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1.1.1 Definitions of online technology platforms
Online learning systems, or virtual learning systems, are learning systems that integrate internet connections with teaching and learning processes (Bently et al., 2012) Nowadays, virtual learning environments are present in almost all universities Not only have they revolutionized distance learning, but they already make up a substantial part of classroom learning Furthermore, online learning platforms (or online technology platforms) are the technical element that has facilitated this development These platforms are the main elements of any virtual training environment They include tools to facilitate learning,communication, and collaboration; course management tools; and tools for designing the user’s interface Integrated platforms began to spread in the mid-1990s to facilitate the creation of online courses and lower costs They are also known as "virtual platforms" or "learning management platforms" (Learning Management Systems, or LMS) They are integrated tools that are used for creating, managing, and distributing formative activities via the Web. For example, they are applications that facilitate the creation of teaching- learning environments, integrating didactic materials and communication, collaboration, and educational management tools.
According to Bri et al., online learning platforms can be defined as “the hardware and software environment designed to automate and manage academic formation activities The software must administer, distribute, and check activities for face-to-face training or e-learning in an organization The main functions are: managing and registering users, resources and formation activities; checking access; controlling and monitoring the learning process; doing evaluation; and informing and managing communication services.” It is a technological response that integrates different management tools, facilitates learning development, and distributes information of a very diverse nature.
Online learning platforms are the software that is mainly in charge of user management, course management, and communication services, providing the eLearning scene with its necessary support The definition of an online learning platform needs to be widely developed regarding the multiplex components and characteristics that can be brought together.
Carliner (2003) defines online learning as "access to learning events through some technology." Anderson (2008), on the other hand, characterizes online learning as a subset of remote education that has always been concerned with giving access to an educational experience that is, at the very least, more flexible in time and location than campus-based education During the epidemic, online learning means that professors and students do not go to school but instead teach and study from home using technology The technology may be utilized on devices such as smartphones, laptops, iPads, and tablets There are several platforms for online learning that can be combined with technology, such as Whatsapp, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Zoom meetings, and so on.
1.1.2 Benefits and drawbacks of online platforms
Several studies have highlighted the advantages of using online platforms for promoting learner autonomy in English learning For instance, one study suggested that online platforms allow learners to manage their own learning, providing them with greater control over the pace, content, and materials used in their learning (Rayson, 2021) Another study found that autonomous English learning on the Internet is one of the most important learning approaches, reflecting the individual-orientation of students' study (Zhong, 2008).
In addition, online platforms provide students with flexibility in their learning. With the ability to access learning materials from anywhere and at any time, students can fit their language learning around their other commitments, such as work or family responsibilities This flexibility can reduce stress and increase motivation among students, leading to improved learning outcomes (Abramson, 2021).
Moreover, online platforms can help students develop a range of skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills, which are essential for effective autonomous learning (Hayo, 2022) In addition, online platforms provide opportunities for learners to interact with authentic materials and engage in authentic communicative tasks, which can enhance their language proficiency and promote autonomous learning (Abbasi, 2020). 1.1.2.2 Drawback of online platforms
Online platforms have become increasingly popular for various purposes,such as education, research, and business While they offer several advantages, such as convenience and accessibility, they also have some drawbacks that need to be considered.
One disadvantage of online platforms is that they may lack interactivity and personal connection (Austin, 2021) Without face-to-face interaction, online platforms may create a sense of isolation and disconnection, which can affect the quality of communication and collaboration (Jonathanbeale, 2020).
Barr and Tagg (1995) claim that online learning generally creates isolation amongst fellows This problem has been proved in McInnerney and Roberts
(2004) when students were unable to communicate with peers, or they were not professional in dealing with technical difficulties in the computer.
Another disadvantage of online platforms is their potential to create distractions and decrease productivity For instance, social media platforms can lead to procrastination and reduce focus (Internet Public Library, 2023). Also, online platforms may be vulnerable to security breaches and hacking, which can compromise the privacy and confidentiality of users' data (TOIZER, 2022).
Yuhanna et al (2020) has mentioned six main drawbacks of online learning namely copyright, information search, support without technical and wise management, internet access, access agreements and lack of quality control. 1.2 Learner Autonomy
Learner autonomy is indisputably a multi-layered concept that is possible to see from different perspectives A close look at the literature has revealed that it is not easy to put forward a proper definition of the concept of "autonomy." There exists a range of definitions proposed by Benson (1997), Benson
(2001), Benson and Voller (1997), Dam (1995), Holec (1981), Littlewood
(1999), Little (1991), Oxford (2003), and Scharle and Szabo (2000), each of which explores autonomy from a different perspective and within a certain scope Accordingly, it is essential to study a variety of interpretations in order to capture the full meaning of the concept.
