Research Paper
Employing project work to enhance aspects of learner autonomy for tertiary EFL learners
The study aims to explore the enhancement of learner autonomy through the integration of the project work in the existing syllabus. The study was conducted with thirty-four first-year non-English majors in a university in the north of Vietnam. In the study, learner autonomy is conceptualized as a multi-faced concept with four aspects: technical, psychological, political-critical, and socio-cultural. Learner autonomy was researched based on the empirical evidence of its benefits to learners in language learning. Meanwhile, project work was argued to be potential to promote learner autonomy. As a result, eight different projects created by the students were implemented in the learning process. The study employed action research approach with three different data collection tools (questionnaires, interviews, and the teacher’s diary). Content analysis was applied for the data in the study. The findings reveal that the enhancement of learner autonomy was evident in all the four aspects. Technically, the students were found to have more access to the learning resources and used more learning strategies. Psychologically, the students were identified to exhibit highly positive attitudes and to be motivated in learning. Political-critically, the students reported that they had more choices in learning contents and methods. Socio-culturally, the students demonstrated more interaction and collaboration.
Published by: Pham Duc Thuan
Author: Pham Duc Thuan
Paper ID: V7I3-1381
Paper Status: published
Published: May 20, 2021
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