A Survey Of Current Situation Of College Students' EFL Autonomous Learning Through Using Online Resources

In recent years, it has become a hot issue in the field of language teaching and learning to study autonomous learning via Information Technology (IT), especially via computers and the Internet. However, the relevant literature shows the researches have either been based on students working inside the classroom and/or on one specific software program, rather than the fuller range of online resources. Little has been done to look at what language learners do in their autonomous learning outside the classroom where a variety of online resources are available to them. Therefore, the present thesis attempts to conduct a preliminary research in this area.In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the current situation of Chinese college students' EFL autonomous learning through using online resources outside the classroom. The research was based on the learner's side, with the foci as follows: the state of students' use of online resources; the state of students' use of learning strategies; and students' expectation on teachers. The construction of the questionnaire was around the above three aspects and based on the work of Chan (2001), Dickinson (1993), Voller (1997), Oxford (1990), and Figura and Jarvis (2007). The subjects (n=470) of this study were randomly chosen from a university in Zhejiang Province. The valid data obtained from the questionnaire were processed and analyzed with the aid of SPSS 15.0.The findings of the survey reveal that a majority of the students have affirmative attitudes toward using online resources in their EFL autonomous learning outside the classroom and many of them have online English learning experience. However, it is also shown that, on the whole, students' autonomous learning ability in such an environment is far from being satisfactory. On one hand, they cannot use online resources adequately to facilitate their English learning outside the classroom; on the other hand, they lack appropriate autonomous language learning strategies and expect to rely greatly on the teacher. All these result in the students' high expectation of teachers' guidance and assistance. Therefore, we still have a long way to go to make our students learn autonomously outside the classroom.Although the Internet is claimed to be useful and effective to promote learner autonomy in learners' language learning, the present study indicates that technology itself dose not ensure successful autonomous leaning at all. If students really want to benefit from online resources in their EFL autonomous learning, teachers' appropriate guidance and assistance are quite necessary.