A Study Of Autonomous Learning In College English Classroom

With a dramatic shift of focus in foreign language teaching from teacher-centeredness to learner-centeredness in the past two decades, researches conducted on the part of the learners have been plentiful. These researches are mainly concerned with the differences of the learners in their learning motivation, cognitive styles, affective states, learner character and learning psychology. Learner autonomy as an important issue has caught people's attention and is considered to be one of the educational goals when such concepts as life-long education, study-characterized society sprang up. At the same time, College English Curriculum Requirements issued in 2004 have attached great importance to the development of students' ability to learn autonomously and independently for the first time. Therefore, college English classroom is nothing more than just a context for teachers to transmit language knowledge and skills but a place that learners can be helped and educated to learn successfully and independently, thus becoming an autonomous learner. As Littlewood ( 1999) states that no students will have their teachers accompany them through their life, therefore, (Rogers, 1969) they have to realize that no knowledge is secure, that only the process of seeking knowledge gives a basis for security.The present study focuses on the autonomous learning in college English classroom, with a combination of a qualitative survey and a quantitative study using instruments such as self-test, questionnaires and interviews. A survey concerning learning motivation, management ability, participation capacity and language anxiety is conducted to discover the general pattern of students' learner autonomy and language anxiety. The author also analyzes the correlation between the students' language performance and their learner autonomy or language anxiety. Based on the survey, an Experimental Autonomous Learning Model is proposed and implemented for the purpose of the promotion of learner autonomy and the reduction of language anxiety. To put it simple, the experimental model aims to foster students' capacity and render them effective managers of their learning affairs, active participants in their learning processes and efficient users of various learning strategies. To conclude the study, some major findings, suggestions and implications are put forward for further studies and researches.