From Collective Activity to Autonomous Learning: Fostering Learner Autonomy in Light of Activity Theory

Abstract

Autonomous learning and social activity have excessively been the focus of interest in second language acquisition over the past decades. The present study aimed to explore how activity theory-as a branch of sociocultural theory focusing on social context-can promote Iranian EFL learners' autonomy. To this end, fifty-six EFL students studying English translation at Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch, participated in the study. The participants were assigned to two groups, one experimental group and one control group. At the beginning of the semester, both groups took a language proficiency test to ensure their homogeneity. They also completed an autonomy questionnaire as the pretest and posttest. The instruction in both groups was based on a five-step process of developing the academic writing skill, including prewriting, organizing, writing the first draft, revising and editing, and writing a new draft. However, only the experimental group received the instruction through an e-learning platform designed based on the six elements of activity theory-subjects, objects, mediating artifacts, rules, community, and division of labor-suitable for EFL writing classrooms. The results revealed that integrating activity theory to e-learning had a decisive role in enhancing the students' learner autonomy. It is hoped that the findings raise both teachers and students' awareness of implementing activity theory as a social learning framework to foster autonomous learning in EFL contexts.

Challenges of Developing Learner Autonomy of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners in Underprivileged Areas

“…As evidenced by the relevant literature in the field, the enhancement of learner autonomy has a significant positive impact on student learning. It has received considerable research interest since 1981 as there have been many research studies focusing on teachers' and students' perceptions, beliefs or attitudes towards learner autonomy (Alhaysony, 2016;Alonazi, 2017;Asiri & Shukri, 2020;Asmari, 2013;Bekleyen & Selimoglu, 2016;Cirocki, Anam, & Retnaningdyah, 2019;Dogan & Mirici, 2017;Duong, 2014;Hajimaghsoodi & Saghaieh Bolghari, 2019;Khalil & Ali, 2018;Shahsavari, 2014;Tuan, 2021). Most of these studies have concluded that while both teachers and students have a positive attitude toward learner autonomy, they are not autonomous practically.…”