Autonomous Learning: How Can It Be Carried Out In A Distance EFL Writing Class?

From the 1970s, autonomous learning, as a kind of learning behavior, has alwaysbeen a hot issue in the research of language classrooms. After the 1990s, the rapiddevelopment and unique features of distance education also requires autonomouslearning to be an important way of learning in this special environment. The presentstudy is based on a new writing training model – a di-process-controlled writingtraining model to study the effects of autonomous learning in a distance EFL writingclassroom.The thesis is composed of six chapters. The author, in the first place, reviewedthe related interdisciplinary theories, major EFL writing approaches and relatedconcepts of autonomous learning. By adopting a di-process-controlled writingtraining model, unique features and new challenges faced by instructor, learners andTA in distance EFL writing classroom are summarized according to the author'sobservation and experiences. Then the author put forward three research questions: 1)Does autonomous learning bring significant improvement in EFL writing proficiencyto the distance writers? 2) Does autonomous learning help in enhancing distancewriters' motivation? 3) What are the other related effects may appear in a distanceEFL writing class? Then, the author carried out an empirical study by using thecollected data from a one-year-long distance EFL writing classroom of 318 learners,including quantitative analyses on textual information of writing pieces andqualitative analyses on questionnaires and a case study. The results showed thatautonomous learning is effective to improve the writing proficiency and enhance thelearning motivation of distance EFL writing learners. It also showed that in carryingout autonomous learning in an EFL writing classroom, delayed effects may appear.And the avoidance strategy which often happens in writing testing will also shownegative effects on the validity of distance EFL writing evaluation.The present study may shed light on research of similar kinds and can be servedas reference to practical distance EFL writing teaching. But due to time limit, thecollected data still need further exploring and analyzing. Researches of larger scale onthese aspects are also expected.