Developing Learner Autonomy And Language Speaking Proficiency Through LAP Class

Learner autonomy is widely recognized as a desirable educational goal,but the lack of domain-specificity of the concept affects its accessibility tolearners, compounded with this are the diversity of views on the very nature anddefinition of learner autonomy and the lack of understanding of its manifestationin different developmental stages, which posing difficulty in both its applicationand measurement. Also, although the requirement for learner autonomy inmiddle schools is clearly stated in China‘s curriculum document, few researcheshave been done on how learner autonomy can be achieved through classroomteaching in the Chinese context. To address these issues, this study sets out toexplore whether learner autonomy could be fostered with an appropriateapproach.As learner autonomy is necessary for effective learning to take place, andspeaking is an important modality of language acquisition, this study sets out toexplore a possible way which provides the greatest potential in fostering learnerautonomy through emphasizing on self-discovery and reflectivity during thelearning process. Since that autonomous learning ability was recommended andrequired by the curriculum documents for China‘s secondary schools, which areguided by the overarching principle of helping students learn how to learn, inother words helping them develop into autonomous learners. This provided apractical ground for the study.The investigation was carried out in the naturalistic settings of2classrooms in a middle school in China. Quantitative and qualitative data havebeen collected from the classes through questionnaires, learning diaries andlesson observations. Qualitative data have been collected from the teachersthrough interviews and lesson observations. With reference to relevant literature,the construct of learner autonomy is operationalized as autonomous attitudessuch as motivation, self-confidence and autonomous skills as strategy use and its pre-requisite of metacognitive knowledge. Informed by the literature of theimportance of the immediate classroom contexts in effecting changes, theinvestigation also has explored the roles of contextual factors, in particular theteacher factor, in bringing about change and no change in students‘learnerautonomy through the LAP Class.The study has found that the LAP Class generally has a positive impact onthe development of learner autonomy, while the teacher‘s beliefs and approachto teaching have important mediating effects. Findings also suggested that thegrowth in students‘usage of learning resources is a sign of the onset of learnerautonomy but not a sufficient condition for its development. Moreover, thesusceptibility of the factor of social strategy to contextual factors revealed by thestudy calls for further investigation into the role of social interaction in thedevelopment of learner autonomy.