Readiness For Autonomous Learning Of EFL Reading

The last twenty years have witnessed the growth of attention to the learner as the central agent in language learning, and learner autonomy has thus become an unquestionable goal of language education. Based on Benson's (2001) framework of learner autonomy at the learning management level and Wenden's (1998) three-stage distinction of self-management behaviors for learner autonomy, this paper assesses the students' exercise of autonomy in learning EFL reading. Particular attention was given to their control over learning management of EFL reading manifested in their performance of autonomous behaviors of planning, monitoring and evaluation in accordance with the three phases of the reading process, namely before reading, while reading and after reading. The different performance of good, moderate and poor readers, together with the possible factors that influence their autonomy in EFL reading was examined in detail. By exploring the students' exercise of autonomy in EFL reading, the paper is aimed to gauge students' readiness for autonomous learning of EFL reading and to help teachers identify the students' different performance, in order that more students can be appropriately trained as the autonomous learners of EFL reading. In the research, both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. The quantitative data were obtained from a questionnaire responded by third-year English majors from Anhui Normal University. Meanwhile, the interviews were adopted to give further insights into the students' actual performance of autonomous behaviors as well as the factors that influence the students' autonomy in EFL reading. The major findings can be summarized as follows:The students in general can exert some control over their EFL reading management, but the extent of their autonomy varies at the different phases of the learning process. Specifically speaking, they display a relatively high degree of autonomy in monitoring during reading, while tend to be less autonomous in planning before reading and evaluation after reading is especially lacking from the behavioral repertoire of the majority of the subjects.Significant differences can be found between good, moderate and poor readers in regard to their autonomous behaviors involved in learning management of EFL reading, and the general tendency agrees with the assumption that the better readers the students are, the more autonomously they behave. The study further reveals that motivation, sense of self-efficacy and different levels of teacher dependence have a profound influence on the students' autonomy in EFL reading. In light of the above findings, this paper suggests that certain learner training for learner autonomy in EFL reading should be implemented, both strategically and psychologically, so that the students can be furnished with not only adequate skills for but also positive attitudes towards autonomous learning of EFL reading.