A Study Of Strategy Use In Web-based Autonomous English Learning Among High School Students

Researches on how to create learning environments for autonomous learning have proliferated since Holec (1981) introduced the theory of autonomy into language learning. Some researchers suggested that in language learning, learners should make the effective use of technology and the advent of web-based instruction (WBI) in the 1990s has been seen as an alternative to this, for its "better opportunities to provide individualized instruction" (Lin & Hsieh, 2001).WBI is characterized "by the physical separation of the teacher and the learner" whereby "the individual is responsible for his or her learning" (Rumble, 1989). Therefore, web-based learning demands students of greater autonomy and a repertoire of language learning strategies. Without direct control of the teacher, students have to make their own plans, select learning materials and methods, monitor the procedure and evaluate what has been acquired. That is, the students should take responsibility for their own learning.Although many researchers have suggested the importance of autonomy in language learning, few studies have systematically investigated students' autonomy in language learning in the web-based learning environment, and even fewer studies have probed students' strategy used in the web-based learning environment. The present research is a study which explores students' autonomy in language learning in the web-based learning environment through examining their strategy use.The participants selected for this study were one hundred and sixty-two senior middle school students in Shenzhen who paid 101 Distance Learning Centre for its summer English course and other courses. The participants were surveyed by a questionnaire (SILL) concerning their strategy use in the web-based learning environment and were required to keep a diary. As for the qualitative study, twenty-one students were randomly chosen and interviewed during the study. Data from the questionnaire were collected and analyzed through SPSS (11.5), accompanied by the analysis of the data from the interview.The study shows that, due to their limited range of strategy use, Chinese senior middle school students have a low degree of autonomy in language learning in the web-based learning environment. The majority of the students preferred to use selective strategies, compensation strategies and affective strategies, which are typical of the characteristics of web-based learning. The less frequently used strategies were management strategies, metacognitive strategies, cognitive strategies, memory strategies and social strategies. Most of them had poor knowledge of language learning strategies and little experience in web-based learning.The results of the study give an insight into Chinese senior middle school students' characteristics of web-based autonomous English learning. However, the study is not exempt from some limitations. It is sincerely hoped that future studies may focus on the effect of learners' attitude, motivation and self-esteem on web-based autonomous English learning and how to incorporate strategy training into specific web-based English teaching.