4.2 Aims of the research and research questions

Our research aimed in three main directions. Firstly, it ventured to assess to what extent learner autonomy is a relevant issue for the learners taking part in the program. Secondly, the nature of the research was promising in supplying valuable data that might problematize the issue of learner autonomy, as described in Chapters 2 and 3. And thirdly, it aimed to collect the students' reactions to a relatively more autonomous learning environment.

Consequently, the three research questions were constructed as follows:

1. What is the role of autonomy in the students' perceptions of learning?

2. Do the students' perceptions of learning problematize the issue of autonomy, thus calling for a change in our approach to the research?

3. How do students perceive their learning in a fairly autonomous environment, when compared to their previous learning experience?

As was shown in Chapter 2.5, researching autonomy in its complexity amounts to an unsatisfiable urge. Therefore, if we want to study learner autonomy in its general sense, a necessarily random selection of key factors and aspects needs to be made. The design of our research will work towards this end.

In the discussion to our research, we shall propose a number of questionnaire items that may be used in a further study of the problem. These items will follow from our findings, sometimes directly reflecting the students' responses. This will ensure that any further research sprouting out from our modest work will use the language and ideas that belong to the students, rather than drawing on some obscure theory of learning.

4.3 Methods, materials, participants

4.3.1 Participants in the project

Fourteen students from the two groups (seven from each) agreed to participate in the research project. They were all adults, ranging from twenty-five to fifty-five years of age, and had been part of the Internationalization program for at least two years prior to the research. In this way, they had had ample opportunities to reflect on the program as well as their learning experience.

4.3.2 Methods

As our aim was to collect authentic data concerning learners' perceptions, qualitative methodology had to be adopted. The purpose of qualitative research in the realm of pedagogy is to find out how learners (teachers, parents) perceive a given situation. Therefore, instead of collecting data in a rather mechanical way, such research needs to aim towards giving the subjects plenty of opportunity to express their views. This approach is well documented in Chráska (1995: 10-15).

For our purposes, we decided to use the standardized interview format, with a few modifications. This type of interview consists of a number of pre-planned questions that are read out by the researcher in a pre-set sequence. Interestingly enough, this method is often used in quantitative research; however, we had good reasons to employ it in our study. Firstly, an interview provides for an in-depth exploration of learners' views (unlike a questionnaire), while retaining a form that is relatively easy to manage and collecting data that are comparatively easy to categorize (unlike in the case of long-term observations or diaries). Secondly, a standardized interview gives all participants equal chances to express themselves, thus retaining the more or less objective status of a questionnaire. Thus, an important aim is accomplished – we are going to manage to collect authentic learner data while ruling the researcher's subjectivity out of the study. The views presented above are summarized in Chráska (1998: 113).

The interview was designed to consist of fifteen items and three additional questions. The researcher contacted each participant and together they agreed on a suitable time and place to carry out the interview. The interviews were carried out in the participants' mother tongue (Czech) and recorded into a laptop computer via a portable microphone. Later, the researcher transcribed the interviews into a concise form, translating the responses into English (see Appendix 1). The transcription was carried out carefully so as not to subtract any relevant information from the learners' responses (which would compromise the output of the research); at the same time, the concise form and the English translation worked towards making our analysis clear and systematic, providing the reader with a clear reference.

The participants were guaranteed anonymity throughout the project, and fictitious names were used. Following from his complete lack of imagination, the researcher decided to give them the names of characters from a certain unnamed film. Thus, the participants were named as follows: Fiona, Shrek, Fairy Godmother, Donkey, Prince Charming, Cinderella, Hansel, Gretel, Lord Farquard, Puss In Boots, Rapunzel, Snow White, Pinocchio and Robin Hood.

The responses were then analyzed and interpreted following the criteria set by the research. The following chapters (4.4, 4.5 and 4.6) provide a brief summary of the different interpretations of the learners' responses, as well as the various conclusions drawn from the research.