scholarly journals Embracing Change and Discovering Affordances in the Time of COVID: Report on the Japan Association for Self-Access Learning (JASAL) Conference, 2020

2021 ◽  
pp. 123-135
Author(s):  
Jason R. Walters

The Japan Association for Self-Access Learning (JASAL) held its 15th annual conference event on the 5th of December, 2020. Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the event was conducted online via the Zoom teleconferencing application, marking JASAL’s first “virtual conference” and requiring an impressive feat of innovation from organizers. The conference, attended by more than 50 participants in total, featured 20 presentations on a variety of topics relevant to self-access learning and supporting language learner autonomy. Highlights of the day included a plenary talk by Satoko Kato and Hisako Yamashita and a virtual tour of Tokyo International University’s English Plaza. In this conference report, 17 English-language presentations are summarized and arranged according to three themes: autonomy-supportive learning projects; SALC development via research and reflection; and reflections on the transition to emergency remote self-access in 2020.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-142
Author(s):  
Istanti Hermagustiana ◽  
Dian Anggriyani

ABSTRACTThis study aims at investigating: (1) levels of autonomous learning from three groups of students with different periods of study, (2) EFL students’ beliefs towards learner autonomy and their lecturers’ roles in promoting learner autonomy. The participants of this study were three groups of EFL students at English Department in their second, fourth, and sixth semesters. The data were obtained through questionnaire surveying Autonomous Learning Scale to find out the students’ levels of autonomy and interview to figure out their beliefs about learner autonomy and the roles of lecturers to promote autonomous learning. This study revealed that all group of students were classified as being in the mediate level of autonomy. From the interviews conducted to nine participants representing each group, it was found that to become autonomous, learners need to develop the ability to evaluate their own learning. Moreover, out-of-class activities were believed to enhance learner autonomy since the activities will provide students with self-responsibility to manage the tasks. Last, in terms of the lecturers’ roles in the classroom, most participants perceived that the lecturers still had a dominant role in controlling teaching and learning, particularly in the classroom context. This dominant role eventually led students to become less autonomous circumstances, both inside and outside classrooms.ABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui: (1) tingkat pembelajaran mandiri dari tiga kelompok mahasiswa Bahasa Inggris dengan periode studi yang berbeda, dan (2) keyakinan mahasiswa Bahasa Inggris terhadap pembelajaran mandiri dan peran para dosen pengajar dalam mendukung pembelajaran mandiri di kelas. Para partisipan penelitian ini adalah tiga kelompok mahasiswa yang belajar di Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris di semester kedua, keempat, dan keenam. Data diperoleh melalui angket survei Autonomous Learning Scale untuk mengetahui tingkat pembelajaran mandiri mahasiswa dan melalui wawancara untuk mengetahui pandangan mereka tentang pembelajaran mandiri dan peran dosen pengajar untuk mempromosikan pembelajaran mandiri. Hasil yang didapat dari penelitian ini adalah bahwa semua kelompok siswa dari tiga periode studi yang berbeda diklasifikasikan dalam pembelajaran mandiri tingkat menengah. Dari wawancara yang dilakukan kepada sembilan peserta yang mewakili setiap kelompok, diketahui bahwa untuk menjadi mandiri, mahasiswa perlu mengembangkan kemampuan untuk mengevaluasi pembelajaran mereka sendiri. Selain itu, kegiatan di luar kelas diyakini dapat meningkatkan pembelajaran mandiri karena kegiatan tersebut akan mengembangkan tanggung jawab dalam mengelola tugas. Begitu pun dalam hal peran dosen di ruang kelas, sebagian besar mahasiswa merasa bahwa dosen masih memiliki peran dominan dalam mengendalikan proses belajar mengajar, terutama di dalam kelas. Peran dominan dosen ini pada akhirnya menyebabkan mahasiswa menjadi kurang mandiri baik di dalam maupun di luar kelas.How to Cite: Hermagustiana, I., Anggriyani, D. (2019). Language Learner Autonomy: The Beliefs of English Language Students. IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 6(2), 133-142. doi:10.15408/ijee.v6i2.15467


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosukhon Swatevacharkul ◽  
Nida Boonma

The objective of this study was to assess learner autonomy of English Language Teaching students in terms of technical, psychological, political-philosophical, and sociocultural dimensions. The 19 participants were in their first semester of MA ELT, which is an international program in an international university in Thailand.  Among them, there were 15 Chinese, three Burmese, and one Thai. This study employed the explanatory mixed-methods design. First, Measuring Instrument for Language Learner Autonomy (MILLA) questionnaire (Murase, 2015) was used to collect quantitative data (QUAN). Then, a semi-structured interview with five participants was carried out to gather follow-up qualitative data (QUAL). The findings revealed that, on average, the students demonstrated a high level of autonomy in all four dimensions. The thematic content analysis generated four themes concerning each autonomy dimension: 1) the use of metacognitive strategies through professional goal setting 2) the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in support of autonomous learning, 3) the teacher as authority partner in a negotiable learning process, and 4) the preference for self-dependence and collaborative learning. The results of the study can be pedagogically contributive to programs similar to the study’s context with regards to learner autonomy awareness and learner autonomy development.


