Fostering The Autonomous English Learning Ability Of Non-English Major Freshmen Based On Constructivism

Recently, under the influence of Humanism and the concept of life-long education, autonomous learning has become the chief concern and trend in the field of foreign language teaching and learning. College English education syllabus issued by the Education Ministry clearly point out that college education must attach great importance to the comprehensible ability of students and promote their autonomous English learning ability. However, according to some surveys, the spoon-feeding teaching mode in senior middle school makes students heavily rely on their teachers to formulate learning objectives, supervise learning process and evaluate learning outcomes, which is incompatible with the objective of college English education.Since Holec first introduced the concept of autonomy into the field of the foreign language teaching and learning in1981, autonomous learning becomes the important subject in foreign language acquisition. Many experts and researchers at home and abroad did substantial researches on autonomous learning. Base on previous researches, in this thesis, a survey was conducted on236non-English major freshmen in Hohai University to measure their overall degree of AL in this transitional stage. The questionnaire is composed of50items which cover eight sections:formulating the learning objectives; the perception of the teacher’s role; identifying what has been taught; selecting and implementing appropriate learning strategies; monitoring and evaluating the learning process; their self-efficacy in English learning; their English learning motivation and their use of learning resources inside and outside class.According to the data-analysis from the questionnaire, it is clearly reflected that the overall degree of autonomous learning of freshmen is not as satisfactory as expected in Hohai University. The main problems are summarized as follows:most students have positive attitude towards autonomous learning and are willing to take responsibility for their learning, however, passive and dependent learning is still popular among students in the process of their English learning; they have strong motivation but lack proper motivation in their English learning; students seldom make full use of the external resources and cooperative learning is not effectively conducted; some students show weaknesses in selecting appropriate learning strategies according to their learning tasks; most students do not do well in monitoring and evaluating their learning process. Besides, In terms of the university investigated, there are no statistically significant differences between males and females, between art and science students in autonomous learning. However, it is estimated that there exists considerable gap in English learning and teaching between universities and high schools. Students in this transitional stage are not accustomed to the new study and life and have difficulty adapting to the requirements of college English teaching and learning. Therefore, it is urgent and necessary for teachers to explore proper strategies and methods to cultivate and improve students’ autonomy. Constructivism, which emphasizes the students-centered teaching, complies with the English education reform in China. Based on the above findings and constructivism, seven pedagogical suggestions are put forward for the purpose of promoting students’ability of AEL:(1) Teachers are suggested shifting their traditional role in the teaching process and emphasizing the subject role of students;(2) Strengthening students’self-confidence in English learning;(3)Equipping students with appropriate learning strategies;(4) Arousing students’intrinsic motivation;(5) Helping them monitor and evaluate the learning process and outcome;(6) Promoting the cooperative learning;(7) Providing a favorable atmosphere to help learners easily gain access to various learning resources.The thesis consists of six chapters. Chapter One serves as an introduction, aiming at stating the background and purpose of the research as well as its significance and necessity in college English learning. Chapter Two deals with the literature review of autonomy both at home and abroad and the theoretical support of the study. Chapter Three elaborates the research design of the study, such as the research subject, research instrument and data analysis procedure. Chapter Four presents the findings and results in detail by using descriptive analysis and independent sample T-test analysis. In Chapter Five, possible suggestions on promoting students’autonomous English learning are put forward on the basis of research findings and constructivism. Chapter Six is the conclusion part, summarizing the findings of the study as well as the limitations and further research focus.