Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
in language learning
Icy Lee
Background For a long time the typical Hong Kong Chinese learner has been
characterized as passive, dependent, and lacking in initiative (Pierson
1996). A recent longitudinal study conducted with tertiary students in
Hong Kong has indicated that students have little incentive to undertake
learning outside their studies, and tend to limit their work to what is
taught on the course (Balla et al. 1991). Such an attitude is of no benefit
to learning a second or foreign language when success so much depends
on the individual pursuit of opportunities for language use outside the
classroom. Language learning, as Thomson (1996: 78) puts it, is a life-
long endeavour. It is therefore important to help students become
aware of the value of independent learning outside the classroom, so
that they acquire the habit of learning continuously, and maintain it after
they have completed their formal studies.
I often feel that classroom teachers in frequent contact with students are
in an advantageous position to encourage them to undertake indepen-
dent learning outside the classroom, since it is easier to establish rapport,
and hence foster teacher and peer support. When an independent
learning programme is offered by a language centre, on the other hand,
usually only the most motivated learners are attracted. A great deal of
effort is required on such a programme to enlist volunteers, maintain the
teacher-student relationship, and provide peer support. In order to help
students develop independent language learning habits outside the
classroom, I designed a classroom-based self-directed learning pro-
gramme, and incorporated it into a first-year English Communications
Skills component of a Language and Communication course at the Hong
Kong Polytechnic University. The primary objective of the programme
is to help students become more autonomous, so that they will be
equipped with the skills to go about their own learning.
Self-directed learning is defined as the techniques used in order to direct
ones own learning (Pemberton 1996: 3). It refers to learning in which
the learners themselves take responsibility for their own learning
282 ELT Journal Volume 52/4 October 1998 Oxford University Press I998
articles welcome
(Thomson 1996: 78). Autonomy, which is often used interchangeably
with self-direction, refers to the ability to take charge of ones own
learning (Holec 1981: 3). Autonomy, therefore, is a capacity, while self-
directed learning is a way of organizing learning (Pemberton 1996: 3). In
this article I shall describe the self-directed programme, evaluate its
outcomes, and make recommendations for future work.
Factors for The design of the self-directed learning programme takes into account a
developing number of factors which are crucial to the development of learner
autonomy autonomy:
Voluntariness Voluntariness is a pre-requisite for independent lan-
guage learning. Students who are coerced into joining a self-directed
learning programme may not benefit as much as those who volunteer
(Lee and Ng 1994).
Learner choice Learner choice is essential to autonomous learning.
Holec (1981) states that learner autonomy consists in making decisions
in learning, including setting objectives, defining contents and progres-
sions, selecting methods and techniques, monitoring the procedure, and
evaluating the outcome of learning. Learner choice implies that students
can work at their own pace, deciding on questions of what, when, how,
and how often.
Flexibility Learners need a supportive environment in order to learn to
be more independent. One important criterion for establishing a
supportive environment is flexibility in learning (Esch 1996). Flexibility
in a self-directed learning programme means that students can change
options (e.g. objectives, contents, process of learning) according to their
needs and interests.
Teacher support The teacher plays an important role in facilitating the
process of re-orientation and personal discovery, which is a natural
outcome of self-directed learning (Kelly 1996). It is crucial for the
teacher to establish a good relationship with students, supporting and
guiding them in their learning, e.g. by helping them formulate their goals
more clearly, and providing feedback, encouragement, and reinforce-
ment.
Peer support Learner autonomy is not only individual but also social. It
entails a capacity and willingness to act independently and in co-
operation with others, as a socially responsible person (Dam 1995: 1).
Learning does not take place in a vacuum and that self-direction does
not necessarily imply learning on ones own (Pemberton 1996).
Interaction, negotiation, collaboration, etc., are important factors in
promoting learner autonomy.
Implementing the At the beginning of the academic year, the 15 students on the course
programme were briefed about the aim of the self-directed learning programme, and
told that participation was entirely optional. I gave students a suggested
list of activities (see Appendix 1) and materials (e.g. titles of grammar
and vocabulary books). It was emphasized that students should exercise
their discretion to add to or delete from the suggested list. I gave them a
learner contract (see Appendix 2) and told them that they were
Students self- At the end of the programme, the enthusiastic students seemed to
evaluations become more positive about themselves, and about learning in general.
When asked about their own strengths as language learners, two of them
remarked, I can try and make an effort to improve my English in
whatever aspects, and I am persistent in language learning. The less
enthusiastic students, on the other hand, showed a lower self-esteem at
the end of the programme. Two of them put down nil in response to the
question asking about their strengths. When asked about how they could
improve their English, the more enthusiastic learners were very specific
about different means to improve their English, for instance, doing self-
study at the language centre. The less enthusiastic learners, however,
showed an ambivalent attitude towards self-directed learning, as
illustrated in the non-committal remark, Take the initiative to do
extra work, if time is allowed.
Students views of The interview data gathered from the students is mixed. The more
the programme enthusiastic students enjoyed the self-directed learning programme,
thought that it helped them improve their English, and said that they
would continue independent learning on their own after the course. All
of them thought that the teacher had some role to play in supporting
them; however, they did not think that their classmates helped them in
their learning. The less enthusiastic group of learners thought that the
programme was worthwhile, but did not think that they had improved
their English through the programme. Most of them said that they would
probably not continue with the programme after the course, since the
teacher would no longer be there to remind and encourage them to
undertake extra work outside the classroom.
Teachers It appears that students responded to the self-directed learning
observations programme in different ways. Some seemed to benefit more from the
programme, some less. The more enthusiastic and less enthusiastic
learners exhibited some differences in their motivation. The former
Learner training Some students are not as ready as others for independent language
learning. The self-directed learning programme turned out to be more
successful with those learners who were already self-sufficient and
demonstrated some degree of autonomy in learning. However, this does
not mean that the less ready or less enthusiastic students are not capable
of autonomy. Nunan (1996: 13) rightly points out that some degree of
autonomy can be fostered in learners regardless of the extent to which
they are naturally predisposed to the notion. The self-directed learning
programme reported here was offered as ancillary to the main language
course. In order to help students become autonomous, it would be more
effective to provide learner training alongside the programme, and make
it an integral part of the course. Learner-training activities (e.g. explicit
learner-training tasks suggested by Sinclair 1996) can be incorporated
systematically in the classroom to help students become more aware of
the learning process, more ready to take charge of their own learning,
and empowered to make their own changes. Through learner training,
learners can be helped to come to terms with their strengths and
weaknesses, to learn a language efficiently in ways which are compatible
with their personalities (Gremmo and Riley 1995: 158). Learner
training would benefit the lazy students, who might feel that they are
doomed to failure in language learning due to their own laziness in the
programme, by increasing their self-confidence and self-esteem.
Teacher counselling Promoting learner autonomy does not mean a reduction of teacher
intervention or initiative. In this self-directed learning programme,
teacher counselling was not systematically integrated, but some students
reported favourably on the role the teacher played in helping and
supporting them. Teacher counselling should be a crucial component of
self-directed learning, and the role of teacher counselling in fostering
learner autonomy should be more widely used and explored.
Providing genuine Providing learners with choice is crucial to the development of learner
choice autonomy. Learner choice should mean genuine choice, with as many
alternatives provided as possible. Unfortunately, students in the
programme were not able to exercise genuine choice due to the lack
of learning materials. Ideally, a self-directed learning programme should
be organized by the classroom teacher, with the support of resources and
facilities provided by a self-access centre: A self-access resource centre
is a good start to provide choice for learners (Esch 1996: 39).
(Teacher)
Date