A Study On Learner Autonomy In Senior School English Teaching

Learner autonomy has been a buzzword in foreign language teaching in the recenttwenty years. There are mainly three contemporary major schools of Learning Theory(Humanism, Cognitive Theory and Constructivism) that learner autonomy is based on.Constructivism is the latest teaching and learning theory in western countries, and one ofthe most important theories that our new basic curriculum reform movements are basedon. It lays emphasis on the process of learning and the social-cultural aspect of learning.It is obvious that constructivist theories of teaching and learning have great implicationsfor China's English language teaching reform and the cultivation of creative Englishpersonnel. Learners in senior schools are no longer satisfied with the traditionalteacher-centered way of teaching English, which neglects the central role of learners. Itshould be replaced by the learner-centered approach so that learners' comprehensivelanguage use ability can be improved. The new basic curriculum reform movementsemphasize the sustaining development of learners. Therefore, it becomes imperative tofoster learner autonomy in English teaching in senior schools. There has been anextensive literature on learning to learn, on developing independent learning and onautonomy abroad since the 1960s.While in China, study on learner autonomy only startedin the mid-1980s, which mainly introduces the relative researches abroad, or puts anemphasis on the importance of learner autonomy in colleges as well as training thelearner in terms of strategy development and learning skills. Little importance has beenattached to the practical study on learner autonomy in English teaching in senior schools.Constructivism is now widely accepted by educators in China, but there is a gap betweenthe educational theory and its application in the practical teaching of English. This thesismade a general research on learner autonomy in senior school English teaching from theconstructivist perspective by means of experiment, seeking to bridge the gap. Therefore,it is somewhat instructive to English teaching in senior schools.Different researchers home and abroad have defined learner autonomy differently.But many hold the same ideas as Holec that learner autonomy is a kind of ability. Holec(1981:3) defined autonomy as 'the ability to take charge of one's own learning'. That isto say, the learners can make decisions on their own studies. Learner autonomy is theability that the learner-centered English teaching acquires.Learner autonomy is a perennial dynamic process rather than a static product, a state,which is reached once and for all. Besides, what permeates this study is the belief that 'inorder to help learners to assume greater control over their own learning, it is important tohelp them to be aware of and identify the strategies that they already use or couldpotentially use' (Holmes & Ramos, 1991, cited in James & Garrett, 1991: 198).In this thesis, the author took the Senior One students as subjects and made aresearch on the effect learner autonomy has on English teaching in senior schools bymeans of questionnaire and experiment. From the results of the questionnaire, it isconcluded that the senior school students are weak in awareness and abilities of learnerautonomy. To improve their comprehensive language use ability, it is imperative to fosterlearner autonomy. In the experiment, the author designed ten activities to help thestudents to achieve learner autonomy. The analysis from the experiment shows that thestudents in the experimental class made greater success in learning English than those inthe control class. They can properly monitor and assess their studies in the process oflearning. They feel more confident towards learning English and they are more ready touse language they have learnt to improve their comprehensive language use ability.The author also states the problems appearing in the experiment and makes somepedagogical suggestions for the future research. Meanwhile, due to the lack of time andexperience, there are some deficiencies in the thesis which are to be solved in the futureteaching activities. For example, the teaching method used in the experiment to fosterlearner autonomy is not systematic, and the system of assessment is not perfect. As aresult, the author cordially invites suggestions and help from experts and readers.