Learner autonomy in the UAE context : an investigation of students’ beliefs and conceptions of autonomy in learning English language

Al Ghazali, F

Abstract

This study investigates the beliefs of United Arab Emirates (UAE) secondary school
students about autonomy in learning English. Given the extreme language diversity in the
UAE, it is imperative that Emirati citizens excel in English due to its position as the lingua
franca of the business and social segments. In second language learning, autonomy is
presented as a promising learning construct associated with effective learning (Little,
1999). It is also seen as a multi-faceted theme with psychological and philosophical
ramifications, which does not exist in one form or degree (Benson and Lor, 1999). This
variation makes it impossible to have one version of autonomy that can be applicable in all
contexts. It is accordingly necessary to investigate students' beliefs about autonomy in
their context to understand how they interpret it, the factors that influence practising it, and
the possibilities of promoting it from the standpoint of students themselves.
Two instruments were used in this study. Focus Group Interviews (FGIs) provided a
research instrument to identify students' representations of autonomy and these were used
to devise questionnaire items for subsequent wider use. A Likert-type questionnaire was
then applied to investigate the attitudes of a large sample of respondents (523 students)
regarding the ideas originating from participants' contributions in the FGIs. Based on the
thematic analysis of data in the FGIs and factor and descriptive analyses of students'
responses to the questionnaire items, it was found that the sociocultural context, economic
features, and curricular system all have great impact on students' understanding of
autonomy in their context. The analysis also showed that the form of autonomy exhibited
by students is influenced by their linguistic needs and learning agenda.
Course-oriented autonomy and proficiency-related autonomy are two forms students
practise simultaneously in pursuit of learning objectives. The data also showed that the
UAE students did not interpret autonomy as synonymous with total detachment or solitude;
they believe teachers have facilitating roles in enhancing their autonomy. The discussion of
results showed how the concepts of particularity, practicality, and possibility
(Kumaravadivelu, 2001) are represented in the UAE setting. The thesis argues that
enhancing autonomy requires improving the learning context to allow more opportunities
for students to express the autonomy they already have.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jul 28, 2021
• Award Date: Dec 1, 2011