A Research On Development Of College English Learner Autonomy In Chinese Cultural Context

With more and more researches on language learning process and learningstrategies, language teachers have come to realize that it is of great significance toapply autonomous learning theory into language teaching. Fostering learner autonomy,that is, learners take responsibility for their own learning, is essential for languagelearning. Studies investigating approaches to the development of learner autonomyhave proved that Chinese cultural factors have an effect on the development of learnerautonomy. However, there is a lack in empirical studies on the development of collegeEnglish learner autonomy in the Chinese cultural context. Considering the presentstatus of college English teaching and the phenomenon of “high cost but lowefficiency” in college English learning, the thesis tries to elaborate on the Chinesecultural influence on learner autonomy and explore more effective ways of fosteringcollege English learner autonomy by taking advantage of favorable cultural factorsand reducing unfavorable cultural influence, thus giving constructive suggestions forthe development of learner antinomy.In this study, the author investigates the favorable and unfavorable factors for thedevelopment of college learner autonomy in Chinese cultural context. Confucianvalue of modesty, collectivist-oriented value, teacher authority andexamination-oriented education are considered in this research. English learners fromChengdu University of Technology are involved in the present study. Data arecollected by means of questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews. Bothqualitative analysis and quantitative analysis are employed in this study.The major findings of this study are:1. Collectivist-oriented value benefits thedevelopment of Chinese college English learner autonomy;2. Confucian value ofmodesty has beneficial effects on the development of Chinese college English learnerautonomy; and3. Examination-oriented education is a barrier to the development ofChinese college English learner autonomy.4. Teacher authority hinders thedevelopment of Chinese college English learner autonomy. These findings validatethe hypotheses in this research. Implications for the development of college learner autonomy are describedthrough the analysis of the investigation and some suggestions are offered for thedevelopment of learner autonomy in Chinese college English teaching, including theadoption of cooperative learning, learner training, teacher autonomy and theestablishment of class culture.