Learner Autonomy: Trends and Issues in ELT: ACADEMICIA An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal January 2018

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Learner autonomy: trends and issues in ELT
Article in ACADEMICIA An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal · January 2018

DOI: 10.5958/2249-7137.2018.00064.2
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LEARNER AUTONOMY: TRENDS AND ISSUES IN ELT
Parupalli Srinivas Rao*
*Lecturer in English,
English Language Centre,
King Faisal University, Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia
Email id: vasupsr@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Learner autonomy has been a key theme in foreign language learning for the past five decades.
Learners should be motivated to learn independently with the help of technology, online sources,
online teaching rather than depending upon the teachers completely. At the same time, teachers
should not be ignored because without their teaching or training, it is not possible for learners to
understand the concepts thoroughly. Sometimes, learners should be encouraged to understand
and learn a language or a subject on their own. It develops learner autonomy and reduces
dependence upon teachers to some extent. As far as English language learning is concerned,
students or learners need to focus on self- learning in terms of four language skills. It is widely
discussed around the world and even the role of teachers is also a significant one in promoting
learner autonomy. This paper attempts to explain the concept of ‘learner autonomy’ and the
advantages of learner autonomy. It also explores new ways to develop autonomy among the
learners while learning a language, particularly English language learning; and emphasizes the
role of teachers in promoting the students or learners to develop their autonomy in learning.
Moreover, this paper sheds a light on the problems faced by teachers as well as learners in
educational institutions in promoting learner autonomy with regard to the facilities available.
Some data is collected in this regard and some suggestions are also made regarding learner
autonomy and teachers’ motivation.
KEYWORDS: Autonomy, Educational Institutions, ELT, ELL, Learner, Learning, Problems,

Teacher, Technology, Trends.

INTRODUCTION
As the 21st century is witnessing the technology dominating world, changes are rapidly taking
place in all spheres of life in terms of culture, economy, tourism, education and so on. In
educational institutions across the world, we are observing many revolutionary changes in
teaching-learning process and the way technology is being used to improve teaching as well as
learning standards. Teachers used to play a dominant role in the classrooms and learners used to
follow their instructions very strictly. But now the trend is entirely different in all educational
institutions. As a result, teachers and students play an equal role in classroom activities.
According to Dewey (1859 – 1952), “The aim of education is to participate in social and political
life which is learnt in the collaborative environment of a classroom. Moreover, learner autonomy
should be developed on a practical rather than on an ideological level”. He emphasized the
importance of instruction with the authentic environment and problem-solving as a source of
learning(Benson, 2011: 29-30).The interactive approach between teachers and students yields
positive results than ever before. It is high time now for teachers to focus on learner autonomy in
order to create an atmosphere in which learners can develop self-learning or independent
learning that eventually leads to reducing the burden of teachers and improving the quality of
learning among the students. In short, learner autonomy reduces the pressure on teachers and
promotes teacher-student involvement in all activities equally.
Learner autonomy is a social-interactive as well as an individual-cognitive phenomenon. For the
past 50 years, it has been witnessed that the study of learner autonomy, especially in the
language learning, is one of the main concerns in education system and most of the scholars are
reportedly working on this issue. The need and importance of autonomy in language learning is
conspicuous in the present education system. Benson (2010: 77-78) says that “Learner autonomy
is a multi-dimensional and diversified concept in the field of language learning education and
more practical research is being done to understand the essence of learner autonomy and develop
autonomy in language learning”. Benson (2011: 92-116) further says, “Learner autonomy can be
described in terms of control over learning and there are three dimensions of control: control
over learning management, cognitive processing and learning context. Firstly, learning
management refers to the cognitive and attitudinal factors involved in the planning, organization
and evaluation of learning. Secondly, control over cognitive processing means controlling the
cognitive competencies that underlie the observable behaviours listed under learning
management. The three most important cognitive processes involved in this are: attention,
conscious reflection and met cognitive knowledge. Thirdly, control over learning content
concerns with what to learn and how.
The new concept of 'learner autonomy' is entirely different from the traditional 'lockstep learning'
which the learners do the same thing, at the same time, in the same way, and all expected to
achieve roughly the same results; whereas autonomous learning realizes the individual learners
that they have the capacity to take the whole and sole responsibility for each and everything in
their entire lifetime, including learning. In the olden days, especially in the field of education, the
learners had to depend only on the decisions taken by the authorities such as teachers, the head of
the institution, the director of studies or by the department of education. Here the learners are
completely under the control of these authorities and they do not have any independency in
taking their own decisions. The learners have to accept whatever is directed by these authorities.
In contrast, learner autonomy promotes the learners to have their own way of learning, without

