Attribution, Agency And Autonomy In An EFL Context

The present study is to investigate how English Foreign language (EFL) students conceptualize learner autonomy, how they attribute their success or failure in their English language learning (ELL), and how they exercise their personal agency in ELL.The study adopted a qualitative research method to collect data. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were administrated among three groups of 9 university students individually. The interview data were coded and analyzed under the flags of themes.Data analyses showed that the EFL students had different understandings of learner autonomy. Some of the participants tended to view autonomy as self-government, self-control and self-discipline whereas others perceived autonomy as self-initiation, self-determination and self-monitoring. Still others took autonomy as self-directed mode of learning, and learners had the freedom to choose learning content, learning resources and learning strategies. Regarding the conceptualization of autonomy, there seems to be no clear-cut difference between groups, yet idiosyncratic difference is identified. The interview data indicated that the high proficiency level EFL students had the tendency to attribute their success/failure in English learning (EL) to such controllable factors as effort, and diligence; the medium proficiency level EFL students believed that learning outcomes can be reshaped by effort; the low proficiency level EFL students tended to ascribe their success/failure in EL to ability (uncontrollable factor) and learning strategies (controllable factors). With respect to agency, the interview data suggested that the high proficiency level EFL students tended to adopt communication oriented strategies; some of the medium proficiency level EFL students used communication oriented strategies and some of them used textbook-based strategies; the low proficient EFL students had the tendency to use interactive learning strategies less.The present study indicates that EFL students'attribution of success/failure, their agency and autonomy have an important role to play in their self-initiated EL. To promote autonomous learning and increase learning effectiveness, more attention and efforts should point to EFL students'psychological dimensions (e.g. students'motivation, self-efficacy, and learning strategies). Furthermore, the link between students'autonomous learning and teachers'autonomous teaching warrants in-depth study.