An Analysis Of Factors Affecting Chinese College Students' English Autonomous Learning

Nowadays, with the rapid progress of science, technology and society, abilities for autonomous learning become more and more important. Over the last three decades, learner autonomy has taken a growing important role in the field of language education. However, due to the influence from many factors, it is not an easy and direct process to enhance college students'abilities to learn autonomously, especially to put the awareness of learner autonomy into practice. Learners'autonomous learning is affected by the internal factors such as learners'learning beliefs and attitudes, learning motivation, learning strategies and styles, self-monitoring and self-evaluating and external factors such as teachers, learning materials and learning environment. Furthermore, factors are correlated to each other and their effect is not isolated. For different levels of students, the influence from internal and external factors is also different.In the thesis, four aspects were explored: Chinese college students'general attitudes toward learner autonomy in EFL at present; the factors and to what extent they affect Chinese students'English autonomous learning; differences of influence on proficient and less proficient learners from internal and external factors; correlations between learners'language proficiency and internal and external factors. The research was conducted through questionnaires and interviews with the randomly-selected students, and the results were analyzed in quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings of the study are as follows: Chinese college students express their approval of learner autonomy but they don't think Chinese students are good autonomous learners; among the internal factors, learning strategies and styles, self-monitoring and self-evaluating play a key role in successful English autonomous learning and among the external factors, teachers as a factor has great influence; differences of influence on proficient and less proficient learners from the four factors (learning strategies and styles, self-monitoring and self-evaluating, teachers and learning environment) are quite obvious. In general, less proficient learners'autonomous learning is more influenced by external factors; the three factors (learning strategies and styles, self-monitoring and self-evaluating and teachers) are significantly correlated to learners'language proficiency.On the basis of the analysis of the data, limitations of the present study are pointed out and further research questions are put forward. It is hoped that the findings might be of some help.