scholarly journals Self-Regulation: Why is it Important for Promoting Learner Autonomy in the School Context?

2014 ◽  
pp. 342-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiyuki Nakata

Both researchers and practitioners in the field of foreign language education are increasingly interested in the notions of self-regulation and learner autonomy. Indeed, there is a growing body of evidence highlighting the importance of self-regulation in promoting learner autonomy. For many practitioners, an important question to be addressed is how to help learners become more self-regulated in order to promote their learner autonomy. As it stands, however, the majority of learner autonomy research following this line of inquiry has been conducted within the framework of language learning strategies. Although learner autonomy research conducted within the framework of language learning strategies has to some extent contributed to addressing the question above, it has not provided enough guidance to practitioners and practitioner trainers, especially those who are struggling to promote autonomy in their learners in the EFL school context, which is full of constraints and limitations and does not allow much freedom. The present paper attempts to fill this gap, first by comparing the roots and the avenues of development of these two (essentially related but) distinct research areas—self-regulation and learner autonomy—and then by integrating the notion of self-regulation within the theoretical framework of learner autonomy, together with other notions of agency, teacher autonomy and scaffolding.

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Thomas ◽  
Heath Rose ◽  
Punjaporn Pojanapunya

AbstractThis article provides an overview of the field of language learning strategies, focusing on definitional and conceptual issues as they relate to strategy use in formal education settings. The article first provides evidence of the conflation of language learning strategies with concepts related to self-directedness. It provides evidence via a corpus-based analysis of published papers over time to illustrate that the field has moved away from instructed settings and towards a view of learner agency and self-regulation. We argue that this is a dangerous trend for language education researchers, as current definitions minimize the role of the teacher and classroom contexts in influencing strategic behavior in their students. A conceptualization and subsequent definition that does not stigmatize or exclude learners who are not self-directed, for whatever reason(s), is crucial to advance the field. As a solution, we propose that self-regulation be defined as a dynamic characteristic of learning strategies in order to allow for other-regulated strategies in research. Theorizing the interplay of the self and strategies on a continuum helps to emphasize the dynamic processes of strategic development, and the roles teachers and students in instructed settings can play in this process.


Author(s):  
Phil Benson ◽  
Jing Huang

This paper discusses the historical development of the concept of teacher autonomy in foreign language education and its relationship to the idea of learner autonomy. Three major phases in the development of conceptions of teacher autonomy are reviewed, involving attention to teacher roles in autonomous learning projects, professional development and professional freedom. Different ways of conceptualising the link between teacher and learner autonomy are discussed and an alternative conception based on the notion of transition from learner autonomy to teacher autonomy in learning-teaching careers is proposed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tran Quoc Thao ◽  
Nguyen Chau Hoang Long

Self-regulation of learning plays a vital role in improving second/foreign language learning as it can encourage the development of autonomous learners. It is seen that, nevertheless, ESL/EFL learners in different contexts are not fully aware of the importance of self-regulated language learning (SRLL) strategies in their English language learning. The present study, therefore, aims at investigating the use of SRLL strategies by English-majored students at a university in Bac Lieu province, Vietnam. This study involved 100 English-majored freshmen in answering a closed-ended questionnaire. The results showed that students sometimes used SRLL strategies, and they used SRLL strategies for keeping and monitoring records and seeking social assistance more often than for other purposes. The findings imply that students lacked knowledge of how to use SRLL strategies and get engaged in using SRLL strategies. This study recommends that students’ awareness of SRLL strategies should be seriously taken into account in order to facilitate their learner autonomy.


Author(s):  
Iryna Kaminska

In the article, theoretical-and methodological approaches of modern scholars to the issue of implementing learning strategies into the process of teaching foreign languages are ascertained. The development of strategies and the strategy repertoire along with factors that influence the choice of strategies and their transfer to different learning contexts is considered. Strategy instruction and its impact on language learners are observed. The variety and diversity of factors affecting the choice and the use of learning strategies, namely, motivation, learner autonomy, self-regulation, prior learning experience and students’ beliefs, which determine individual choice of language learning strategies by students of higher education establishments are analyzed. The transfer of general learning strategies to new learning contexts, notably to learning foreign languages, and the predictive value they have in language achievement is defined. The value and importance of learning strategies and the relationship between success, achievement and performance and examined. The teaching of the wide scope of strategies to language students to help them become more efficient, effective and productive is addressed. Possible differences in learning strategy types and frequency of strategy use in low and high strategy users as well as high and low achievers of foreign language learners are identified. Research needs to be conducted to find more efficient ways of training learners to use language learning strategies effectively. The length, the amount and the type of strategy instruction that has more impact on the students’ adoption of learning of strategies should be scrutinized. The type of strategies that learners are more susceptible to accept and adopt not only in the short term but also in the long term should be analyzed. No study has been conducted in the general set of strategies which beginner learners of English transfer from their general repertoire of strategies to language learning as the primary tools to face language learning and the extent to which these strategies will help them in attaining success in language learning.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-68
Author(s):  
Astri Hapsari

Strategic competence involves a number of learning and communication strategies which can be learned by language learners. These behaviors and thinking process can help second language learners to accelerate their target language learning. Teachers’ knowledge on these strategies will help language learners in overcoming the problems of their learning process. This survey study aims to describe students’ profile of strategic competence by mapping their language learning strategies. The participants were 106 students of Department of English Language Education in academic year 2014/2015. The instrument used was Oxford’s (1989) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) Worksheet, Version 7.0 for Speakers of Other Languages Learning English. Students’ profile of strategic competence in academic year 2014/2015 is: memory strategy (3.20), affective strategy (3.38), cognitive strategy (3.45), compensation strategy (3.46), social strategy (3.46), and metacognitive strategy (3.63). Therefore, the only strategy who has achieved high profile is metacognitive strategy (3.63). The other strategies are still on medium profile, which means all the students sometimes use the strategies. For the whole SILL strategies, students of Department of English Language Education, Universitas Islam Indonesia in academic year 2014/2015 get mean score 3.43, which also means on medium profile of strategic competence. From the result, it is recommended that the students need to develop the other five strategies from medium to high profile. Keywords: strategic competence, language learning strategies, survey study


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