Chapter One INTRODUCTION This chapter presents background and focus on the study. The aims of the study, research questions, research significance, and organization of the thesis are introduced. 1.1 Background of the research Recently, the importance of autonomy in second language learning has been intensively concerned. Autonomy plays a vital role in language education because in any educational contexts, learners are autonomous when they establish their own learning goals and have responsibility for planning, managing and evaluating particular learning activities and the learning process overall. The practice of learner autonomy (henceforth LA) not only depends upon, but also develops and expands the learner’s ability for detachment, critical reflection, decision making, and independent action (Little, 1991). Yet, LA is originated from European education (Benson, 2006) and whether it is suitable for Asian learning style (Pennycook, 1997) is both Western educators’ and Asian educators’ concern. Therefore, how Vietnamese university students, can be encouraged to increase their autonomous practices, which is a challenge to the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) as well as educators. In the context of the informative technological development these days and the changing situation of ELT in the 21 st century, autonomy is considered as a crucial goal in teaching and learning process. Therefore, the Vietnamese MOET has supported the Law of Higher Education to promote the quality of the higher educational system approaching international standards in the 21 st century. Recently, the Vietnamese MOET has tried to integrate and develop LA in the credit education system. A number of new policies have been issued. In Article 40, the Vietnamese Education Law (National Assembly of Vietnam, 2005, p.13) mentions the requirements on contents and methods of education in higher education, in which LA plays a crucial role: “Training methods in higher education must be brought into play to foster the learners’ability to be active learners, to study and to research by themselves, and to foster their practical abilities, self-motivation, creative thinking, and ambition”. Hence, teaching and learning method in higher education needs to be fulfilled with three aims: (1) fostering students to learn autonomously, self -research, (2) helping students to increase their creative thinking, (3) training practical ability, attending scientific research and application. Meanwhile, the government indicates that Vietnamese education system should be innovated totally to enrich students’ creativity, autonomous learning, and lifelong learning. Additionally, accompanying the Decision No.1400/QĐ-TTg, 30 September 2008 issued by the Prime Minister (Vietnamese Prime Minister, 2008) in “The National Foreign Language Project 2020”, teaching and learning foreign languages in National educational system in 2008 – 2020 period have been innovated to meet the requirements of industrialization – modernization and fast emerging economic conditions of the country in the market-oriented socialism so that up to 2020 the Vietnamese young, who graduate from colleges or universities, will have had enough foreign language ability to use it independently, communicate it confidently, learn, and work in the international integration based on multilingual and multicultural settings. Furthermore, accompanying the official document number 2196/BGDĐT-GDĐH, 22 April 2010 issued by the Vice Minister (Vietnamese MOET, 2010) in instruction of constructing and announcing Outcome standards, one of the program outcome standards for learners after graduating from university is that they must own their updating knowledge ability, creation at work, lifelong learning, and professional development. Meanwhile, Vietnamese teachers with the traditional role are to transmit knowledge to students; they would like to teach all things in classroom. However, in the rapid technological information era these days students can find knowledge by a click on the Internet. Hence, teachers’ roles should change to instruct students to shape their perceptions of a certain type of autonomous learning of language acquisition, help them discover their autonomous learning ability, and offer them opportunities to make decisions about their learning. Besides, the National Strategy for Human Resource Development, 2011–2020 (Decision No.579/QĐ-TTg, 19 April by Vietnamese Prime Minister, 2011), emphasises skills for Vietnamese human resource such as foreign language competence, especially English. What is more, in the developmental education policy in 2011 – 2020 period, accompanying the Decision No. 711/QĐ-TTg, 13 June 2012 issued by the Prime Minister (Vietnamese Prime Minister, 2012), the Vietnamese government has identified to go on innovating teaching methods and assessment, training students with the aim of developing their activeness, creativity, and LA ability. In addition, accompanying the Resolution No.29/NQ-TW, 4 November 2013 issued by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (Central Executive Committee, 2013), the duty of Vietnamese education to innovate education and training basically and comprehensively is to develop learners’ creative ability, learner autonomy, and lifelong learning. Since 2015, Vietnam has been a member of the ASEAN and ASEAN Economic Community. However, one of the challenges of Vietnamese students and Vietnamese young human resource is their weak foreign language competence (Nguyễn Đức Thịnh, 2015). In short, teaching and learning foreign languages, especially English, and fostering Vietnamese students’ LA ability have become a primary concern for the Vietnamese government and the MOET.