To start with, the idea of learner autonomy was first developed at the Centre de Recherches et d’Appications Pédagogiques en Langues (CRAPEL), University of Nancy, France, in the early 1970s According to Henri Holec, its former director, the need for a term to describe people’s ability to take charge of their own learning arose for practical, though idealistic, reasons This is how the concept of “learner autonomy” came into existence Holec (1981), the so-called “father” of learner autonomy, provides a broad definition that considers learner autonomy as the “ability to take charge of one’s own learning” (p 193) He also noted that this ability “is not inborn but must be acquired either by ’natural’ means or (as most often happens) by formal learning, 1.e in a systematic, deliberate way,” and pointed out that “to take charge of one’s learning is to have the responsibility for all the decisions concerning all aspects of this learning.” (Holec) This general but concise definition, from the researcher’s view, really touches upon the spirit of autonomy It is obvious from Holec’s definition that an autonomous learner not only possesses a sense of responsibility for his learning but is also self- conscious of that responsibility So learners should be well aware of their learning purpose, share in the setting of learning goals, take initiative in planning and executing learning activities, and regularly review their learning and evaluate its effectiveness.
Other writers offer more specific definitions than Holec’s in that they detail what constitutes the ability to take charge of one’s own learning For example, in terms of behavior, Nunan (2000) describes autonomous learners as the ones who make decisions about their own learning style, actively involve themselves in the learning process, and independently choose their learning materials Alternatively, Little (1991) tends to focus on mental processes when he asserts that:
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Admittedly, autonomy does not exclude interdependence Like other social communication activities, learning is more fruitful with the cooperation of the people involved So is autonomous learning Teachers and learners collaborate to contribute to the learning community and the princess of autonomy training Likewise, knowing how and when to seek help does not mean learners are not independent Therefore, autonomy should be understood as the freedom to choose what action to take, whether to do it oneself or to consult others In fact, according to Palfreyman (2003), collaboration has become an important component of learner autonomy Boud
(1981, cited in Palfreyman, 2003) has even regarded interdependence as a more developed stage of autonomy than independence.
A more general interpretation of the concept of “autonomy” is to put it into the frame of daily life An autonomous learner is then depicted as being a fulfilled and effective citizen in society For example, Candlin (1997, cited in Palfreyman, 2003) refers to “autonomy in language, learning, and above all else, in living.” Similarly, in Delores et al (1996, cited in Palfreyman, 2003),
“each individual must be equipped to seize learning opportunities throughout life, both to broaden her or his knowledge, skills, and attitudes and to adapt to a changing, complex, and interdependent world.”
Learners’ autonomy encompasses not only their attitudes but also their behaviors It is both a process and a goal in language learning, education, and living Overall, learner autonomy is a stimulating, multifaceted concept that can be interpreted from different viewpoints.
1.2.2.The role of learner autonomy in learning English
Good learners are people who are capable of taking responsibility for their own learning They know how to make all the decisions involved In other
13 words, "they know how to learn” (Holec, 1981, p.147) More and more research has been done on learner autonomy and independence (Holec, 1981; Benson, 2000) and its importance to a successful learning process Learner autonomy, as described by Holec (1981), promotes the independence of the learner throughout the entire learning process within a course of study and beyond Borrowed from the field of language learning is the notion that learner autonomy is central to the learning process and promotes the idea of the effectiveness of a resource centre in which learners can actively learn (Esch,1994; Sheerin, 1989, 1997; Benson, 2000) In language teaching, teachers can provide all the necessary circumstances and input, but learning can only happen i learners are willing to contribute Learner autonomy is crucial to an effective language learning experience, especially in English. There’s a saying: “You can bring the horse to water, but you can not make him drink”.
It is evident that autonomy is essential in the learning process, and it is the goal of the current dominant learner-centered approach In a classroom, learners are the center of the learning process, and they should be provided with chances to show their activity, creativity, and abilities Autonomy
"empowers the learner within the learning process and prepares them to be lifelong learners” (Pulist, 2000, p.1) To promote the learning results of the students, developing learner autonomy is “an unavoidable methodological option” (Narcy, 1994).
