A Study Of Learner Autonomy Oriented College English Coursebook Design

The promotion of learner autonomy is increasingly seen as a central goal of education, and the achievement of autonomy is already enshrined in many language teaching practices. Nonetheless, coursebook, as one of the most influential factors in achieving learner autonomy, seems to be underestimated. Very few researches associate learner autonomy with the coursebook design and the principles to guide the design of learner autonomy oriented coursebook are currently lacking.In order to have an in-depth understanding of the application of learner autonomy in the current College English coursebook, the author conducted a survey of College English (new edition)—Integrated Course, which is one of the most influential components of College English, one of the most widely used College English coursebooks in China. Questionnaires and interview questions are carefully designed to obtain responses concerning the extent to which Integrated Course meets learner needs and the extent to which it promotes learner autonomy. 160 non-English major students in Ningbo University have participated in the survey. The survey indicates that the set of coursebooks roughly satisfy the students'needs while leaving some problems: 1) inadequate training in fostering learner autonomy; 2) insufficient training in learning objectives; 3) inadequate instruction and practice of learning strategies.According to these observations, this paper concerns itself with a relative macro perspective to explore the learner oriented coursebook design in ELT setting for non-English majors in China and put forward a general framework in coursebook design with five principles proposed. The items in the framework consist of learner needs, learning objectives, learning strategies, learning resources and reflection on learning. Each item is followed by the students'statement in the interview.