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES LE THANH NGUYET ANH EFL TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES REGARDING LEARNER AUTONOMY: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY AT A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY IN THE MEKONG DELTA DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING HUE, 2019 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES LE THANH NGUYET ANH EFL TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES REGARDING LEARNER AUTONOMY: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY AT A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY IN THE MEKONG DELTA DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 62140111 SUPERVISORS: Dr TRUONG BACH LE Assoc Prof Dr DO MINH HUNG HUE, 2019 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ LÊ THANH NGUYỆT ANH NGHIÊN CỨU THĂM DÒ Ý KIẾN TỪ GIẢNG VIÊN VÀ SINH VIÊN TIẾNG ANH VỀ NHẬN THỨC VÀ THỰC HIỆN DẠY HỌC TỰ CHỦ ĐỐI VỚI SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC Ở ĐỒNG BẰNG SÔNG CỬU LONG LUẬN ÁN TIẾN SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH HUẾ, NĂM 2019 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ LÊ THANH NGUYỆT ANH NGHIÊN CỨU THĂM DÒ Ý KIẾN TỪ GIẢNG VIÊN VÀ SINH VIÊN TIẾNG ANH VỀ NHẬN THỨC VÀ THỰC HIỆN DẠY HỌC TỰ CHỦ ĐỐI VỚI SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC Ở ĐỒNG BẰNG SÔNG CỬU LONG LUẬN ÁN TIẾN SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 62140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS TRƯƠNG BẠCH LÊ PGS.TS ĐỖ MINH HÙNG HUẾ, NĂM 2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have learnt, and experienced to become an autonomous learner throughout my PhD course I believe that this precious experience will help me with my teaching process Without my supervisors’, lecturers’, colleagues’, students’, friends’ and family’s help, encouragements, and suggestions, the present thesis would not have succeeded First of all, I would like to express my deeply sincere gratitude to my two supervisors: Dr Trương Bạch Lê and Assoc Prof Dr Đỗ Minh Hùng for their early suggestion of the topic, invaluable guidance, support and sincere advice throughout my PhD journey Both of them have supplied a large amount of their expert knowledge to me and have helped me to change track completely to finish my thesis I am also heavily in debt to the staff of Hue University of Foreign Languages: Assoc Prof Dr Trần Văn Phước, Dr Bảo Khâm, Assoc Prof Dr Phạm Thị Hồng Nhung, Assoc Prof Dr Trương Viên, Assoc Prof Dr Lê Phạm Hồi Hương, Dr Tơn Nữ Như Hương who provided me with critical, useful feedback to help me conduct my thesis better I would also like to thank Assoc Prof Dr Lê Văn Canh for his early advice and early suggestion of the title I also gratefully acknowledge my colleagues as well as my students in the Faculty of Foreign Language Education at Dong Thap University who assisted, understood, and supported me through my thesis My special thanks to my Mum, my husband, my brothers’ family, and my friends for their love, encouragement, and being with me along my PhD course i TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i TABLE OF CONTENTS ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix ABSTRACT x Chapter One INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the research 1.2 Aims of the research 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Research significance 1.5 Organization of the thesis Chapter Two LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Learner autonomy 2.1.1 Definition of learner autonomy 2.1.2 Roles of learner autonomy 2.1.2.1 Learner autonomy in Asian EFL higher education …10 2.1.2.2 Learner autonomy in Vietnamese EFL higher education 11 2.2 Learner autonomy in foreign language education …12 2.2.1 Learner autonomy as ability 12 2.2.2 Learner autonomy as responsibility 13 2.2.3 Learner autonomy as cognitive processes 15 2.2.4 Learner autonomy in lifelong learning 16 2.2.5 Learner autonomy as cultural challenge 17 2.2.6 Learner autonomy in this study 20 ii 2.3 Aspects of learner autonomy .21 2.3.1 Technical aspect of learner autonomy .21 2.3.2 Psychological aspect of learner autonomy 22 2.3.3 Political aspect of learner autonomy 22 2.3.4 Sociocultural aspect of learner autonomy 23 2.4 Perceptions and practices 24 2.4.1 Perceptions 24 2.4.2 Practices 26 2.4.3 Relationship between perception and practice of learner autonomy .30 2.5 Assessment as learning in learner autonomy 31 2.5.1 Assessment as learning as an indispensable segment of LA 31 2.5.2 Teachers’ role 33 2.5.3 Learners’ role 35 2.6 Previous studies on EFL teachers’ and students’ perceptions and practices of learner autonomy 36 2.7 Summary 42 Chapter Three RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOG Y 43 3.1 Research approach: Mixed methods research 43 3.2 Research participants 46 3.2.1 Teacher participants .46 3.2.2 Student participants 46 3.3 Data collection methods .47 3.3.1 Interviews 48 3.3.1.1 In-depth interview 49 3.3.1.2 Group interviews 50 3.3.1.3 Interview for teachers 51 3.3.1.4 Interview for students 52 3.3.2 Questionnaire 52 3.4 Research procedure .57 iii 3.4.1 Pilot study 57 3.4.2 Main study .58 3.4.3 Coding questionnaire and interview data 59 3.5 Data analysis 59 3.5.1 Qualitative data analysis 59 3.5.1.1 Transcribing data 59 3.5.1.2 Translating data 59 3.5.1.3 Data analysis and reconcilement 60 3.5.2 Quantitative data analysis 61 3.6 Research reliability and validity 61 3.7 Ethical considerations 62 3.8 Summary 63 Chapter Four FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 64 4.1 Teachers’ perceptions and practices of learner autonomy .64 4.1.1 Teachers’ perceptions of the concept of learner autonomy 64 4.1.2 Teachers’ perceptions of the role of learner autonomy 66 4.1.3 Teachers’ self-report of their practices of learner autonomy 68 4.1.3.1 Teachers’ stories of organizing learner autonomy activities 69 4.1.3.2 Teachers’ achievements of organization and instruction of students’ LA activities 73 4.1.3.3 Teachers’ difficulties of organization and instruction of students’ LA activities 73 4.1.3.4 Teachers’ assessment of their students’ LA ability 74 4.1.3.5 Teachers’ self-assessment about their organization and instruction of students’ LA activities 