The role of the teacher in the implementation of learner autonomy: Investigating the impact of internal and external influences on English language teachers’ practices at a Saudi university

Abstract

There has been increasing interest in Learner Autonomy (LA) as it has received a universal acknowledgement of its importance concerning language learning acquisition, in which learners who exercise and achieve some degree of autonomy in their learning will be successful language learners (Dam 2011, Little, 1995). Borg (2016) asserts that even though there have been many publications from the last few decades that emphasise the important role of LA in language education, fundamental questions relating to teacher practices remain uncovered, such as investigating how teachers promote LA and how these practices are shaped not only by their understanding of the concept of LA but also by other influences in the context where language learning happens. He proposes that investigating such issues will help provide important insights for gaining a deeper understanding of the theory and practice of LA. The majority of the existing research studies have employed quantitative or mixed methods and have only focused on investigating teachers’ views and their reported practices concerning LA.

This study investigates the role of English language teachers in the implementation of learner autonomy and explores the impact of internal and external influences on their pedagogical practices in a Saudi higher education context at a time of educational policy change. To achieve this aim, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted to investigate how and why English language teachers support LA and what influences their teaching.

The participants in the study were female English language teachers from a Saudi university. The study was conducted in two distinct phases; a quantitative broad-based approach was adopted in the first phase followed by a qualitative exploratory case study. This latter phase drew on in-depth semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and post-classroom observation interviews in order to identify teacher beliefs about learner autonomy and their role as well as their teaching practices in relation to the promotion of learner autonomy and the influences behind their pedagogical decisions.

It was found that the teachers in this research context held positive beliefs about learner autonomy. All the participants believed that the development of learner autonomy is important and emphasised the importance of the teacher’s role in promoting learner autonomy. They laid most emphasis on certain aspects of learner autonomy; specifically, they supported psychological and socio-cultural dimensions of LA compared to political and technical dimensions. There was evidence in their teaching practices of activities to develop learner autonomy both inside and outside the classroom. However, it was found that teachers’ individual practices were influenced by a number of factors which can be divided into two major categories: contextual factors and individual factors. The former relates to institutional factors, the teaching context, the nature of the course, and the student’s level of language proficiency. The latter is related to personal factors, such as teachers’ previous educational and teaching experiences, their beliefs about teaching and learning, and their own beliefs about autonomy. Both factors played a significant role and impacted teachers’ practices in relation to creating a space for the learner to develop learner autonomy. These factors are classified as constraints and facilitating factors. Some participants in this study identified factors which they believed, to some extent, hinder the development of learner autonomy. In some cases, they have overcome these factors and found ways to promote learner autonomy among their learners. Others have only recognised these factors and feel that they impose too great a challenge for them to overcome and to be able to fully develop learner autonomy among their learners.

This mixed-method study contributes to the field of LA by investigating teachers’ roles and beliefs concerning LA, as well as exploring how internal and external factors influence English language teachers’ actual teaching practices in higher education within a non-Western context. By illuminating the current situation in the Saudi EFL context, this study can be expected to contribute to the body of literature relating to the promotion of learner autonomy and the role of the teacher. To this end, this study addresses a gap in the literature

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ORCID for Ashwaq Hamed Alsharif: orcid.org/0009-0008-6938-0490

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