Promoting Learner Autonomy In English Teaching In Secondary Vocational School

Learner autonomy has been a topic of widespread discussion in foreign language teaching in the recent twenty years. Many researchers at home and abroad have done a lot of research on learner autonomy and provided a lot of valuable suggestions for promoting learner autonomy in English teaching. Although learner autonomy has been greatly developed both in theory and practice, few of the researchers have tried to study learner autonomy in SVS (Secondary Vocational School). This thesis aims to make a tentative study of promoting learner autonomy in English teaching in SVS.This thesis first deals with the definitions, theoretical bases and current studies of learner autonomy. Then, based on the analysis of the necessity and possibility of promoting learner autonomy in English teaching in SVS, it elaborates a teaching experiment carried out in No.1 Vocational School in Xiangtan where 90 first-grade students from two intact classes were involved. In order to explore the effects of autonomous classroom teaching on learner autonomy and on their learning achievements, the experimental group employed autonomous classroom teaching while the control group stuck to the traditional teacher-centered teaching. The experiment lasted a semester and the instruments concerned questionnaires, language tests and an interview. In this experiment, the author adopted a mixed approach involving both quantitative and qualitative research methods. What's more, the data obtained from the questionnaires and language tests were analyzed by SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) 13.0.Results of the experiment indicate that autonomous classroom teaching is more effective than traditional teacher-centered teaching. Not only have the subjects of the experimental group made more growth in learning achievements but their learner autonomy has been improved. Thus, teachers can promote learner autonomy in English teaching in SVS by making preparations for learner autonomy including changing their own beliefs about learning, students and their roles, building up students' self-confidence, raising students' awareness of learner autonomy and helping them grasp effective learning strategies. At the same time, in order to be successful for promoting learner autonomy, they can adopt task-based language teaching (TBLT) in SVS, encourage students to reflect on their learning and establish a small self-access center in the classroom as the classroom is the simplest setting where students can be introduced to learner autonomy.The study of learner autonomy in SVS in China is still at its initial stage. The author hopes this study can provide guidance for English teaching in SVS.