75 4.2 Students’ perceptions and practices of learner autonomy 76 4.2.1 Students’ perceptions of the concept of learner autonomy .77 4.2.2 Students’ perceptions of the role of learner autonomy 80 4.2.3 Students’ self-report of practices of learner autonomy 84 iv 4.2.3.1 Students’ special LA stories .84 4.2.3.2 Students’ achievements of practicing LA activities .90 4.2.3.3 Students’ difficulties of practicing LA activities 91 4.2.3.4 Setting goals 92 4.2.3.5 Study plan 93 4.2.3.6 Learner autonomy activities 93 4.2.3.7 Time manageme nt 95 4.2.3.8 Learning resources 95 4.2.3.9 Metacognition in learning language 96 4.2.3.10 Students’ self-assessment of learner autonomy 98 4.3 Relationships between teachers’ and students’ perceptions and practices 100 4.3.1 Relationship between teachers’ perceptions and practices 100 4.3.2 Relationship between students’ perceptions and pr actices 101 4.3.3 Relationship between teachers’ and students’ perceptions 103 4.3.4 Relationship between teachers’ and students’ practices 104 4.4 Discussion 105 4.4.1 Teachers’ perceptions and practices of learner autonomy 105 4.4.1.1 Teachers’ perceptions of learner autonomy 105 4.4.1.2 Teachers’ practices of learner autonomy 106 4.4.2 Students’ perceptions and practices of learner autonomy 109 4.4.2.1 Students’ perceptions of learner autonomy 109 4.4.2.2 Students’ practices of learner autonomy 110 4.4.3 Relationships between teachers’ and students’ perceptions and practices 115 4.4.3.1 Relationship between teachers’ perceptions and practices 115 4.4.3.2 Relationship between students’ perceptions and practices 117 4.4.3.3 Relationship between teachers’ and students’ perceptions 118 4.4.3.4 Relationship between teachers’ and students’ practices 119 4.4.3.5 The influential factors in relationship between teachers’ and students’ perceptions and practices of learner autonomy 119 4.5 Summary 124 v Chapter Five CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 126 5.1 Summary 126 5.2 Contributions of the study 127 5.2.1 Theoretical contributions 127 5.2.2 Methodological contributions 128 5.2.3 Pedagogical contributions and implications for the future of TESOL in Vietnam 130 5.2.4 Learner autonomy in local context 131 5.3 Limitations 131 5.4 Further research 131 5.5 Conclusion 132 PUBLICATIONS INTEGRATED IN THE THESIS REFERENCES APPENDICES vi 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 I set appropriate learning goals for speaking English at the beginning of attending university Tôi đặt mục tiêu phù hợp cho kỹ Nói tiếng Anh từ lúc bắt đầu vào học đại học I set appropriate learning goals for reading English at the beginning of attending university Tôi đặt mục tiêu phù hợp cho kỹ Nghe tiếng Anh từ lúc bắt đầu vào học đại học I set appropriate learning goals for listening to English at the beginning of attending university Tôi đặt mục tiêu phù hợp cho kỹ Đọc tiếng Anh từ lúc bắt đầu vào học đại học I set appropriate learning goals for writing English at the beginning of attending university Tôi đặt mục tiêu phù hợp cho kỹ Viết tiếng Anh từ lúc bắt đầu vào học đại học Planning study/Lên kế hoạch học tập I have designed my English study plans well at the beginning of attending university Tôi lập kế hoạch học tập tốt tiếng Anh từ lúc bắt đầu vào học đại học I plan how to achieve my English study objectives Tôi lập kế hoạch làm để đạt mục tiêu học tập đề I maximize my strengths of English study Tôi khai thác điểm mạnh học tiếng Anh I step by step minimize my weaknesses of English study Tôi bước khắc phục điểm yếu học tiếng Anh LA activities/ hoạt động tự học I non-compulsory assignments Tôi chủ động thực tất tập GV không giao không bắt buộc I practice using English with my friends Tôi thực hành sử dụng tiếng Anh với bạn bè học lớp I English self-study in a group Tôi tự học tiếng Anh với nhóm bạn I talk to foreigners in English outside the classroom Ngoài học lớp, tơi nói tiếng Anh với người nước ngồi I write a diary in English Tôi viết nhật ký tiếng Anh I exchange e-mails in English Tôi viết thư điện tử tiếng Anh I watch English programs on TV or the Internet Tơi xem chương trình tiếng Anh tivi 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Internet I listen to English songs Tôi nghe hát tiếng Anh I listen to English news on TV or the Internet (e.g CNN, BBC, VOA, etc.) Tôi nghe tin tức tiếng Anh tivi Internet (ví dụ: kênh BBC, CNN, VOA, v.v ) I English grammar exercises on my own Tôi tự làm tập ngữ pháp tiếng Anh I revision not required by the teacher Tôi tự ôn cũ mà khơng chờ GV dặn dị hay nhắc nhở I go to see my teachers so as to discuss my work Tôi gặp GV để hỏi vấn đề thắc mắc I try my best to solve English learning problems before seeking assistance Tơi cố gắng tìm tài liệu để tự giải đáp vấn đề chưa hiểu học tiếng Anh Nếu không hiểu, tơi tìm người khác để hỏi, tìm hiểu thông tin ( GV, bạn bè, người quen mạng xã hội, v.v ) I watch English movies on TV or the Internet Tôi xem phim tiếng Anh tivi Internet I learn English through Youtube Tôi học tiếng Anh Youtobe I read English news on online newspapers Tôi đọc tin tức tiếng Anh báo điện tử I learn English through Facebook Tôi học tiếng Anh Facebook I take part in English Clubs at university Tôi tham gia câu lạc tiếng Anh trường đại học I take part in extra activities of Faculty of foreign languages Education Tơi tham gia hoạt động ngoại khóa Khoa Sư phạm Ngoại ngữ I learn new words through videos or pictures focusing on teaching vocabulary on the Internet Tôi học từ video hình ảnh chuyên dạy từ vựng Internet I learn new words incidentally in reading passages Tôi học từ đọc đoạn văn I learn structures in reading passages Tôi học cấu trúc câu đọc đoạn văn/bài khóa I choose topics to write English at home Ở nhà, tự nghĩ chọn đề để luyện kỹ viết tiếng Anh I read English stories to practice reading skills, learn vocabulary and structures Tôi đọc câu chuyện tiếng Anh để luyện kỹ 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 đọc, học từ vựng cấu trúc câu I prepare new lessons before English