autonomous learner

The present study aimed at discovering the practices and strategies autonomous EFL learners pursue in their endeavor to master English. It thus set out in the Iranian context, with 60 EFL learners, both autonomous and non-autonomous, as participants. The gathered data through a questionnaire and an interview were subjected to content and descriptive analysis. The results showed that both autonomous and non-autonomous learners preferred to apply receptive activities rather than productive ones. However, autonomous learners practiced more productive activities such as composing emails, writing articles, chatting with native speakers and their friends, as compared with non-autonomous learners. Regarding the use of strategies, autonomous learners used more metacognitive strategies, while non-autonomous learners preferred social strategies.

Learner autonomy has become the area of interest by many researchers of foreign language learning in the recent years. However, few studies have been done concerning the case of Kurdish learners` autonomy in learning languages. For this reason, the current study addresses this gap. It intends to investigate to what extent Kurdish learners are autonomous in learning English language. The study is significant in that it gives a broader understanding of the concept of autonomy to Kurdish learners and their language teachers to maintain how important autonomy is in promoting effective English language learning. The research adapts qualitative method in order to examine the views of Kurdish students who are currently studying at Salahaddin University in Kurdistan and their major field is English language learning. It involves six participants from various stages of undergraduate level to have the opportunity to examine autonomy according to different levels of learners` ability of using English language. The results of the study highlight that fortunately the participants showed a great degree of control over their learning. It was indicated that they were able to self asses their learning and design their own learning plans. Exploring their language learning autonomy experiences provide Kurdish learners and academics with a better understanding of how to challenge traditional methods of learning and what strategies to adopt to make learners more independent in the learning process.