depending completely on their teachers. Swift aptly says, "The key benefit of learner autonomy
is that autonomous learners 'will take more responsibility for learning and are likely to be more
effective than learners who are overly-reliant on the teacher'.
Learner autonomy should be encouraged and developed among the learners because it shifts
from teacher-dependence to learner-independence. Learners can get an opportunity to work
individually and develop their learning abilities without getting more help from the teachers. It
doesn‟t mean that the role of teachers is completely ignored. Sometimes, the role of teachers is
required in developing autonomy among the learners. Little wood (1996: 429-432) asserts,
“Learner autonomy consists of three domains where a person makes choices: the communicative
level, the learning level and the personal level”. He further explains these three domains in a
detailed way. Firstly, at the communicative level, the learner is able to make choices about
language use and appropriate strategies in communicating meanings in different situations and
specific tasks. Secondly, at the learning level, the learner uses appropriate learning strategies
independently. Lastly, at the personal level, the learner is able to make choices about his or her
learning at a broader context, for instance, the learner creates personal learning contexts.
Autonomy enables learners to make decisions about their strategies and goals in language
learning and also prepare their own learning contexts mainly in self-directed learning and project
work. It also encourages learners to use the language in real-life situations outside the classroom.
Little (2007) states that “Success in language learning is significantly influenced by learner
autonomy and how much progress a language learner makes indicates how much he or she can
take charge of his or her own learning”. Learner autonomy improves learners‟ self-instruction
activities and self-directed naturalistic learning activities that promote their independent or
interdependent learning. At the same time, learners can improve their cognitive skills or abilities
in independent learning. The Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, who is very popular in the
field of learner autonomy, says that, “Learning is an active and social process in which the
implicit inner processes become externalized and explicit supports the reflective, met cognitive
nature of learner autonomy”. So it is evident that the teachers need to promote learner autonomy
among the learners by guiding them systematically.
Successful autonomous learners believe in creating a suitable environment for real-life situations.
For ESL or EFL learners, who acquire English language by keeping themselves away from
native-speaking countries, need to create a suitable and potential learning environment. They
always have positive attitude towards learning and their main focus is on learning a foreign
language like English individually and collaborating with others. Here self-learning and
collaboration in learning English language are of immense use for learners. Both their awareness
and collaboration support Little‟s (1995) suggestion of independence for learner autonomy. It is
their individual effort as well as sense of responsibility that makes them strong in classroom
learning and private learning. When the learners achieve autonomy, they are confident, goal-
oriented and self-reflective in their independent learning. In the process of learning English,
learners question themselves why they learn the language and what steps they have to take to
improve their language by motivating themselves. This is an important step in learning English
independently. Moreover, trust and confidence are the two powerful tools for learners in learning
the language as far as English language learning (ELL) is concerned. It is applicable to other
languages also. These positive beliefs are built through learners‟ own efforts and the
psychological support given by others. Norton (2000) aptly says on learner autonomy, “It seems