classes Tôi chuẩn bị trước đến lớp Time and life management I arrange my time for my English study and my daily activities reasonably Tôi xếp thời gian hợp lý cho việc học tiếng Anh hoạt động sinh hoạt ngày I avoid stress in my English study Tôi tránh căng thẳng học tiếng Anh I avoid feeling bored about learning English Tôi làm cho không chán nản học tiếng Anh Materials and resources I use available English materials to learn effectively Tôi học tiếng Anh hiệu qua tài liệu tiếng Anh có sẵn I use English dictionaries well Tôi sử dụng tốt từ điển tiếng Anh I use English reference books Tơi có đọc sách tham khảo tiếng Anh I find English materials on Facebook Tơi tìm tài liệu tiếng Anh Facebook I find English materials from my friends Tơi tìm tài liệu tiếng Anh từ bạn bè I use English library books Tơi có sử dụng sách thư viện trường I surf the Internet for finding English learning resources effectively Tơi biết cách hiệu để tìm tài liệu học tiếng Anh Internet I find English materials from my EFL teachers Tơi tìm tài liệu tiếng Anh từ GV Khoa Sư phạm Ngoại ngữ I choose English books, English exercises which suit me Tôi tự chọn sách, tập tiếng Anh phù hợp với trình độ Self-assessment I appraise my objectives of English study after each semester Tôi tự đánh giá mục tiêu học tập tiếng Anh đạt sau học kỳ I assess the quality of English language I have got Tôi đánh giá chất lượng, mức độ học tiếng Anh đạt I assess the quantity of English language I have acquired Tôi đánh giá khối lượng kiến thức tiếng Anh đạt I expect the teacher to be responsible for evaluating how much I have learnt in the English class 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 Tôi mong đợi phần GV đánh giá học lực lớp học tiếng Anh I make self-exam with the English exam papers chosen by myself Tôi tự làm thi thử tiếng Anh I self-assess my carrying out study plan of English after each semester Tôi tự đánh giá việc thực kế hoạch học tập tiếng Anh sau học kỳ Metacognition in learning language I consciously select learning ways to overcome problems I encounter in English Tơi có ý thức lựa chọn cách học để vượt qua khó khăn tơi gặp phải học tiếng Anh I preview the English lessons to get general ideas of what they are about, how they are organized, and how they relate to what I already know Tôi xem lại tiếng Anh học lớp để nắm ý chính, cấu trúc học, có kiến thức mà tơi biết trước When someone is speaking English, I try to concentrate on what the person is saying and I don’t think anything else Khi nghe nói tiếng Anh, tơi cố gắng tập trung lắng nghe người nói khơng nghĩ chuyện khác I decide in advance to pay special attention t o specific English aspects; for example, while watching a film I focus on the way native speakers pronounce certain English sounds Tôi biết cách tập trung ý vào đặc điểm cụ thể tiếng Anh Chẳng hạn như, xem phim, ý lắng nghe người xứ phát âm tiếng Anh I try to find out all I can about how to be a better English learner by reading books or articles, or by talking to others about how to learn Tôi cố gắng tìm tất cách mà tơi học tiếng Anh tốt đọc sách, báo, hỏi người khác phương pháp học hiệu I arrange my schedule to study and practice English consistently, not just when there is th e pressure of a test Tôi xếp lịch học thực hành tiếng Anh cố định, tơi học khơng phải hồn tồn áp lực thi cử I arrange my physical environment to promote learning English; for instance, I find a quiet, comfortable place to review Tôi xếp môi trường học phù hợp để thúc đẩy việc học tiếng Anh Ví dụ tơi tìm nơi n tĩnh, thoải mái để ôn I organize my English notebook to record 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 important English information Tôi xếp “sổ tay tiếng Anh” thành hệ thống để ghi thông tin tiếng Anh quan trọng I plan what I am going to accomplish in learning English each day or each week Tôi lập kế hoạch làm để hồn thành việc học tiếng Anh ngày tuần I prepare for an upcoming English task (such as making an oral presentation in English) b y considering the nature of the task, what I have to know, and my current English skills Tôi chuẩn bị tiếng Anh học (ví dụ làm thuyết trình tiếng Anh) cách xem kỹ có nội dung gì, tơi phải biết kỹ tiếng Anh tơi có I clearly identify the purpose of the language activity; for instance, if the purpose of a class activity requires specific listening, I recognize it Tôi nhận rõ mục đích hoạt động ngơn ngữ học Ví dụ, mục đích hoạt động nghe tìm ý chi tiết, tơi nhận I take responsibility for finding opportunities to practice English Tơi ý thức phải tự tìm hội cho thân để thực hành tiếng Anh I actively look for people to whom I can spea k English Tơi chủ động tìm người để tơi thực hành nói tiếng Anh I try to notice my language errors and find out the reasons for them Tôi cố gắng ý lỗi làm sai học tiếng Anh tìm hiểu nguyên nhân sai I learn from my mistakes in using English Tôi học tập, rút khinh nghiệm từ lỗi sai tơi q trình sử dụng tiếng Anh I evaluate the general progress I have made in learning English Tôi đánh giá tiến đạt học tiếng Anh I prepare for proficiency tests such as IELTS, C1, etc Tôi chuẩn bị cho kỳ thi lực tiếng Anh IELTS, C1, v.v Thank you for your help! Chân thành cảm ơn cộng tác bạn! Appendix D Summary of LA perception-practice relationship items No Perceptions I know clearly what I study in the English programs at university I can set up my learning long-term goals independently and clearly I can set up my learning short-term goals independently and clearly I can design my learning plan in details and carry out effectively I should not wait for teachers’ instructions on what to I need to find out English resources to learn autonomously I believe LA helps me make good use of learning resources and facilities 14 Practices Q18: I had objectives of English study before and after college graduation Q17: I had my own long-term objectives of English study at the beginning of the st semester Q16: I had my own short-term objectives of each English subject at the beginning of the st semester Q19: I set