, promotes
democratic societies, prepares
individuals for life-long learning, and
allows learners to make the best use of
learning opportunities in and out of the
classroom. Holec (1981), who is
considered as the father of autonomous
learning, defines it as the ability to
control one’s learning. Likewise, Little
(1991) asserts that “autonomous
learners are cast in a new perspective,
have a capacity for detachment, critical
reflection, and decision making, take
independent actions and are expected
to assume greater responsibility for and
take charge of their own learning” (p.
4). Holec (1981) and Little’s (1991)
definitions of learner autonomy are
strongly echoed by Littlewood (1996)
who defines an autonomous learner as
someone who has an independent
capacity to make and carry out the
choices which govern his or her actions.
A number of research on learner
autonomy from EFL context show that
despite EFL students are considered to
be passive and less autonomous to
some extent, some others are found to
understand the concept of learner
autonomy, thus have responsibility and
ability in their own learning as part of
autonomous learning (Balcikanli, 2010;
Gamble, Aliponga, Koshiyama,
Yoshida, Ando, & Wilkins, 2011;
Karababa, Eker, & Arik, 2010; Szocs &
College, 2017; Sakai, Takagi, & Chu,
2010; Xhaferi & Xhaferi, 2011).
However, students’ dependence on
teachers in the classroom can still be
found in EFL classroom setting. Based
on the researchers’ experience in their
classroom practice, English students
tend to follow what the lecturers’
instructions. In terms of assessment, the
lecturers show their power over the
classroom by carrying out written tests
merely in the middle and at the end of
IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6 (2), 2019
135-142
http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee
| DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467
P-ISSN: 2356-1777, E-ISSN: 2443-0390 | This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license
the semester. This often turns out a
problem to achieve student-centered
approach (Aslan & Reigeluth, 2015)
Based on the phenomena above,
this study is going to investigate
university students’ beliefs about the
importance of learner autonomy and
lecturers’ roles in promoting
autonomous learning in EFL context as
well as the factors which constrain the
students from being autonomous.
Therefore, this study seeks to find out:
(1) What is the level of students’
autonomous learning from three
groups of EFL students with different
lengths of study at a university? and (2)
What beliefs do the EFL students hold
about learner autonomy and their
lecturers’ roles to promote learner
autonomy?
METHOD
This is a mixed method study
which focuses on both quantitative and
qualitative data. The study started with
a quantitative survey, which was
administered to 60 English students.
The second phase was qualitative
design where the researchers selected a
few participants identified from the
survey result to be interviewees.
Three groups of young adult
students were purposively selected
based on their length of study or batch:
students at second, fourth, and sixth
semesters. Their ages range from 18 to
20 years old. They learn not only
English skills and knowledge but also
teaching skills in order to teach English
to primary and secondary school
students. Each group was represented
by 20 students. As a consequence, there
were 60 participants getting involved in
this study. Learner autonomy
questionnaires developed by Macaskill
and Taylor (2010) were distributed to 60
participants. After the quantitative
phase, nine participants who were
categorized as the high, middle, and
low autonomous learners based on the
result of the questionnaire were
selected to be part of Focus Group
Discussion (FGD).
The researchers utilized two
research instruments to collect the data,
namely Autonomous Learning Scale
(ALS) and an FGD. The ALS consists of
21 questions with respondents rating
themselves on a 5-point Likert scale.
For analysis, the responses are always
weighted such that a higher value
corresponds to greater autonomy.
Subsequently, some interview
questions were asked to nine
participants with the highest level of
learner autonomy form each batch
identified from the survey result. An
FGD was employed since it was useful
to obtain detailed information about
both personal and group beliefs about
IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6 (2), 2019
136-142 http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee
| DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467
P-ISSN: 2356-1777, E-ISSN: 2443-0390 | This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license
learner autonomy and to provide a
broader range of information
concerning the focused topic.
Moreover, it was used to save time.
The researchers analyzed the
results gained through questionnaires
and interviews. For the results of the
questionnaire, the researchers
calculated the results of the
questionnaire by using five-point Likert
scale. The students were required to
choose among the options for the
statements: Strongly Agree, Agree,
Neutral, Disagree, Strongly Disagree
with the conversion scores: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
respectively. The students with high
scores were considered having high
level of autonomous learning, and those
with low scores were regarded as
having low level of autonomous
learning as shown from the table below.
Table 1. Learner autonomy level
Category
Score range
High level of
autonomy
84-105
Mediate level of
autonomy
43-83
Low level of
autonomy
21-42
The analysis of the interview
results began by transcribing the
students’ interviews. The researcher
made some codes based on the
students’ interview transcripts.