that developing learner autonomy is not a matter of solitary self-instructional skills, but of the
learners‟ active research and engagement with internal and external resources in their language
learning. Their responsibility does not mean that their management alone, but an awareness of
responsibility for their own learning that concerns them deeply, and in one sense, presupposes
management of their learning”. Therefore, autonomy in ELL is to be achieved by the learners,
sometimes with the help of teachers. Let us focus on the advantages of learner autonomy,
autonomy in ELL and the need for learner autonomy in this modern era in the next chapter.
Autonomy in Language Learning
Globalization, an unprecedented phenomenon in the modern world, is a new concept in modern
world where the speed of information exchange, international migration and travelling have
made autonomous learning a necessity if anybody wants to keep up with the continuous changes
of today‟s world. The term 'autonomy in language learning' has been a main theme for teachers,
learners and researches in the past five decades. Little et. al. suggest that various ways of
applying autonomous learning by stating that using role-plays, drama and creative writing
contribute to autonomous learning and student motivation.
The word 'autonomy' was derived in the early 17th century from two Greek words, 'autos' which
means 'self' and 'monos' which means 'law' or 'custom'. The word 'autonomous' means 'having its
own laws'. This 'autonomous' slowly changed into 'autonomia' and later it became 'autonomy'.
Generally, 'Autonomy' means 'freedom to act or function independently'.
Learner autonomy has been a common topic in language teaching and English language teaching
since 1970s. It is an important concept in English language teaching now. There is a tremendous
support for learner autonomy in language learning. Learner autonomy requires learners to be
aware of and responsible in their own learning. Holec (1981) defines learner autonomy as, "The
ability to take charge of one's own learning. It is true in the sense that a learner has to be able to
responsible for his own learning. The main goal of learner autonomy is to enable learners to
control their own learning”. Broady and Kenning say that “The key idea behind learner
autonomy is that education should foster the learners' capacity for independent thinking and
responsibility for learning. One should take the responsibility for all decisions regarding
language learning to become an autonomous learner”. In this regard, Holec has proposed the
important aspects of learning:
 Determining the objectives.
 Defining the contents and progressions.
 Selecting methods and techniques that are used in language learning.
 Monitoring the process of acquiring a language.
 Evaluating what is acquired and what is to be done.
Learners need to understand the target language, may be a second language or a foreign
language, if they want to set their own objectives. If they do not have proper understanding of
the language, they cannot set their goals and objectives and select the best strategies, techniques
and resources to achieve it. Little (2000: 69 - 72) defines autonomy in language learning as –
"Autonomy in language learning depends on the development and exercise of a capacity for
detachment, critical reflection, decision making and independent action; autonomous learners
assume responsibility for determining the purpose, content, rhythm and method of their learning,

monitoring its progress and evaluating its outcomes'. Pennycook (1997: 45) states, “Learner
autonomy has certain implications for the individual, education and for the society. At the
individual level, autonomous learning means efficient learning because a learner who knows
how to learn efficiently. Secondly, learner autonomy promotes life-long learning that helps in
keeping up with the continuous change of professional life and enables engaging in constant self-
development. Lastly, learner autonomy is highly empowering because learners gain their own
voice and become the authors of their own story”.
The importance of Learner Autonomy in language learning
In language learning, ELL also, learner autonomy should be developed among learners because
of its importance in the modern era. In this context, the importance of learner autonomy is
explained in a comprehensive way below:
 It helps the learners to develop a capacity for critical reflection.
 It changes the role of teacher from source of information to counselor and manager of
learning resources.
 It develops insights into the learners‟ learning styles and strategies.
 It increases teachers‟ new roles as facilitator, counselor, coordinator, guide, advisor, active
participant, consultant, etc. rather than merely the information deliverer.
 It motivates the learners to take risks by communicating in the target language.
 It prepares the learners as good guessers.
 It helps the learners to concentrate equally on both form and content.
 It enables the learners to complete the task actively, that is assigned by teachers for easy
learning.
 It improves the learners‟ self-instruction activities and self-directed naturalistic learning
activities that promote their independent or interdependent learning.
 It promotes out-of-class learning that adopts effective met cognitive strategies for their
effective learning.
 It encourages the learners to make their own choices in grammar and vocabulary which leads
to autonomous communication initially.
 It enables the learners to make decisions about their goals, strategies and meanings. For
instance, in creative role-playing, problem solving and discussions.
 It promotes the learners to have an easy access to the target language.
 It enables the learners to prepare their own learning contexts mainly in self-directed learning
and project work.
 It makes the learners to select the contextual meanings in their communication and adopt
different communication strategies to achieve their communicative goals.
 It prepares the learners to play an active role in determining the nature and progression of
their syllabi.
 It makes the learners use the language in real-life situations outside the classroom.
 It guides the learners to acquire positive beliefs and perceptions toward language learning.
 It leads the learners to be confident and motivated to reach their expectations in learning.
 It leads the learners to be responsible for their own learning.
 It encourages the learners to participate in out-of-class language learning activities
independently or in collaboration with peers, which leads them to autonomous learning.
 It provides more language-practising opportunities and helps the learners become successful
learners in out-of-class language learning environment.
 It strengthens learners‟ confidence in learning.
 It leads learners towards interdependence in learning that builds a supportive learning
community.
The following diagram shows various steps the learners follow in order to achieve learner
autonomy:
Planning
learning
Selecting
Setting goals
resources
Reflection
Identifying
Selecting
learning
needs Motivation strategies
Interaction
Assessment
Practice
and revision
Monitoring
progress
Well-prepared lesson plans and the latest teaching methods, approaches and techniques make
learners autonomous in their learning. The learners must be responsible for their decisions that
help them in their learning independently. So learners should be careful while choosing methods,
approaches and techniques to achieve learner autonomy. In this regard, Scharle and Szabo (2000,
P.4) aptly say; "In theory, we may define autonomy as the freedom and ability to manage one‟s
affairs, which entails the right to make decisions as well. Responsibility may also be understood
as being in charge of something, but implication that one has to deal with the consequences of
one's own actions. Autonomy and responsibility both require active involvement, and they are
apparently very much interrelated. Scharle and Szabo opine that "Learners must actively
participate in classroom activities and interactive sessions in order to learn quickly and happily
so that learners can progress towards autonomous learning. Further, Scharle and Szabo (2000,
P.4) state that; "The saying goes: you can bring the horse to water, but you cannot make him
drink. In language teaching, teachers can provide all the necessary circumstances and input, but
learning only can happen if learners are willing to contribute. Their passive presence will not
suffice, just as the horse would remain thirsty if he stood still by the river waiting patiently for
his thirst to go away. And, in order for leaners to be actively involved in the learning process,
they first need to realise and accept that success in learning depends on the student as on the
teacher. That is, they share responsibility for the outcome. In other words, success in learning
very much depends on learners having a responsible attitude". Responsibility and autonomy are
important for learners because they can be motivated to learn joyfully with self-confidence and
respect, they can be encouraged towards creativity and innovation and they can have better class