appropriate learning goals for speaking English at the beginning of the st semester Q20: I set appropriate learning goals for reading English at the beginning of the st semester Q21: I set appropriate learning goals for listening to English at the beginning of the st semester Q22: I set appropriate learning goals for writing English at the beginning of the st semester Q23: I have designed my English study plans in detailed from the beginning of the st semester to now Q24: I plan how to achieve my English study objectives Q25: I carry out those plans effectively Q28: I non-compulsory assignments Q37: I English grammar exercises on my own Q38: I revision not required by the teacher Q56: I use available English materials to learn effectively Q57: I use English dictionaries well Q58: I use English reference books well Q59: I look for English materials on Facebook Q60: I look for English materials from my friends Q61: I use English library books well Q62: I surf the Internet for finding English learning resources effectively Q63: I find English materials from my EFL teachers Q64: I choose English books, English exercises which suit me 10 I should actively practice four skills of English outside the classroom every day I can arrange my learning time and my daily activities reasonably I should autonomously prepare new English lessons before going to class I should ask teachers or the others about what I not understand 10 11 12 I believe LA helps develop my potentials, especially my strengths I believe LA helps me READING: Q43: I read English news in online newspapers Q47: I learn new words through videos or pictures focusing on teaching vocabulary on the Internet Q48: I learn new words incidentally in reading passages Q49: I learn structures in reading passages Q51: I read English stories to practice reading skills, learn vocabulary and structures LISTENING: Q34: I watch English programs on TV or the Internet Q35: I listen to English songs Q36: I listen to English news on TV or the Internet (e.g CNN, BBC, VOA, etc.) Q41: I watch English movies on TV or the Internet WRITING: Q32: I write a diary in English Q33: I exchange e-mails in English Q50: I choose topics to write at home SPEAKING: Q31: I talk to foreigners in English outside the classroom Q53: I arrange my time for my English study and my daily activities reasonably Q54: I avoid stress in my English study Q55: I avoid feeling bored about learning English Q52: I prepare new lessons before the English classes Q29: I practice using English with my friends Q30: I English self-study in a group Q39: I go to see my teachers so as to discuss my work Q67: I expect the teacher to be responsible for evaluating how much I have learnt in the English class Q26: I maximize my strengths of English study Q27: I step by step minimize my weaknesses of English study Q42: I learn English through YouTube 11 13 15 keep up with progress in science and technology I believe LA helps me be self-confident in learning Q44: I learn English through Facebook Q40: I try my best to solve English learning problems before seeking assistance Q45: I take part in English Clubs at university Q46: I take part in extra activities of Faculty of foreign languages Education Q65: I appraise my objectives of English study after each semester Q66: I assess the quality and quantity of English language I have acquired Q68: I make self-exam with the English exam papers chosen by myself Q69: I have the ability to learn English well I think LA lays the Q70: I consciously select learning ways to foundation of lifelong overcome problems I encounter in English learning for me Q71: I preview the English lessons to get general ideas of what they are about, how they are organized, and how they relate to what I already know Q72: When someone is speaking English, I try to concentrate on what the person is saying and I don’t think about anything else Q73: I decide in advance to pay special attention to specific English aspects; for example, while watching a film I focus on the way native speakers pronounce certain English sounds Q74: I try to find out all I can about how to be a better English learner by reading books or articles, or by talking to others about how to learn Q75: I arrange my schedule to study and practice English consistently, not just when there is the pressure of a test Q76: I arrange my physical environment to promote learning English; for instance, I find a quiet, comfortable place to review Q77: I organize my English notebook to record important English information Q78: I plan what I am going to accomplish in learning English each day or each week Q79: I prepare for an upcoming English task (such as making an oral presentation in English) by considering the nature of the task, what I have to 12 know, and my current English skills Q80: I clearly identify the purpose of the language activity; for instance, if the purpose of a class activity requires specific listening, I recognize it Q81: I take responsibility for finding opportunities to practice English Q82: I actively look for people to whom I can speak English Q83: I try to notice my language errors and find out the reasons for them Q84: I learn from my mistakes in using English Q85: I evaluate the general progress I have made in learning English Q86: I prepare for proficiency tests such as IELTS, C1, etc 13 Appendix E TWO EXCERPTS OF THE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS Interview transcript with Student 27 Consent form explanation I: Interviewer S: Student I: How you understand the term “learner autonomy” in case of EFL students? S: I think EFL students who have LA ability is when teachers give a topic for whole class to study, they dare to say their ideas in front of the class I: What you think about the role of learner autonomy to English majored students at Dong Thap University in the integrated time today and when you are employed to be English teachers or officers in the future? S: In my opinion, LA is more important than learning in the