An Analysis of Learner Autonomy and Autonomous Learning Practices in Massive Open Online Language Courses

Abstract

The study investigates the perception of learner autonomy with Massive Open Online Language Course (MOOLC) participants, more specifically; (i) to what extent EFL learners in an English MOOLC are autonomous, (ii) the perception of learners' and teachers' roles in learner autonomy, and (iii) the autonomous learning practices the learners are involved in by participating in the MOOLCs. It contributes to the understanding of online learner as an agent in highly heterogeneous language learning contexts and the link between online learning and learner autonomy. The mixedmethod design is employed to present data from a Learner Autonomy Questionnaire by Joshi (2011) conducted with 57 participants from three English MOOLCs with a variety of focus as well as a content analysis method was used on the interaction data in the form of open discussion forum posts, which were added by the participants, to create a frame of autonomous learning activities in these MOOLCs and learners' attitudes towards them. The findings show that the English MOOLC participants are highly autonomous and willing to be more responsible for their own learning. Similarly, the learners' perception of their own roles indicates a positive inclination towards autonomy. Furthermore, the participants favor the MOOLCs that encourage learner-centered and autonomous language learning practices. Due to the interactive, communicative, and collaborative nature of MOOLCs, learners are advised to develop globalized autonomous skills to participate effectively in such multicultural learning platforms because learner autonomy goes beyond traditional classrooms.

An Inquiry into Saudi EFL Teachers and Students’ Perceptions of EFL Virtual Classes and Its Relation to Learner Autonomy

“…For the sake of this paper, learner autonomy is considered an individual and collective capacity that is fueled through a social interactive process. This is the process relied upon by the students and teachers of English as a Foreign Language for effective cooperation (Misir, Koc, & Koc, 2018). The concept of learner autonomy is therefore used as the foundational background within this literature review.…”

Modeling the Social Factors Affecting Students’ Satisfaction with Online Learning: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

“…Other studies identify student autonomy as a defining feature of virtual learning [93,94]. Rice [95] found that students found remote learning challenging and alienating: "Even if students are highly driven and self-directed, they may still find the experience lonely, challenging, and disappointing in a distance education environment."…”

Enjoyment, boredom, and perceived effectiveness of learners in language MOOCs: the mediating effect of self-regulated learning

“…Language MOOCs, defined as "dedicated Web-based online courses for second languages with unrestricted access and potentially unlimited participation" (Bárcena and Martín-Monje, 2014), is an emergent and expanding field in foreign language education. Recent studies on LMOOCs from learners' perspective mainly focused on their motivation, learning experience and academic performance (Henry and Marrs, 2015;Charbonneau-Gowdy, 2016;Sallam et al, 2020), whereas learner autonomy and strategy choices have received scant attention (Mısır et al, 2018;Ding and Shen, 2019). Self-regulated learning (SRL), which has typically been studied in face-to-face learning environments, has received increasing attention in the context of MOOCs.…”