Meta-cognitive Strategy Training and the Development of Learners＇ Autonomy in Language Learning

As the ultimate goal of education, autonomy in language learning has aroused a lot of attention from scholars at home and abroad. While in universities of China, students do not have strong autonomy in English language learning. The author tries to adopt specific meta-cognitive strategies to facilitate students＇ autonomy in learning by improving learners＇ capacities in study planning or management, monitoring and evaluating in learning to raise their consciousness and ability in autonomy, and lay a foundation for life-long learning.

A Review of the Debates on Faculty of Language——A Brief Comment of Recursion-Only Hypothesis

In the scientific study of the faculty of language,M.Hauser,N.Chomsky & T.Fitch have proposed the recursion-only hypothesis in the context of biological evolution,while R.Jackendoff & S.Pinker have put forward a strong refutation---the language-as-adaptation hypothesis.This paper briefly introduces HCF hypothesis,meanwhile examines PJ's critical comment,and finally attempts to comment on both hypothesis with a balanced view.

An Experimental Study on the Development of Self-access Language Learning by Non-English Majors

Self-access language learning has attracted much attention in second language teaching and researching. This paper aims to do some researches on developing self-access language learning in the self-access center and test its effect on developing learner autonomy. Data,collected in the form of questionnaires and interview,were analyzed. Results show the development of self-access language learning by non-English majors.

A Review of Learner Autonomy in Language Learning

Learner autonomy,the ability of taking one's own learning in charge,plays an important role in language learning.The paper reviews the definition and the level of learner autonomy,the characteristics of autonomous learners,the application of learner autonomy in the classroom and out of the classroom and the relationship between learner autonomy and culture.In the paper,the development and the study of learner autonomy in China are also summarized.

Motivational Practices in Foreign Language Teaching:From the Perspective of Self-Determination Theory

This quantitative-oriented study investigates junior middle school EFL teachers’beliefs about motivational practices in the language teaching process.Grounded in self-determination theory,the study examined teachers’beliefs in three basic psychological needs(relatedness,competence and autonomy)and the effect of their teaching experience on these beliefs.Data were obtained from 84 Chinese junior middle school English teachers through a questionnaire.Results suggested that teachers recognized motivational practices for relatedness and competence satisfaction while showing relatively low recognition of a few motivating practices for autonomy satisfaction.Teaching experience was found to have no influence on teachers’conception of needs-related motivational practices.Findings reveal that traditional activities like collective lesson preparations may have a negative influence on teachers’beliefs about motivational practices.They also present the necessity for adjustments on educational regulations,and for modern professional training to help teachers understand students’basic psychological needs,and to encourage new ideas to bolster students’intrinsic motivation for language learning.

Evaluate the Use of Blog Sites in the Language Teaching and Learning

In the era of rapid development of information technology,an increasing number of educators involve blog sites in their language teaching process.Although blogs are incredibly effective in language teaching and learning,there is still space for growth.Students may be able to choose helpful learning content and share their thoughts with teachers and other language learners.Furthermore,as compared to traditional educational methods,blogs encourage students to communicate with their professors or other students in written form more frequently.As a result,it may help pupils enhance their reading and writing skills,as well as their learning initiative and vocabulary.Finally,it may allow students to track their learning progress,which may be beneficial in developing students’self-assessment,self-management,and self-education skills.

Learner Autonomy in the National English Language Curricula for Chinese Universities 1978-2007:A Historical Analysis

This historical study investigates the concept of learner autonomy in the national English language curricula for Chinese universities.It seeks to understand the meaning of learner autonomy in China and the intentionality of promoting this concept through the curricula from 1978 to 2007.By adopting Quentin Skinner’s intentionalist approach to analyzing the history of ideas,this study conducted a systematic document analysis of three national curricula in relation to their linguistic and practical contexts constituted of 169 Chinese academic articles in total.The study revealed that learner autonomy mainly referred to students’motivation and ability to work hard on their own outside the classroom in the Chinese context.Importing this concept,however,caused ideological confusion and exacerbated the disempowerment of teachers within the dynamics of China’s English language education at the tertiary level.The study raises awareness for borrowing concepts across different cultural contexts and has implications for research,policymaking,teacher development,and pedagogical practice in second language education in China.

A Critical Review of Foreign Language Education Purposes

A critical review of main purposes for foreign language teaching in the past few decades is provided, involving grammatical competence, communicative competence and intercultural communicative competence(ICC). In the meanwhile, from a process-oriented perspective, learner autonomy is also discussed. The conclusion is developing ICC best represents the language competence developing goal while developing learner autonomy represents a broad educational goal; a combination of these two goals count as appropriate foreign language education purpose.

Experienced Language Learners' Perceptions of Task-based Language Teaching-A Case Study of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the attitudes and opinions from experienced language learners towards task-based language teaching(TBLT), a popular and widely adopted teaching approach, in the context of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies(GDUFS) in China and provide suggestion for making improvements in language teaching.

The Students' Learning Autonomy and Language Teaching

As an essential concept of language teaching, learner autonomy (LA) is very important in language learning. Looking back to the history of foreign language teaching, we can find that people's different attitudes to learner autonomy have become a clue of modern foreign language teaching research.On the basis of foreign language teaching (FLT), this article aims to make clear three points: 1) what is learner autonomy? 2) What is the significance of cultivating students' learning autonomy in English language teaching in China? 3) And what can we do to cultivate students' learning autonomy? All the answers of these questions can be found in this article.