Following this, similar codes of
information were applied to develop a
small number of categories which were
used to build main themes.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Results
Based on the findings from the
questionnaire, all of the students from
three groups are in the mediate level of
learner autonomy. It was shown from
the mean score of each group. The
overall scores of learner autonomy
revealed from Group 1 (second
semester), Group 2 (fourth semester),
and Group 3 (sixth semester) are 72, 75,
and 72 respectively. When converted
into the table of learner autonomy level,
it shows that all groups belong to the
mediate level of learner autonomy. In
other words, the students are both
autonomous and less autonomous in
some ways.
Based on the questionnaire results,
their autonomous learning behavior is
cultivated in a number of situations,
such as: when they meet an assessment
deadline for their work; when they
have to find their own resources for
learning, such as through internet; and
when they have responsibility for their
learning experiences. On the other
hand, the participants’ learning
autonomy is hampered in the following
IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6 (2), 2019
137-142
http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee
| DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467
P-ISSN: 2356-1777, E-ISSN: 2443-0390 | This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license
situations: when they have to arrange
their time management, particularly to
study and review the learned materials;
when they meet a challenge in the
classroom; and when they have to
stimulate their interest in language
learning.
Student Beliefs about Learner
Autonomy
Most of the participants
demonstrated different understandings
towards learner autonomy concept.
Most of the participants were not quite
aware of being autonomous in their
learning activities. However, they
understood that being autonomous in
learning resulted in the students’ liberty
to select how they want to acquire
knowledge. Moreover, they affirmed
that learner autonomy would benefit
the students with high confidence level
since those students confidently learned
English even though they were not
guided by teachers. They also argued
that to become autonomous, the
students needed to get some chances to
develop their ability in evaluating their
own learning. It means that having
been able to judge their own strengths
and weaknesses, the students would
notice other materials that they still
need to enhance and materials they
have already mastered. This would lead
to students’ independence in selecting
as well as analyzing the material
content appropriate for their level of
English. In addition to developing
learner autonomy through students’
evaluation skills, motivation is another
aspect the students need to own to
develop learner autonomy.
Furthermore, they believed that
students with autonomy in learning
could be categorized as effective
learners. All in, they all believed that
learner autonomy means students’
freedom about how they manage their
learning. In other words, they are free
to choose any materials and activities
they want to have. All of the
participants agreed that out-of-class
activities assigned by the lecturers
would stimulate their learning
autonomy. In addition, libraries are also
considered a good place to enhance
their autonomy while learning English.
This is because they can search any
kind materials they don’t have,
particularly when they have some
assignments from the lecturers.
Additionally, self-confidence and
motivation play important roles to
promote learner autonomy since
confident as well as motivated students
would not be reluctant and reckless to
be responsible for their own learning.
They understand that learning means
responsibility. Therefore, the
development of learner autonomy can
be achieved through those aspects.
IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6 (2), 2019
138-142 http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee
| DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467
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The Roles of Lecturers in the
Classroom
Most of the participants revealed
that they still considered their lecturers
played an important role in classroom
practices. From several aspects of
learning activities, the lecturers
dominated some of the responsibilities,
such as cultivating their learning
interests, determining learning
objectives of the course and learning
materials simultaneously. In spite of the
dominant roles the lecturers have, both
lecturers and students are responsible
for the following learning and teaching
process in the classroom, such as
monitoring learning progress in and
outside the classrooms, selecting
appropriate learning activities for
classroom practice, determining time
allotment, and evaluating students’
work and performance.
From the interview, it was found
out that the participants had
responsibility for managing their own
learning progress outside the
classroom. Additionally, the other two
participants stated that it was their
responsibility to manage their own
learning inside the classroom. In other
words, they believed that their own
learning progress was their own
responsibility, not the lecturers’.
Discussion
The results of this present study is
aligned with some previous studies
which demonstrate that EFL learners,
particularly Asian have a mediate level
of autonomous learning (Nguyen, 2014;
Rungwaraphong, 2012). In order to be
more autonomous, learners need to be
aware of language, language use and
language learning while also conscious
of affective factors that influence their
relationship with language and
language learning (McDevitt, 1997).
Only when learners are explicitly aware
of the language learning process and
the roles they play in it, may it be well
for them to fully involve themselves in
the language learning. Then, learners
need to be aware that they should share
the responsibility with their teachers.
They must realize that a lot of
responsibility and knowledge will be
transferred from the teacher to them
(Jacobs & Farrell, 2001).
When the students are being
autonomous, it does not necessarily
mean that they do everything (Benson
& Voller, 1997; Littlewood, 1996), but
rather, that situation is supposed to
lead students to be interdependence.