2021 ◽  
pp. 231-247
Author(s):  
Hülya Şen ◽  
Mümin Şen

Advising in language learning (ALL) can be defined as “the process of helping someone become an effective, aware, and reflective language learner” (Kato & Mynard, 2016, p. 1). In order to promote learner autonomy, a learning advisor conducts an intentionally structured reflective dialogue, the purpose of which is to engage the learner in reflective processes so that the learner can reach a deeper sense of understanding and control of language learning (Carson & Mynard, 2012; Kato & Mynard, 2016). The main role of the learning advisor in this process is to “activate learners’ reflective processes through a one-to-one dialogue” (Kato & Mynard, 2016, p. 104). To encourage active and critical reflection, learning advisors need to be provided with proper training. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of the experienced English language teachers regarding the effectiveness of the learning advisory training program (LATP) they have attended and its effects on the teachers’ professional and personal lives. To achieve this aim, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through questionnaires and interview findings. The results suggest that the teachers who attended the LATP developed a deeper awareness of how to promote learner autonomy.


Relay Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 21-46
Author(s):  
Scott J. Shelton-Strong

Autonomy and assessment have been the subject of renewed interest within the field of education. English Language Teaching (ELT) contexts have attracted particular interest as the importance of learner autonomy for language learners continues to be researched and acknowledged, while an understanding of the relationship between assessment and autonomy continues to grow. Questions remain, however, whether autonomy lends itself willingly to assessment, or if indeed there are unobtrusive and practical ways to do so. Nevertheless, assessment and autonomy may be related at other junctures. This paper outlines a classroom-based intervention whereby assessment descriptors were used to engage university age English language learners in Japan in reflection and response, as one of the tools used in a continuous assessment approach to the evaluation of participation and communication. An examination of the background and context underpinning this intervention is first provided, followed by an analysis of learner responses to questions related to self-assessment. In conclusion, ways in which these may be viewed in relationship to broad indicators of autonomy, and the development of metacognitive awareness are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sin Wang Chong ◽  
Hayo Reinders

Learner autonomy is a vibrant and diverse field. In its approximately 40-year history, it has drawn liberally on theoretical constructs and research methodologies from other disciplines. In turn, it has contributed to the field of applied linguistics by drawing attention to the fundamental importance of understanding the language learner as an active agent in the learning process. To understand the role of autonomy in, and its connections with other areas of study, it is important to ask how it has been conceptualised and operationalised. In addition, given its elusive and amorphous nature, it is timely to ask if and how (the development of) learner autonomy has been evaluated. In this paper we conducted a scoping review, or a systematic and comprehensive literature review, of 61 empirical studies in this field. The results show a rich array of conceptualisations and numerous operationalisations, in addition to a somewhat limited use of evaluations. We draw from this a number of implications for research. In particular, we encourage learner autonomy researchers to make explicit their theoretical frameworks, extend their investigation to the role of language learning beyond the classroom in promoting learner autonomy, and diversify their use of research methods.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 72-83
Author(s):  
Thao Thi Thanh Phan

This paper aims to explore the role of self-assessment in developing language learner autonomy in the Vietnamese higher education context. Specifically, it focuses on how the assessment for English language learning is currently conducted and how this relates to learner autonomy. Despite the Vietnamese government’s official requirement for learner autonomy, Vietnamese higher education’s language academic context provides presently little space for autonomous learning. The idea of self-assessment is relatively unfamiliar and has, therefore, been little investigated. Based on qualitative data from observations and interviews with 38 university students, this paper presents the understanding of learner autonomy in Vietnamese higher education. In particular, the findings suggest that self-assessment may be a useful operational approach for fostering language learner autonomy in Vietnam and other similar settings. Also, they highlight the demand of promoting self-assessment literacy and the importance of self-assessment principles within the local context.


ASHA Leader ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 64-65
Author(s):  
King Kwok

A graduate student who is an English-language learner devises strategies to meet the challenges of providing speech-language treatment.


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