classroom After the first year and nearly finishing the third semester, I recognize that if we carry out LA at home well or successfully as we self-assess, we only need to discuss something we don’t know or want to widen our knowledge with teachers in classes because we have limited time in the classroom and there are many students in a class If we don’t read lessons at home or learn them autonomously before going to classes or we have some problems both on textbooks and out of textbooks, our teachers can’t explain all of them to us in classes I think that we need to have our own autonomous learning methods We can learn autonomous learning methods from our friends, our teachers, or our supervisor to find out our most suitable, effective autonomous learning method to apply After we graduate from DTU, LA stimulates our passion for our job because when we are teachers of English, our students ask us some problems in class which we don’t know, so we must explore them autonomously at home From that, we are formed many skills or characteristics For example, when we read articles or field of education relating to informatics, we find materials to study that field This makes a chain, and we have knowledge of many fields and are formed our patience to find out knowledge long-lifely I: Could you share what and how you have learned English autonomously in details? How much time you spend on learning English every day out of class? How often? S: I often learn English autonomously spontaneously It means that before I begin learning, I write down the order and how many minutes of subjects I intend to learn on that day But my learning is interrupted by many factors For example, after having dinner, it’s time for LA and I tell myself that I want to watch TV a few minutes; therefore, I LA late and my timetable for LA is not carried out exactly So, when I have free time, I learn autonomously I don’t like to watch English movies or listen to English music because I think that those forms are to entertain I know that when I see phrases on the screen of TV I can memorize, but for me, LA is true learning as in class Therefore, I tests in some books such as a series of 14 IELTS tests shared on the Internet I can practice listening and reading well, but speaking and writing are not After writing papers, I need someone to correct them to help me know where I am wrong, but I have no one Maybe I think my papers are good but when people read my papers perhaps dislike them because they are bad For speaking, I only train pronunciation and intonation When I listen to any paragraph, I imitate their voice I learn vocabulary through reading and listening These new words in practice test books, so they are rather difficult When I listened to them in the first time, my grade is bad Therefore, when I them again, I check vocabulary After finishing a reading test, I look up new words, write them down in a notebook as S26, and learn them However, when learning new words, I memorize them But when I write essays, I don’t remember them to use, so I am angry When making outline of an essay, I also think of many ideas and select main ones put into body paragraphs, but when I write I only use words I have already known are old After that I open my notebook and see that I wrote good words but I can’t apply them There are some ways to learn vocabulary autonomously shown For example, when we learn a new word, we make an example sentence with it I also like that but I still forget them when I write essays I think my memory is not bad, and I don’t know why it is So, I am so angry at myself, and have no solution to this problem I spend the most hours on some days On some other days, I spend 30 minutes when I task I have a headache because it is too difficult I learn English autonomously about or days a week I: Have you set your goals in learning English? How? When? S: Yes, at the beginning of the first semester, my goal is to get 6.5 points for IELTS or C1 and after that I think again I should increase my goal getting 7.5 points for IELTS However, now I am afraid I can’t that I learn Teaching methodology in this semester and see it abstractly But when I read it carefully, I see that it is interesting If we want to be a teacher of English, we should master this subject Therefore, my short-term goal of this semester is not to fail Teaching Methodology, and try to get 3.6 points for final result I had no goal for the first semester My goal in the second semester was to get 3.6 or over I: Have you planned your English study? How? When? S: I have learning plans for each subject For example, I am fair at that subject and I only improve it more I am weak at that subject, so I should find more other materials about it to enhance my knowledge I: Can you arrange reasonable time for your English study and your life? How? S: Sometimes, it is not yet At first, I think after dinner, I can learn from p.m to 10 p.m., but when I learn, there are many factors affecting me such as doing housework I: How can you search English materials for your study? S: I follow some links on Facebook which share some materials of skills of learning English I also download update materials I: How you revise your old English lessons before every test/exam? And when? S: Truly, I accumulate knowledge during my autonomous learning process I only revise non-major subjects For major subjects, because we learn skills of learning 15 English, if we exercises more and more, our level will increase Before the exam, my friends often revise vocabulary, structures learnt or old lessons I think it is not important The important thing is while we are learning we understand them carefully When taking the exams, we should be comfortable and we just see tips again For example, for Reading, we need to read in how many minutes and divide how many minutes for reading comprehension as well as filling the blanks and think again the method to it I: Which advantages you meet when learning English autonomously? Give reasons S: My