Teachers may provide cooperative
learning in providing students chances
to be responsible for their own learning
(Liu, 2011). Therefore, teachers have a
job to manage cooperative group
IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6 (2), 2019
139-142
http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee
| DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467
P-ISSN: 2356-1777, E-ISSN: 2443-0390 | This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license
activities in the classroom such as
group discussion, pair work, open
questions, etc. By doing so, learner
autonomy can be promoted along with
the participation, self-confidence, and
motivation of the students.
In terms of teacher’s roles, this
present study reveals that the decision
to promote learner autonomy comes
usually from the teacher, and the
success of attempts to empower
learners to become actively involved in
their learning depends to a large extent
on the teacher’s ability to redefine their
roles. This is in line with the previous
studies which shows the dominant
roles of teachers towards their students
(Borg & Al Busaidi, 2012; Cakici, 2017).
The traditional EFL teaching model in
Indonesia is a transmission model
emphasizing the importance of teachers
and their functions. Teachers serve as
transmitters of cultural heritage,
knowledge and skills. They impart
knowledge for students to absorb.
Students should show their respect for
their teachers by obeying and
cooperating with their teachers. They
should listen to lectures attentively and
follow their teachers’ instructions in
class. The relationship between the
teacher and students is based on
students’ respect for the teacher and his
knowledge as an authority (Jacobs &
Farrell, 2001)
As a result of the paradigm shift
towards learner-centered education,
efforts should be made to teach
students how to learn and encourage
them to be more autonomous. Teachers
should help them form a good habit of
learning in the autonomous learning
process, rather than impart knowledge
to students. The shift of responsibility
from teachers to learners in language
teaching process does not necessarily
mean a complete rejection of teachers
and normal classroom teaching is
redundant. Instead, the teacher will
find his role becomes more varied
rather than curtailed, strengthened
rather than weakened (not in terms of
authority but in terms of competence)
and much greater demands will be
made on his creativity than on his
highly developed knowledge of
teaching techniques (Holec, 1981). The
teacher still should be the guide of the
whole autonomous learning process.
Learners need a great deal of guidance
and feedback from the teacher in order
to learn to organize their work on their
own. In classroom situations the
teachers in autonomous learning
functions as facilitators, helpers or
counselors. They are more of a resource
person or consultant than an authority;
they are facilitators of classroom
activities who concerned with their
own sensitivity to the diversities of
learner beliefs about language learning
IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6 (2), 2019
140-142 http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee
| DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467
P-ISSN: 2356-1777, E-ISSN: 2443-0390 | This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license
and their individual differences in
learning styles; above all they are to
help learners to depend on themselves
to learn. More exactly speaking, the
teacher will help learners plan and
carry out their independent language
learning by means of need analysis
(both learning and language needs),
objective setting (both short- and long-
term, achievable), work planning,
selecting materials and organizing
interactions; help learners evaluate
themselves (assessing initial
proficiency, monitoring progress, and
self- and peer-assessment); help
learners acquire the skills and
knowledge needed to implement
learner autonomy. No matter how well
the language teachers have performed
in fulfilling their roles, it is students
themselves who comprise the
determining factor in their ultimate
learning outcomes, especially in the
learner-centered teaching context.
Therefore, language learning requires
autonomy on the part of learners.
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
EFL students in this study believed
that learner autonomy took place
mostly outside the classroom when
they were assigned to do out-of-class
activities which supported their in-class
activities. Moreover, even though out-
of-class activities are believed to
enhance students’ autonomous
learning, teachers/lecturers have an
important role in guiding the students
to be independent learners.
Teachers/lecturers are perceived to
have a dominant role in the classroom;
therefore, it is quite hard for the
students to reach 100% autonomy in
their English learning. However, some
of the participants argued that they had
full responsibility for monitoring their
learning progress either inside or
outside the classroom. In addition, both
students and lecturers also shared
responsibilities in the process of
teaching and learning including
determining learning materials and
activities.
This study focuses on students’
level of learning autonomy and their
beliefs about learner autonomy as well
as their perceptions on teacher’s roles in
the classroom. Some pedagogical
implications came up to provide EFL
teachers important insights for better
classroom practices. First, due to the
dominant roles of teachers/lecturers in
the classroom, teachers could provide
more out-of-class activities for students
in order to enhance learner autonomy.
Second, by making the students get
used to being autonomous, teachers
would indirectly teach them about the
concept of learner autonomy since their
conceptual perspectives about learner
IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6 (2), 2019
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| DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467
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autonomy would support their
practical experience in carrying out
autonomous learning. Third, teachers
can start reducing their responsibilities
in managing students’ learning
progress since it is very important to
get the students involved in decision
making process in the classroom.
Fourth, the use of cooperative learning
may help EFL students enhance their
learning autonomy since that method
focuses more on student-centered
rather than teacher-centered.
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