hours with meaningful learning activities. Thus, responsibility and autonomy should be
developed among the learners for learning or taking decisions independently.
Main Principles of Learner Autonomy:
The following are the main principles of learner autonomy:
 Learner autonomy moves the focus from teaching to learning.
 It provides the learners with the opportunity of learning self-regulation.
 It encourages action-based approach.
 It encourages the learners‟ responsibility, choice and flexible control.
 It fosters conversational interaction.
 It creates opportunities for the learners‟ cognitive autonomy support.
 It promotes reflective enquiry.
 It helps the learners‟ intrinsic motivation.
 It creates opportunities for learners' integration and explicitness.
 It accepts and provides learner differentiation.
 It enables the learners to encourage the support and cooperation from the peers.
 It empowers the learners to go beyond the classroom with the use of modern technology.
 It brings outside world into the classroom.
 It makes use of self-assessment or peer-assessment.
 It affords maximum possible influence to the learners.
 It enables teachers to support, scaffold and create room for the development of learners'
autonomy.
 It ensures cent-per-cent differentiation.
 It can be practiced only with learners' logbooks.
Learner autonomy is not an innate skill or talent of a person, but a learner can improve it through
constant learning. Thornbury (2006: 22) says, "Autonomy is your capacity to take responsibility
for, and control of, your own learning, whether in an institutionalized context, or completely
independent of a teacher or institution”. The important factors affecting the learning process are:
learners' attitude, materials or resources, teachers and methods. All the factors should be
compatible with autonomous leaning to encourage learners to gain their autonomy. In the
beginning, learners need teachers' help in defining their learning style, developing awareness of
language and self-evaluating to become an autonomous learner. There are certain strategies used
to encourage autonomous learning. They are: self-assessment, self-reports, reading journals, peer
assessment, thinking about learning and involving in the planning of the course. These strategies
foster learner autonomy. Internet also helps in developing learner autonomy because learners can
get information from internet and they can interact with other learners to work more
cooperatively through internet. Autonomous learners can learn a language more effectively
because they involve actively in the learning process in the classroom and out-of-the-class.
Learner autonomy is beneficial for both learners and teachers. It reduces the burden on teachers
and improves self-learning of learners. It is useful not only in language learning but also in all
walks of life. Therefore, learners should be encouraged to achieve autonomy in language
learning, particularly in English language learning (ELL).

