2.5 A working description of an autonomous learner

In a previous chapter, we have discussed the different attempts to describe autonomy, and we have shown that the only sane way to go about this task lies in making an open list of fairly general characteristics, attempting to cover the main issues in autonomous learning. The analysis of the various descriptions offered us valuable material; the following working description is a combination of this material and a few other aspects that will be discussed later in our work (the references below each paragraph always point to at least one study that mentions the aspect):

An autonomous learner perceives learning as highly personal. Therefore, he finds benefits in employing his personal constructs both in and out of the classroom.

Such learners are likely to find their own meaning in classroom activities; they need not be instructed on the aim of activities. If they decide to work with a textbook outside the classroom, their learning will probably be selective, motivated by their interest or their learning goals.

(Little 1991)

An autonomous learner understands learning in a group as a type of learning that springs out of interpersonal relationships, and is therefore interdependent; that is, neither individualistic nor dependent on one person in the group (e.g. the teacher) or a set of teaching materials (e.g. a textbook that tells you how to learn). In other words, this type of learner understands learning in a group as shared learning, and any accomplishment as shared accomplishment.

Such learners are likely to find value in cooperative tasks and patterns of classroom interaction that do not involve the teacher as a central figure. They will probably respond positively to tasks that require independent work and shared efforts rather than demanding lecturing and/or guidance from the teacher. They will not perceive the teacher or the textbook as a central, infallible source of knowledge; on the contrary, they might consider knowledge as something they acquire from a number of different sources. They are likely to help and accept help from their peers, accepting the complexity of roles that they need to employ in a group learning situation. While learning outside of the classroom, they will approach a teaching material as something that communicates meaning rather than instructs them.

(Alwright qtd. in Cotterall 1995; Breen and Mann qtd. in Benson 2001)

An autonomous learner finds intrinsic motivation to learn the language, or finds enough extrinsic motivation to pursue his own leaning goals.

Such learners probably do not require extra motivation in the classroom. The teacher or other students do not need to provide them with the necessary drive to learn the language, and neither do the tasks – as long as they find their personal meaning in them; although a motivating environment or motivating tasks might contribute significantly to the learning effort.

(Skehan 1989)

An autonomous learner is able to carry out independent decisions on all levels of classroom organization.

If given the opportunity, such learners are likely to make complex decisions in the course of classroom activities, as well as in the matter of lesson or curriculum planning. As far as activities are concerned, such students will probably be able to determine the aim of each activity, the time they will need to accomplish it, as well as the feedback they will provide or receive. They are likely to negotiate the relevance of particular activities, instead of merely responding to instruction. On the level of lesson and curriculum organization, they are likely to take an active part in shaping the lesson plans as well as the whole course – if given opportunity to participate in such decisions.

(Little 1991)

An autonomous learner does not ascribe her success or failure to factors that are external and/or stable. In this way, she understands herself as the only person who can bring about a change in her learning progress.

Such learners are not likely to see luck, task difficulty, teacher performance or their language ability as decisive factors that influence their learning. On the contrary, they will see their own effort as a measure of their success or failure.

(Dickinson 1995; Skehan 1989)

An autonomous learner has his own clearly-defined learning goals.

In forming their learning goals (for example, improving their listening skills), autonomous learners find themselves as both the sole locus and focus of such decisions.

(Holec 1985; Benson 2001)

An autonomous learner is able to reflect on his/her difficulties and devise ways to overcome them.

Such learners are not likely to succumb to stress or pressure. If they do find something that brings them anxiety, they will probably find ways to deal with it. They know what their weaknesses in the language are and they will try to overcome them independently, or seek out help from teachers or peers. They will probably not ask for regular tests in order to diagnose their progress.

(Oxford 1989; Naiman et al. qtd. in Wenden 1991)

An autonomous learner works on her progress independently outside the classroom.

Such learners are likely to find opportunities to participate in learning situations that are external to and not conditioned by whatever that is happening in the classroom. They are likely to set their learning goals independently, plan and reflect on their learning. They might find independent ways to practice the language that are external to any approach or methodology.

(Naiman et al. qtd. in Wenden 1991)

Whilst in a group learning situation, an autonomous learner makes active use of the lesson, pursuing his or the group's learning goals.

Such learners are likely to take the opportunity to learn the language by plunging into learning tasks, negotiating the process of the lesson, being ready to ask questions, helping their peers, discovering new language etc.

(Dickinson 1992)

Provided he is given the opportunity, an autonomous learner discovers and adopts strategies that lead to a more independent work with and use of the language.

Such learners are likely to feel comfortable with a number of cognitive and metacognitive strategies that allow them to pursue learning tasks independently of instruction.

(Wenden 1991)

Again, this detailed description of autonomy works best to show how complex the issue is; to what extent the different aspects of autonomy not only overlap, but essentially influence each other. It might be a mad scientist's dream to be able to study any of these factors separately, let alone research the whole issue in its complexity. Researching a single student's level of autonomy may border on attempting to carry out a thorough psychological examination; trying to gauge a whole group's level of autonomy in detail is in the realm of science-fiction.