Fostering Language Learning Autonomy via the Computer Technology in Tertiary Education

This paper will begin by discussing the concept of learning autonomy.What follows is the rationale why learning autonomy is needed in language learning.It then will focus on the ways in which computer technology can foster language learning autonomy by checking different aspects of computer technology against the criteria that characterize leaning autonomy,followed by the analysis why this is possible in tertiary education.The conclusion of this paper will be some considerations of fostering learning autonomy via the computer technology.

Promoting Language Learner Autonomy in the New Era: Empirical and Theoretical Summary Based on the Online Chinese Teaching Experience

This article centers on factors that may affect language learners’autonomy in face of the challenges and the potential opportunities in the new era of post pandemic.It is of great significance to shed light on empirical approaches that serve to support teachers and learners to seek for multi-dimensional strategies on enhancing the learner autonomy where remote and virtual learning has been indispensable for both learners and teachers worldwide.It has become our consistent motive and responsibility to effectively address language learners’academic goals as well as their personal development in a more inclusive and collaborative learning community.

How to Promote Learner Autonomy in the Language Classroom

Learner autonomy is an effective way to improve the efficiency of ELT. This paper makes a preliminary study on the possible approaches to promote learner autonomy in the language classroom.

On Learner Autonomy in Foreign Language Education

Previous studies abroad and at home on learner autonomy have provided a variety of definitions from different perspectives as a framework of reference for the essence of LA. Therefore, based on the characteristics of LA, ways such as cultivation of LA beliefs and learning strategies, construction of a favorable LA environment and promotion of learner autonomy through teacher autonomy can be employed to foster students'autonomous learning ability.

Promoting language Learners＇ Autonomy in Cooperative Learning

Learner Autonomy （LA） is the desirable goal of the education. To date, many Learner Autonomy training programs have been carried out in foreign language teaching. Cooperative Learning （CL） is a language teaching and learning strategy which gets learners actively and cooperatively involved in learning a foreign language in groups. Both of them have been respectively advocated from pedagogical point of view and from the perspective of philosophy. However, being autonomous does not necessarily mean learning alone. Language learners should learn cooperatively and autonomously. It is the author＇s contention that CL is a good method to promote LA. CL has positive effects on both students＇ readiness and their ability to be more autonomous. CL enhances self-esteem and self-confidence, increases high motivation, encourages learners＇ responsibility for learning, enhances self-management skills, increases support for language learners to move from interdependence to independence. The paper stresses in the end that promoting LA is the teacher＇s long-term pedagogic goal.

Learner Autonomy in Foreign Language Learning

The paper discusses learner autonomy and its importance in foreign language learning. While human beings are born with a tendency to autonomy, the traditional textbooks and teaching methods hold back the depth, speed and extent of the learn?ers. With it, learners may use this in-born tendency, plus the help from teachers and other learners, to improve the quality of for?eign language education.

Teaching and Learning Literature in the English Language Curriculum in Vietnamese University Education:Problems and Solutions

Taking as its point of departure the problems which English-majored students face when confronted directly with the course in literature at university,this study was conducted mainly through an analysis of student-and-teacher responses to questionnaires together with document analysis and reviews on the author’s experience in teaching and managing literary courses at his university.The sample includes 10 teachers in charge of the courses and 150 students attending these courses from five universities.The findings indicate that the teaching and learning of literature in the English language curriculum at these universities is facing certain problems,among which are:limited experience of mother tongue literature;limited experience of literary language;limited experience of English or American literature;and limited experience or knowledge of the world,life,people.From the implications identified,the findings of this paper are believed to yield further insights into the improvement of literature teaching and learning at university in Vietnamese contexts.

Chinese Students’ Perspectives on the Role of Language Learning Advisors in Fostering Learner Autonomy in a UK University

As language learning advisors become familiar figures in self-access centers,their role in language learner autonomy(LLA)has attracted various researchers’ attention.However,higher education students travelling abroad to study are less likely to be familiar with advisors, especially if they are from a country where language advisory service is uncommon, such as in China. Nonetheless, we know very little about what these students think about advisors. Therefore,this study aims to investigate the perspectives these students may have on the role of advisors,enabling their learning needs to be better recognised and supported. This case study involves 120 masters’ students originally from China's Mainland on a pre-sessional course at a research institute in the UK,as well as students at the end of their one-year study, employing questionnaires and interviews to collect data.The results show that before the course,over 80% of the students reckon advisors are monitors to supervise them or advisors are teachers to teach them. However, throughout the course,the students gradually realize advisors play complex roles in developing students’ learner autonomy. Additionally, during the first week on the course, 62% of the students perceive learner autonomy as'to study by oneself, without others’ help'. Nevertheless, at the end of their one-year study, 75% of them perceive learner autonomy as'the attitudes and abilities toward life-long learning'. Overall, the findings indicate that the Chinese students’ transition to the British academic culture deepens their perceptions of learner autonomy, and bridges their gap between theory and practice of learner autonomy, but also helps them gain understanding of the complex nature of the advisor roles.