Learner Autonomy - Teachers' Role:
The teachers in an autonomy classroom develop learners' proficiency in the target language by
involving the learners, from the very beginning, in using the target language that is spontaneous
and authentic. Spontaneous means how to respond to the unpredictable demands of classroom
communication and authentic in the sense that it arises from the needs, interests, experiences,
priorities and concerns of individual learners.
Teachers motivate their learners for self-learning or learner autonomy by making them identify
learning targets and select learning activities. Teachers engage learners in a great deal of met
cognitive talk in the target language and monitor this progress towards self-learning. Finally,
teachers make their students achieve their goals.
The course of promoting autonomy does not make a teacher redundant, instead he/she must work
more as a facilitator, helper, coordinator, counsellor, consultant, advisor and resource (Wright,
1987, P.62, cited in Voller, 1997, P.100).
Teachers need to implement certain strategies or techniques in order to promote learner
autonomy in the classroom environment. They are:
 Teachers should organize some extra-curricular activities such as discussions, debates, short
speeches, seminars, presentations, role-plays, short-plays, just-a-minute sessions and so on.
 Teachers should motivate the students towards free reading out of class and they should be
encouraged to share it in the class.
 Teachers should encourage students in showing their learning experiences and methods they
follow in improving their learner autonomy.
 Teachers should assign online work to the students.
 Teachers should train the students in autonomous learning strategies.
 Teachers should inform the students about the importance of learner autonomy.
 Teachers should recommend some important and useful websites and encourage them
towards self-directed study.
 Teachers should use various forms of group-work and pair-work.
 Teachers should encourage the students to self-edit and peer-grade their writing.
 Teachers should assign some topics to the students to teach in the classroom.
 Teachers should prepare the students to do research on selected topics related to classroom
learning.
Autonomy in English Language Learning
It is a well-known fact that learner autonomy depends on the theory and practice of language
teaching. Language learning is a continuous or perpetual process through which learners have to
work within and beyond the classroom to develop their language skills though it consumes a
considerable amount of time. In fact, learner autonomy moves into an area where learners direct
their own learning. Learner independence demands learner involvement and active participation
for creative thinking and better learning. In this context, learners set their own objectives and
follow different strategies designed by themselves, and often with the help of teachers. So this
method facilitates the learner to learn more effectively and efficiently when they study on their
own. Thus, it is evident that the fostering of learner autonomy starts in a classroom environment
and extends beyond it. According to Rogers, “learning is a unique, individual process that arises
in and is affected by individual experiences and results in changes in behaviour; the teacher‟s
role is to facilitate this natural process of self-actualizing”.
Generally, there are three basic pedagogical principles that help develop autonomy in language
learning: learner involvement, learner reflection and appropriate use of target language. Learner
involvement refers to the engagement of learners to share their responsibilities in the process of
learning. Learner reflection means learners are helped to think critically when they plan, monitor
and evaluate their learning. When it comes to the proper use of the target language, learners are
encouraged to use the target language as the principal medium of learning.
Nunan's (1997, Oxford 2008) theory focuses on classroom-based second/foreign language
learners, whose autonomy develops and changes through five stages:
1. Awareness – the learners are the recipients of information.
2. Involvement – learners review and select among the options given.
3. Intervention – learners set their own goals.
4. Creation – learners are the inventors, originators and creators of their own goals.
5. Transcendence – learners identify their own interests and create their goals relevant to their
interests.
Learners have advantages in learning independently or interdependently by performing
autonomy. Learners can implement self-instruction activities independently in learning new
English words and improve their spoken and communicative competence in English
interdependently. In this way, learners can conduct various autonomous activities in learning
according to the goals and needs either independently or interdependently. Thus, learners achieve
efficiently in autonomous learning buy participating in out-of-class activities.
Even in English classrooms, teachers need to promote learner autonomy in terms of speaking,
listening, reading, writing, and vocabulary development. They should encourage their students,
