A Survey On English Autonomous Learning Ability Of Adult Students In Distance Education

The term “autonomy” comes from the need of independent learning and life longlearning. Autonomous learning is an important topic for both educators andpsychologists. And it has been the research topic in many branches of education field.In foreign language field, autonomy is considered as one of the final goals oflanguage teaching and learning.This survey begins with background of autonomy，gives the comprehensivedescription about abroad and Chinese autonomy. Radio and TV University is theresearch root of distance education. The author uses two kinds of new and uniqueresearch instruments to illustrate the significance about English autonomous learningin distance education. This survey investigates the learning features and presentsituation about autonomous learning of adult students in distance education. Theauthor investigates students’ learning motivation and learning obstacles. It isconcluded that the research aim is about autonomous learning ability, not otheraspects of autonomy. It is the final goal on how to improve English autonomouslearning ability and learning effect of learners in distance education.Students musthave five kinds of abilities: ability of determining English learning objectives; abilityof defining learning goal and study plan; ability of using learning strategies；ability ofmonitoring learning strategies and ability of evaluating learning process.Three hundreds graduates coming from Grade2012in Zhangjiakou Radio andTV University are chosen as subjects in this research, including majors of Accounting,Law, Administrative Management, Secretary and Finance. The subjects’ age, sex, joband learning obstacles are analyzed. The present learning situation of learners andfactors affecting autonomous learning ability are invested. All of these researchesplay active role to distance learners.The degrees of autonomous learning ability are divided into four levels: noautonomy; low degree autonomy; moderate degree autonomy and high degreeautonomy. Statistics about questionnaire items show that subjects with low degree autonomous learning occupy most of percent in the total. According to subjects’answers about interview, it is drawn that distance learner’s autonomous learningability is too low. And the present situation is not optimistic. The main psychologicalelements affecting autonomous learning ability include: learning motivation，goalsetting，learning strategies and metacognitive ability. Besides psychological elements,there are system or background elements and internet technique elements which canaffect autonomous learning ability. Lots of practical researches have been finishedabout the reasons that why distance learners lack of autonomous learning ability.Autonomous learning ability can be improved through these research materials. It ishelpful to improve English score of exams. This survey makes students aware of theirown learning regulation in order that they can adjust their own learning regulations toimprove autonomous learning ability.This survey points out both significance and implement and lead one bright roadto further researchers’ study about autonomous learning in future.