An Empirical Study Of The Influence Of College English Teachers’ Teaching Styles On College Non-english Majors’Learner Autonomy

Nowadays, there has been an orientation in the study of English language learning-to cultivate learner autonomy. Constructivism holds that the most effective way of cultivating it is through the direct teaching. In such a case the function of teacher can not be ignored. Therefore, a study about teacher’s teaching style begins arousing the attention of many researchers. This thesis aims to explore the best ways to foster learner autonomy in terms of teacher education by discussing the influence of teacher’s teaching style on learner autonomy.The major issues to be addressed in this research can be summarized in the following research questions:1. What are the major types of teaching styles of college English teachers?2. What influence do teaching styles have on learner autonomy in language learning?(1) What roles do different teaching styles play in learner autonomy in language learning?(2) What influence do different teaching styles have on factors contributing to learner autonomy? Why?The study consists of two parts:quantitative research and qualitative researches:(1) In the quantitative research, the participants of the present study were50English teachers who were going to teach first-year non-English majors and200first-year non-English majors in Shanxi Datong University. Firstly, these50teachers were required to do a questionnaire on teaching styles. Secondly, according to the results,5teachers with different styles were chosen from these50teachers. Thirdly, at the beginning and the ending of this term, the students who were taught by these5teachers would do the questionnaire on learner autonomy in English language learning twice. The data obtained from the pre-test and post-test were at last analyzed by SPSS16.0.(2) In the qualitative research, two interviews with5teachers with different teaching styles and5students of teachers with different teaching styles were conducted. They were randomly selected from each class. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed later. The transcriptions of the interviews were synthesized and categorized.These data show that firstly the major kinds of college English teachers’teaching styles are formal authority style, personal model style and facilitator style. Secondly, teachers with different teaching styles have various influences on learner autonomy. Teachers with expert style and formal authority style can lead the decline of learner autonomy, teachers with personal model style can improve learner autonomy a little, and teachers with facilitator style and delegator style can improve learner autonomy greatly.Thirdly, each style would influence different factors contributing to learner autonomy. Moreover, according to the result of interviews, because the teachers with expert style and formal authority style favor the teacher-centered teaching approach and do not cultivate students’ awareness and capacity of learner autonomy, the students of teachers with expert style and formal authority style have a marked decline in attitude, motivation, confidence and the employment of learning strategies. Because the teacher with personal model style directs the students by showing how to learn English, and encouraging students to observe and then to emulate autonomous learning approach, but he/she does not always direct students to employing the meta-cognitive strategies, the students of teachers with personal model style improve in attitude, motivation and confidence, and have a marked decline in employing learning strategies. Because the teachers with facilitator style and delegator style encourage students to monitor and evaluate their learning, and help learners acquire skill and knowledge needed to become an autonomous learner, the students of teachers with facilitator style and delegator style improve in every factor.Findings from the study show the following implications:Through analysing the influence that different teaching styles have on each factor of learner autonomy, teachers should be trained pertinently according to their teaching styles, such as teachers with expert style and formal authority style should change their teaching belief firstly to "the learner center", require students to conduct the learning process, and cultivate the awareness of learner autonomy; teachers with personal model style should get more training on learning strategies of learner autonomy, and pay attention to function of the model between students; teachers with facilitator style and delegator style should master the way and strategies to improve learner autonomy better, then, it would foster learner autonomy more effectively.