Promoting Learner Autonomy In First-year English Majors Through Cooperative Learning

The first year English majors in china are observed being dependent and passive. Recently, training learners to be autonomous has become an important area of language research. Most of the existing teaching research on promoting learner autonomy in ESL classroom are conducted via computers or network service. The present study explored how to promote first year English majors' learner autonomy through cooperative learning. Sixty students participated in the experiment. They were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The data were collected through questionnaires, language tests, interviews, diary, etc. Data analysis is via SPSS. Results indicated cooperative learning was significantly more effective than traditional teaching approach in developing some facilitative affective factors such as motivation, anxiety, confidence, self-esteem, etc, which are aspects of learner autonomy in language learning. It was also discovered that cooperative learning did better in improving learners' listening, speaking and reading proficiency; however, it is no more effective in training skills of vocabulary, grammar or writing. On the whole, cooperative learning is more effective in training autonomous language learners than traditional teaching approach. It is suggested that attention be paid to appropriate classroom monitoring by the teacher.