outside the classroom also, to use their language skills on their own. In this regard,students or
learners should develop their autonomy with the help of technology, available resources and
sometimes with a little dependence on teachers. Initially, the learners depend on teachers but
gradually they have to develop their autonomous learning. So the learners should be active in
classroom activities and learn from their teachers how to develop autonomy in language learning.
Thus, learner autonomy in English language learning is also necessary as it is in other languages
or subjects.
Studies on Learner Autonomy
There are many studies conducted in schools, colleges and universities across the world on
learner autonomy, in English language also, by teachers and various organizations. The
following are some of the case studies on learner autonomy conducted in different countries and
the outcomes of their investigations:
1. In the studies of Ho and Crookall (1995), Gieve and Clark (2005), Chinese students (Hong
Kong) showed great appreciation of the benefits of autonomous study and made good use of the
opportunity to promote their autonomy. They conducted a study on Chinese students who were
learning English language and found out the students were very much interested in learner
autonomy because they felt that they could easily learn English by using various resources and
sometimes teachers‟ help. The current study on Chinese postgraduate EFL learners found that
they had positive attitude towards autonomous English learning and reported only a medium
level of autonomous learning behaviours outside the classroom. To encourage more autonomous
learning, the teachers were suggested to put more emphasis on developing autonomous learning
skills in the classroom with proper counselling, resource and support rather than stereotypical
teaching. Another suggestion was also made to focus on other important factors affect students‟
autonomous English learning in and outside the classroom.
2.Leni Dam (2011) conducted a study on learner autonomy in the language classroom in Danish
primary and secondary schools. Dam along with Lienhard Legenhausen started a project called
„Language Acquisition in an Autonomous Learning Environment‟ (LAALE). With her extensive
work and research on the effects of teaching according to the principles of autonomous language
learning on students‟ linguistic development, Dam has proved that autonomous language
learning is possible and practical in institutional settings. This is one of the case studies proving
that autonomous language learning should be promoted in language classrooms.
They conducted another programme called 'Autonomous Language Learning Modules' (ALMS)
at language centre at Helsinki University, Finland. Their aim was to develop learner autonomy
among the students at the centre by promoting reflection, self-evaluation and collaboration. The
students who enrolled on this programme attended awareness-raising classes to set their own
objectives, make a plan to achieve them and evaluate their own learning. Throughout the course,
the students cooperated with other students and with counselling of teachers. Finally, they found
out that students' views were changed in terms of motivation, meaningfulness of learning,
responsibility of learning and learning opportunities beyond the classroom. Learner autonomy is
an explicit aim of both the LAALE and ALMS, and the efforts of autonomy supportive climate
and instruction have been studied by them where learner autonomy can be considered merely a
positive by-product of student-centred learning.
3.In Vietnam, an extensive research has been done on learner autonomy since 2000. Trinh (2005)
focused on the notion of learner autonomy from the cognitive, psycho-linguistic, social and
political perspectives to promote students' learner autonomy by using a two-key parametre
curriculum: interaction and choice. In his study, learners were trained with a task-based course
curriculum that encouraged their interaction and their choice of learning activities and goals. He
found that there was a possibility of fostering learner autonomy in Vietnam. Later, he applied the
task-based approach in writing courses of English and concluded that learner autonomy
promoted students' self-regulated learning and their writing performance. Thus, it was a
successful attempt of Trinh in Vietnam regarding learner autonomy.
4.In Brunei, a study was conducted involving 39 students in a classroom on learner autonomy.
The study investigated the aspects of learner autonomy such as student attitudes towards working
in the groups and found that most of the participants were active in the classroom learning
process. The study also found that most of the participants had a positive attitude to achieve
common goals by cooperating with each other in groups. Thus, it is possible to understand that
Bruneian students' attitudes towards the aspects of learner autonomy are more or less similar to
those of counterparts in other countries.
5.Crawley (2014), in her UK primary school classroom in Newcastle, witnessed her learners and
classroom transform to a hive of lucrative activity before her eyes, with learning, again, driven
by curiosity and cooperation. It seems certain that technologies canprovide a spur for