According to Benson (2001), autonomous learners know how to control (1) learning management, (2) learning strategies, and (3) learning content The first component refers to the cognitive behaviors of the students, who are directly engaged in planning, organizing, and assessing The second component involves two main learning strategies: cognitive and metacognitive strategies As for the former, Oxford (1990) suggests four main
14 paradigms: (1) practicing, (2) receiving and sending messages, (3) analyzing and reasoning, and (4) creating the structure for input and output These paradigms are split into 15 sub-categories, each of which is an act performed by learners to gain their learning independence In language teaching and learning, Cook (1993) suggests some cognitive strategies, with the mooresourcing,” " fundamental ones including "repeating, translating," and
"note-taking," and more complicated ones such as “deducting”’,
“comtextualizing,”, “transferring”, and “inƒferencing” The metacognitive strategies, however, are mainly associated with the ability to think about thinking (Wenden, 1998) The third component, content control, is a controversial issue Learners are not the only ones who take control of the learning content; other stakeholders, namely school policymakers, education practitioners, teachers, or even businesses However, the learners are the determinants and show their ability to control what they will learn They need to “develop their capacity to participate in social interactions concerning their learning, to negotiate for the right to self-determine its broad direction, and ultimately to participate in the transformation of educational structures” (Benson, 2001, p 99).
1.2.4.Measurement of learner autonomy in learning
Nunan (2000) contends that autonomy is not an all-or-nothing concept and that all learners could be trained to develop a degree of autonomy, but that this is a gradual, piecemeal process We often only see the benefit of such a thing towards the end of the learning process He also highlights the step of autonomy from the lowest level to the highest level of learner independence. According to Nunan, we can distinguish five levels to develop a degree of autonomy, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Autonomy: Levels of Implementation (Nunan, 2000)
Level Learner Action Content Process
Awareness Learners are made aware of the pedagogical content of their materials.
Learners _ identify strategy of tasks implications pedagogical their and own preferred learning styles /strategies
Involvement Learners are involved in selecting their own goals from a range of alternatives on offer
Learners make choices among a range of options
Intervention Learners are involved in modifying and adapting the goals and content of the learning program.
Creation Learners create their own goals and objectives.
Learners create their own tasks
Transcendence Learners go beyond the classroom and make links between the content of classroom learning and the world beyond.
Learners become teachers and researchers
Online technology platforms on autonomy in learning 16 1.4, SUMIMNAPY sácscexseeueseeeiaiebiDinrotiasagNaiektitascgtSG6ug480409/10046148V93060080006010550000581046010/0013/4556 19 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLUOYY G5 << 559 1.901 909089895 96 20 2.1 The context and participants of the Study - << 5< <<<<<sô 20
Technology provides learners with several opportunities for autonomous learning through rich online resources, a range of educational software applications, mobile devices, and social networking sites Learner autonomy is closely related to using technology for learning, especially in language learning, as demonstrated by Reinders and White The autonomy and technology platform domains in learning English should not be viewed separately Both autonomy and online platforms influence each other This implies that learners need to be equipped with the autonomy to use online platforms to enhance language learning effectiveness.
In recent studies, there has also been a trend toward collecting more evidence about language learners' autonomous Internet-assisted learning activities. Especially in the digital age, "technology has become invisible, embedded in everyday practice" Many language learners are inclined to adopt digital technologies more efficiently Lenkaitis (2020) demonstrates that language learners could promote autonomy in synchronous computer-mediated communication Three-dimensional virtual gaming settings have been shown to improve students' English vocabulary knowledge, learning cooperation, and autonomy, according to Tseng et al (2020) Finally, Zulkepli and colleagues
(2018) asked students at the tertiary level about their Web 2.0 tool preferences for autonomous language learning It was found that the students favored conventional technologies specifically designed for language learning, such as online quizzes and discussion forums.
Given that autonomy and using technology platforms are positively related, language educators and researchers have been curious about how language learners take the initiative to use technology for language learning, focusing on how students strengthen their learning outside of language class Lai
(2019) interviewed 20 undergraduates in Hong Kong to investigate the relationship between out-of-class autonomous technology use for language learning and learning beliefs The findings revealed that learners' learning
17 beliefs significantly impacted their learning engagement, technology tool selection for autonomous language learning, and technological experiences. Furthermore, Lai et al (2015) investigated the quality of English learning by using technology outside of the formal setting with 82 Hong Kong junior- high-school English learners According to the survey results, the more diverse learners used technology to advance their learning needs outside of class, the more confidence and enjoyment they had in their English learning. Several studies have been conducted to investigate further the use of technology in learners' autonomous language-learning activities.
Honarzad and Rassaei (2019), for example, predict 100 Iranian EFL learners' technology-based out-of-class language-learning activities The three most common activities were: searching in English on search engines, using dictionaries or translators, and watching television and films, while the three least common activities were: writing in English on social media, playing English games, and conversing with native English speakers.
