Cultivation Of Learner Autonomy Through Task-Based Teaching

In recent years, task-based language teaching (TBLT) and learner autonomy have received more and more attention in foreign language teaching. TBLT focuses on "learning in doing", which is favorable for the cultivation of learners’independence and cooperation spirit, and the cultivation of learners’autonomy helps students become lifelong learners. Although there have been many researches on TBLT and learner autonomy in China, there is still practical significance on the cultivation of learner autonomy through TBLT.In order to explore whether TBLT has positive influence on the cultivation of learner autonomy, four classes of240non-English majors were divided into Experimental Group (EG) and Control Group (CG) and were taught with TBLT and traditional teaching method respectively. The whole study lasted for12weeks and employed questionnaires, teaching journal and interview. All the results from pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire before and after the experiment were analyzed carefully and the teaching journal and interview were summarized as well in this paper. The analysis of the results showed that there were significant differences in learner autonomy between EG and CG after the experiment. TBLT aroused the students’motivation and initiative in learning. Meanwhile, according to the sense of achievement by completing tasks, TBLT improved the students’confidence and changed their attitudes to English learning. During the process of completing tasks, students also realized the importance of learning strategies gradually and began to employ these strategies correctly, which helped to promote learning efficiency. Through the teaching journal and interview, this study also found the reason why the students’attitudes changed and the use of learning strategies with the help of TBLT.According to the study, this paper certified that TBLT could stimulate the majority of students’learning motivation, change their attitudes to English learning and improve their ability of using learning strategies. Therefore, TBLT has a positive effect on learner autonomy.