Influence Of The M&NTEL Model On The Postgraduate Learner Autonomy

Many researches on the multimedia & network technology and learner autonomy have been carried out respectively, but little on the influence of the former upon the latter aspect has been done. With the development of English teaching and learning theories as well as the coming of the Information Age, the influence of the multimedia and network technology upon the language learner autonomy is concerned. Especially we should concentrate on the postgraduate language learners, a special community in the Chinese education system. This research aims to find out how the Multimedia and Network Technology-aided English Learning (hereinafter M&NTEL) model influences the postgraduate learner autonomy, including their autonomous learning beliefs and autonomous learning behavior.This research was conducted within a frame of interview and questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered in order to determine both autonomous learning beliefs and autonomous learning behavior of the postgraduates concerning the M&NTEL model; the interview was conducted to verify and supplement the questionnaire research. A total of 113 postgraduates participated in the research, and they used the same learning material but different learning models. The comparison of the two groups' achievements was also taken as reference to the influence of the M&NTEL model.The following findings were generated through the result analyses:1) The postgraduate learners who use the M&NTEL model exhibited more cognitive sense of self-responsibility and stronger learners' autonomous beliefs than the learners with the traditional learning model, and the autonomous beliefs were of different levels in the three facets: self-managing, self-monitoring and self-adjusting;2) The M&NTEL model users had stronger and more conscious learners' autonomous behavior than the traditional learning model users, and the autonomous behavior of the M&NTEL model users performed differently in the three layers: self-managing, self-monitoring and self-adjusting. 3) The M&NTEL model users achieved higher means and better central tendency of the scores than the control group. In addition, the lower achievers benefit the most from the M&NTEL model in the achievement progress, autonomous beliefs and autonomous behavior.Results of the current study explore better improvement of learner autonomy under the M&NTEL model in the Chinese context, and some suggestions are presented based on these findings.