Study Of The Relationship Among EFL Students' Autonomous Learning Capacity, Self-concept And Their English Achievement

Ever since the 1960s, there has been abundant experimental research in western countries that has focused on the influence of students'autonomous learning capacity on their study and concentrated on the way to foster and promote learners'autonomous learning capacity. Upon the theoretical and experimental foundations in western countries, much attention of Chinese researchers has been paid to studies of autonomous learning since the end of 1970s. Some researchers compared the effect of different teaching models– the teaching model stressing autonomous learning and the traditional teaching model. Some researchers have found some cultural elements that hinder students'development of autonomous learning capacity. Along with the emergence and development of online English courses, English teachers are paying more attention to cultivating students'autonomous learning capacity. However, few studies have actually investigated Chinese EFL learners'autonomous learning capacity. In addition, few studies show the extent that Chinese learners'autonomous learning capacity affects their English development.Previous studies also indicate that students'self-concept, the way people think of themselves, is related to their academic achievement. A number of investigations indicate that academic self-concept and academic achievement are related, when some other studies focus on the causal ordering of academic self-concept and academic achievement. The Chinese self-concept is different from that of westerners,so it is necessary to combine western experiences with the actual situation in China to explore the possible relationship between Chinese students'self-concept and English proficiency.Based on the hypotheses that there are positive relationships between students'autonomous learning capacity and English achievement, and between self-concept and English proficiency, this study has found a moderate positive relation between students' English achievement and autonomous learning capacity, and between their English achievement and self-concept. In addition, the same happens to the relationship between students'English development and self-concept. Lastly, there is moderately positive correlation between the students'autonomous learning capacity and their self-concept, and between students'autonomous learning capacity and their academic self-concept. Accordingly, both cultivating students'autonomous learning capacity and promoting self-concept may contribute to better teaching results.