friends just talked about LA in textbooks For me, I mention to LA of materials out of class When I practice LA I see that what knowledge I lack I can self-support or fill in it When teachers give us any topics or assignments in class, I support them in different ways by myself and then see them again We learn skills of learning English, so if we practice LA on them regularly, our skills can be increased very fast Specially, near the exam if we are suddenly hard-working to practice listening, reading, doing exercises, etc continuously, when we take exams we the tests faster because we are familiar with looking at them before I think LA which should be practiced regularly is effective After the exams, I have relaxed for a week, and then learn autonomously again, my feeling for LA is limited, unsame as the time before the exams Therefore, I am not keen on LA in the new semester I: Which disadvantages you meet when learning English autonomously? Give reasons S: I am not satisfied with myself For example, after finishing a test, looking at answer keys, I see its points are rather low and think when I can increase my level, and then I am bored I am angry with this because before doing a test, I am highly determined but while doing it I have some problems which I must solve by myself, I am stuck I wonder how much I learn and how much I try to get good level in English I feel I learn much but why I can’t apply them in tests or exams Although no one says I am bad, I am angry at myself and bored I haven’t improved this I: You self-assess your LA in which level: poor, average, good, or excellent S: I self-assess my LA that is average Interview transcript with Teacher Consent form explanation I: Interviewer T: Teacher I: How you understand the term “learner autonomy” in case of EFL students? T: EFL students having LA ability are that when they attend DTU they must know the requirements of English major as well as curriculum and set up their learning objectives at the beginning of the course Besides, they have to know certificates of 16 their outcome standard clearly They must actively ask their teachers, their supervisor, and officers in Faculty of Foreign Languages Education and Office of Academic Affairs to know their curriculum major including the number of units, subjects, and credits Basing on those, they themselves have to arrange their time to learn and have strategy for each semester in which they will register which subjects Parallelly, they must design their specific learning plan for each subject I: What you think about the role of learner autonomy to English majored students at Dong Thap University in the integrated time today and when they are employed to be teachers of English or officers in the future? T: LA plays a crucial role for EFL students because if they are active in learning, they will know what they should learn, which skills they should practice, what they are lacking to find materials or ask their teachers’ or their friends’ support to interact each other to gain their objective of subjects Their LA ability will affect both their work and their life positively in the future While they actively design and have measures to carry out their learning plan at university, it forms their life skills and work skills They will work with their plan and have strategies to obtain their objectives Moreover, they will work well after graduating For example, for teacher students, if they have LA ability, they know to design a plan for each work, the ways to fulfil it, arrange their time reasonably, and as a result, they can share their LA experience with their students, hold and manage their class very effectively Similarly, non-teacher students know the ways to work well I: How long have you taught English? Which majors subjects you often teach? Have you ever implemented autonomously learning activities for your EFL students? If yes, what LA activities have you ever organized in each English subject in details? Inside or outside classroom? How often? T: I have been a teacher of English for 28 years I usually teach Speaking, Listening, Teaching Methodology, Pedagogic professional competence training, and Translation Due to learning autonomously when I was young, I always ask my students to learn autonomously very much in any subjects I think LA is like people’s instinct for survival, anything they know originates from LA Therefore, students who learn in my classes have to have their consciousness of increasing their LA If they don’t learn autonomously, they are hard to obtain my subject’s objectives I gave them clear rules of my subject, share my experience and content of subject, told them my requirements as well as the problems they would meet in that subject, and what they had to to get good result in the first class In addition, I instructed them step by step to help them be familiar with learning method in a few following classes, and after that they had to learn autonomously by themselves For Speaking, my students prepared their LA at home At first, I gave them a handout of exercises and requirements, but later I used information technology such as Google drive For example, the topic for the next lesson was Hometown, and they had to find vocabulary relating to it When they expressed their ideas, they had to use vocabulary in collocations, so they had to find collocations To have ideas to write, they found some questions about Hometown They could find those on the 17 Internet, were not asked to find how many words, and then shared what they found with each other through Google drive They were force to that because without it, they could not have anything to talk in class In speaking class, I usually asked them to discuss face to face, interview, etc so if they prepared lesson at home already, they could work with me and their friends Similarly, in translation, before each class, I gave them an assignment, and they used reading skill and underlined difficult words or phrases to look up When they learned new words, they