- •Acknowledgements
- •1. Introduction
- •2. Theoretical Background I.
- •2.1 Reasons for promoting autonomy
- •2.2 Attempts to define autonomy
- •2.2.1 An overview of definitions in the literature
- •2.2.2 Conflicting and complementing concepts
- •2.3 Attempts to describe an autonomous learner
- •2.4 A working definition of autonomy
- •2.5 A working description of an autonomous learner
- •2.6 A practical approach to learner autonomy
- •3. Theoretical Background II. Aspects of autonomous learning – an overview of theory and research
- •3.1 Theories of motivation
- •3.1.1 Integrative-instrumental and intrinsic-extrinsic theories of motivation.
- •3.1.2 Attribution theory
- •3.1.3 Relating motivation to success
- •3.1.4 Motivation and autonomy
- •3.2 The theory of personal constructs
- •3.3 Modern communicative approaches and the issue of learner/teacher roles
- •3.4 Research into learning strategies
- •3.5 Research into learner beliefs, preferences and attitudes
- •3.6 "Measuring autonomy" – and overview of research to date
- •3.7 Summary
- •4. Research
- •4.1 Research background
- •4.2 Aims of the research and research questions
- •4.3 Methods, materials, participants
- •4.3.1 Participants in the project
- •4.3.2 Methods
- •4.3.3 Anticipated problems
- •4.3.4 The structure of the interview
- •4.4 Data analysis and interpretation
- •4.4.1 Factors explored in the study
- •4.4.2 Factors revealed by the study
- •4.4.3 Reactions to a more autonomous learning environment
- •4.5 Discussion
- •4.6 Conclusion
- •5. Ideas for further research and Epilogue
- •5.1 Ideas for further research
- •5.2 Epilogue
- •6. References:
- •7. Appendix – a transcription of the interviews
3.5 Research into learner beliefs, preferences and attitudes
In previous chapters (3.2, 3.3, 3.4), we have stressed the importance of studying learner beliefs and attitudes. This argument is supported by Cotterall (1995: 195), who claims that "the beliefs and attitudes learners hold have a profound influence on their learning behavior". And indeed, a number of studies have been working towards this end in the past years (Cotterall 1995; Horwitz 1999; Savignon and Wang 2003; White 1999; Cotterall 1999; Perclová 2003).
It is believed that many learners hold "misconceptions that may hinder their progress and persistence in language study" (Mantle-Bromley qtd. in Cotterall 1999: 496). However, stating that means walking on very thin ice. For instance, the belief that learning a foreign language is different from learning other subjects, included in Cotterall (1995: 199) and Horwitz (1999: 567) has been subject to a great deal of controversy in the literature, as Dickinson (1995) notes and as we have shown in Chapter 3.1.1.
Having said that, though, the study of beliefs does portray a vast landscape of learner thought, and it seems one of the few reasonable ways of obtaining learner data regarding learner autonomy. However, the items of beliefs studied relate to the issue of autonomy to varying degrees. For instance, we may argue that in choosing between the primacy of vocabulary, grammar or translation in language learning (Horwitz 1999: 567; Perclová 2003: 163), learners are displaying various degrees of awareness about the nature of language learning; those who choose translation as the most important part of learning a language will probably find it difficult to become autonomous language learners and pursue their learning goals towards a greater measure of communicative competence. However, this argument may be a little far-fetched. Similarly, the strategic items proposed by Cotterall (1999: 504) and Horwitz (1999: 568) – although they seem to resonate with the Good Language Learner research and appear to be part of the strategic inventory of every autonomous learner – invite for a bit of caution, taking into account the argument presented by Rees-Miller in the preceding chapter.
Wenden mentions two basic learner attitudes towards autonomy – "willingness to take on responsibility" and "confidence in their ability as learners" (1991: 53). If we analyze a fraction of the research on beliefs along these lines, we may, as a result, get the following clusters of beliefs:
"Willingness to take on responsibility"
the role of the teacher (Cotterall, 1995: 197)
the role of feedback (ibid: 198)
learner independence (ibid: 199)
opportunities to use the language (Cotterall, 1999: 506)
effort (ibid.)
"Confidence in their ability as learners"
difficulty of language learning (Horwitz, 1999: 561)
foreign language aptitude (ibid: 563)
learner confidence in study ability (Cotterall, 1995: 200)
experience of language learning (ibid: 201)
Thus, we may quite easily identify beliefs that, without much controversy, relate directly to the issue of autonomy. Together with the issues studied in the preceding chapters, we have already constructed a fairly detailed picture of the different attitudes learners might hold, and to what extent these attitudes may foster or deter the development of learner autonomy.