In a recent investigation conducted by Rahimi and Bigdeli (2013), it was discovered that employing ICT (Information and Communication Technology, which includes the internet, email, blogs, Skype, and PowerPoint) in improving students' self-regulation had a substantial influence on students' self-regulation Arikan and Bakla (2011) conducted research on a group of Turkish university students and discovered that blogging experience helped them gain autonomy Jarvis (2012) discovered in his study that the use of technology had a significant influence on the study participants' autonomous learning in self-study centers However, some aspects of informal learning introduced into the project aided in achieving this goal. According to Benson (2001), technology has the ability to develop autonomous behavior in learners since it allows self-access to learning and provides learners with several useful possibilities to self-direct and regulate
18 their learning Utilizing technology-based resources empowers students and increases their innate drive to study (Darasawang & Reinders, 2010).
This chapter systematically reviews the literature on learner autonomy and online technology platforms It started with the definitions of online platforms After defining the online platforms, the researcher gave their advantages and disadvantages In the next important part, the definitions of learner autonomy were proposed by various authors and discussed the role of learner autonomy in learning English The chapter also introduced the components of learner autonomy along with the measurement of autonomy in learning Previous studies using online platforms to enhance learner autonomy in the context of learning English as a foreign language were examined in this chapter The methodological stance will be presented in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY The research methodology plays an important role in any research which considerably determines the reliability and validity of the study Therefore, it required the researcher's prudence and caution to single out the method that best suited the aims and objectives of the study In light of this philosophy, combined quantitative and qualitative methods are employed within the framework of the study.
2.1 The context and participants of the study
The research study was conducted in the English language department at HLU, which is located in Dong Da district, Hanoi, Vietnam The study spanned over a period of three weeks, during which the participants were required to attend their classes for a minimum of 3 to 4 periods weekly, depending on the subjects they had registered for The classes covered basic skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing, all at advanced levels, as the participants were in their final year of study at Hanoi Law University. The participants of this research are 60 senior students (fourth-year students) from classes 4429 and 4430 in the Faculty of Foreign Legal Languages They came from diverse backgrounds and various provinces in Vietnam, including Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and others Due to their diverse backgrounds, the participants had varying levels of proficiency in learning English as a foreign language The study aimed to investigate the impact of online technology platforms on the autonomy of these English- major students in their learning of the English language Through this research, it is expected that the participants' awareness of autonomy in learning and their ability to learn English autonomously using online technology platforms.
In order to address the proposed research question, quantitative and qualitative data were to be collected and analyzed The researcher selected to
20 conduct both questionnaires and interviews to gain insight into the role of learner autonomy and the impacts of online platforms on English learner autonomy A mixed methods research design is a procedure for collecting, analyzing, and “mixing" both quantitative and qualitative methods in a single study or a series of studies to understand a research problem.
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of collecting data from respondents.
A questionnaire presented in English (see Appendix 1) is prepared to get data from 60 participants who are final-year English-major students Data for the study was collected from an online survey via Google Platforms (https://forms.gle/G9J69Wyyjj2K3ppV8) The survey is divided into 3 sections with 11 questions, including checking items, open-ended short- answer items, and five-point Likert Scale items.
Section 1: Students’ Perceptions aims to investigate the amount of time that students spend learning English through online platforms, explore the goals, motivations, and opinions of students in learning English The response to this question can provide insights into the level of engagement and motivation of students in utilizing online resources for language learning By knowing how much time students dedicate to online language learning, it is possible to assess the extent to which they rely on these platforms and how useful they find them By understanding the students' goals, it is possible to design language learning programs that cater to their specific needs Motivational factors can also provide insights into the types of activities that may encourage and sustain students' interest in language learning Additionally, students' opinions about learning English through online platforms can provide valuable feedback on the effectiveness and usefulness of these resources.
Section 2: Situation of Student’s Autonomy investigates the types of platforms that students use and the frequency of their usage for learning English By examining the types of online platforms that students prefer and how often they access them, it is possible to assess the popularity and accessibility of these resources for language learning.
Section 3: Effect of Online Platforms on Autonomy in Learning English aims to investigate students’ perceptions of the role that online platforms play in promoting autonomy in language learning Autonomy in language learning refers to the ability of learners to take control of their own learning process and make decisions about their language learning goals, strategies, and resources By understanding how students perceive the role of online platforms in promoting autonomy, it is possible to design language learning programs that encourage learners to take an active role in their learning process Besides, this section aims to identify the challenges that students face when using online platforms for language learning and their perceptions of how these resources can help them overcome these difficulties.