The Mediatorial Role Of EFL Teachers To Promote Students' Initiative In Classroom Learning

This thesis examines two key components of learner autonomy, namely students' initiative and teachers' mediatorial role. The goal of learner autonomy cannot be reached in one step. Researchers have proven that autonomy in language learning begins in the classroom, and language teachers can play a pivotal role in empowering students to be more autonomous. An ideal learning style, namely that students take more initiative and teachers act as mediators in the classroom, will enhance the autonomous learning process. The overall research question is this: How can EFL teachers in Chinese universities as mediators promote students' initiative in classroom learning? To answer this question several sub-questions needs to be first answered, such as, what is the theoretical basis for teachers' mediatorial role and students' initiative; what is the real EFL classroom learning situation in Chinese universities; how much do teachers and learners understand and practice the mediatorial role that teachers should play, and in what areas can the teachers as mediators promote learners' initiative in the classroom. This thesis draws upon several sources in answering the research questions. These include prior research, questionnaires for foreign and Chinese teachers and their students, and interviews. This study was based on two questionnaires involving 173 students and 24 teachers. Three significant findings are presented in this thesis: First, EFL teachers in China thought a mediatorial role for teachers was highly important, and most of them practiced it as frequently as they could. However, there were still some activities that the teachers did not do as much as students expected or wanted. Second, both teachers and students recognized the importance of students' being more responsible for their own EFL learning process, yet for some areas of responsibility, the teachers and students did not reach a consensus because they either competed for the responsibility or avoided some responsibility. Third, students were eager to have more rights to make decisions both inside and outside the classroom.