autonomous learning, but the technologies have to be handled in the right way and must be used
in tandem with an approach which offers an impetus or stimulus for learning, which is then
carried forward by the learners, without the restrictions or limitations of a pre-determined, fixed
curriculum. Instead, the amount of exploration, the depth of knowledge and the degree of
expertise pursued by learners in particular topic areas is driven and determined by their needs
and desires to find satisfactory answers to questions.
Therefore, these case studies show that students/learners are very much interested in autonomous
language learning because they want to learn and develop their skills on their own by using
resources and technology and also sometimes with the help of teachers.
Problems in Learner Autonomy
Let us discuss the problems in learner autonomy faced by learners in language classrooms:
 The language teachers always dominate the classroom activities by imposing their own ideas
on learners. As a result, the learners do not get an opportunity to think, learn and practice in
their own way. This is one of the hindrances in learner autonomy. So teachers have to build
confidence and creativity among the learners in achieving autonomy without much
interference in their language activities.
 Mostly teachers do not involve the learners in selecting courses that is valuable for their
career. Learners follow the instructions of the teachers. This is another problem in learner
autonomy because learners cannot think independently. In this process, teachers and learners
have to discuss the course selection to solve this problem.
 Learners should be given freedom in earning and using vocabulary and grammar. Teachers
should not restrict them certain vocabulary and grammatical rules. This is another problem in
learner autonomy.
 Usually teachers set the problems and solve them too. It leads to teacher dominance, but the
role of the learners is diminished. As a result, learners do not get an opportunity on problem-
solving activities. In this regard, learners should be encouraged to involve in those activities.
 Too much reliance on teachers is a big problem in promoting learner autonomy. Generally,
teachers do not share their burden with learners. Consequently, learners do not get
opportunities to participate actively in classroom activities. This problem has to be overcome.
 Teachers use technology in language teaching, in ELT also, to make teaching flexible and
accessible to learners. Teachers do not encourage learners to use technology in classrooms as
well as language labs. This is another hindrance for learner autonomy. Therefore, teachers
have to encourage the learners to use technology in classroom and out of the classroom.
 There are other problems such as lack of facilities and management support in educational
institutions that hinder learner autonomy.
Thus, there are so many issues and problems existing in educational institutions that hamper
the progress of learner autonomy among the learners. There are solutions for these problems
and they are discussed comprehensively in this chapter.
CONCLUSION
Learner autonomy is one of the main concerns in modern education system. It should be
promoted in language learning particularly in ELL because the focus on the English language is
predominant across the world due to its global status. As English is being taught widely around
the world, ELT and ELL are focus more than other languages. Thus, learner autonomy is to be
focused in ELL by the teachers and management as it is highly required today.
The importance of learning autonomy in language learning, the role of teachers in promoting
learner autonomy, various case studies conducted in different countries on learner autonomy and
the problems or hindrances hampering the progress of developing learner autonomy have been
discussed thoroughly in this paper. In research findings, it is found that there is a necessity of
promoting learner autonomy in language learning, in ELL also, and the role of teachers plays a
prominent role.
Despite the problems in promoting learner autonomy in educational institutions, teachers and the
management should encourage the learners to improve their cognitive skills and achieve
autonomous learning. For this purpose, the learners should be given freedom and facilities in the
classroom and out of the classroom to focus on self-learning. Moreover, teachers should try to
overcome these hindrances for the learners who are in the process of achieving learner
autonomy.
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Language Teaching. London: AFLS/CILT.
Crawley, M. (2014, April). How are created Self-organized Learning Environments (SOLEs).
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1118/09 30-11-2018
PARUPALLI SRINIVAS RAO

I am very pleased to inform you that your research paper titled
LEARNER AUTONOMY: TRENDS AND ISSUES IN ELT has been
published in ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary
Research Journal (ISSN: 2249-7137) (Impact Factor: SJIF 2017
=6.049) Vol. 8, Issue-11, (November, 2018).
The scholarly paper provided invaluable insights on the topic. It gives me

immense pleasure in conveying to your good self that our Editorial Board
has highly appreciated your esteemed piece of work.
We look forward to receive your other articles/research work for

publication in the ensuing issues of our journal and hope to make our
association everlasting.



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