had to explain them by their definitions or explanations and they needed to look up them in monodictionary That was one way of LA to help them increase their vocabulary and form their resource of the number of new words This helped them in communication or taking reading exam Also, they translated structures into Vietnamese After that, they translated assignments, and posted on their folder in Google drive They could see their friends’ assignments I also asked them not to copy their friends’ assignments and if they had, I would give them mark Besides, I divided class into groups and gave them a list of topics Each group discussed to choose some topics to translate into Vietnamese at home and then divided duty for each member They did the same steps as above, and then edited their work for other people to be able to understand They evaluated their group’s members’ work In class, four groups would evaluate each other; for example, group and group evaluated group 1, and to that, they had to see other groups’ work on Google drive They evaluated the organization, using words effectively or not, compared with English version, editing or not, and then gave marks After that, group which was evaluated could said their ideas to two groups examiners that they agreed with these but disagreed with those and they explained That made an argument in class and they could learn autonomously from each other too much Even they had to say they disagreed or not with their marks and explained why honestly For example, this group gave them 7,5 points and that group gave them points However, the group evaluated were willing to accept 7.5 points and showed the reasons they received that mark I think this way helped them increase their LA ability, activeness, honesty, responsibility for learning For Teaching Methodology, I didn’t have much time, so I only divided them into groups to practice teaching skills in Pedagogic professional competence training and In Pedagogic professional competence training 5, they were given marks for whole group In this subject, my aim was that they knew procedure of each kind of skill lesson and language focus one I often asked each group to choose a type of skill lesson and language focus one first to design lesson plans and posted them on Google drive to adjust A representative of a group demoed their group’s lesson for whole class in class After that, they discussed their friend’s presentation, gave ideas, and suggested some exercises for that lesson Next, each group’s members chose different lessons in different grades at high school or A2 or B1 programs to discuss, design, and practice teaching outside the classroom During their time of designing lesson plan, they could discuss on Facebook, etc Then, they had to practice teaching their lesson and took photos to show me that they worked in groups They could post their lesson plans on google drive to discuss and then 18 brought the final ones to teach in class I gave marks for whole group but it didn’t mean that every member in a group had the same marks Then they evaluated and gave mark for each member of their group based on my marks Who worked effectively got higher marks, and who didn’t work could get mark After they worked in groups, taught in class, they self-assessed their work in a form; for example, they were satisfied or unsatisfied with which points and what and how they needed to change and submitted it to me I wanted to make sure that they worked effectively or not Besides, they took notes every class when they observed their friends’ teaching to evaluate and give their opinion If they don’t know how to learn autonomously, I have to instruct them too much I had some forms for them to fill and instruct them step by step I: How can you check or evaluate whether your students have carried out those or not? T: The easiest way to know some of students who were lazy was to look at their observation sheets I asked them to try to write some paragraphs Some students wrote their observation as an interesting essay However, some students only listed some dashes to write simple things I: Which advantages and disadvantages you meet when organizing autonomously learning activities for your EFL students? T: When they were familiar with my teaching methods, they were active, so at that time I had many advantages and just looked at their work They felt too much pressure when learning with me because I asked them to work perfectly Also, I had to instruct them too much because they weren’t familiar with my teaching methods For example, when teaching translation subject, I gave them my subject’s requirements and some sample texts and they had to choose their own texts, translate, and edit but they didn’t know format of word text, so I had to show them Most of them didn’t pay attention to my instructions, so I had to remind them a lot Lazy students’ friends would share their ideas to them in groups I also commented my opinions on their work I: You evaluate which level of LA ability EFL students at Dong Thap University get: poor, average, good, or excellent? Why? T: I assess EFL students’ LA ability that is average because they carried out LA activities following teacher’s requirements while LA is more than that For instance, in my translation subject, they only translated exercises which I gave In those exercises, there were some terms they had to learn autonomously more deeply to be able translate but they couldn’t For example, when taking about Tram Chim Ramsar, I asked them what Ramsar meant and they didn’t know, so I had to instructed them that when they learned autonomously, they saw Ramsar they should have put a question why it was called Tram Chim National Park before instead of Tram Chim Ramsar now I: How you self-assess your instruction of LA activities for EFL students? T: I self-assess my instructions of students’ LA activities that are good However, I haven’t had enough time to check their LA carefully 19 ... 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