Luận án Learner autonomy: The roles of teachers and peers

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY LE HA TO QUYEN LEARNER AUTONOMY: THE ROLES OF TEACHERS AND PEERS PHILOSOPHY IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES DOCTORAL DISSERTATION HO CHI MINH CITY, 2023 ii MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY LE HA TO QUYEN LEARNER AUTONOMY: THE ROLES OF TEACHERS AND PEERS Major: Philosophy in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Code: 91 40 111 DOCTORAL DISSERTATION HO CHI MINH CITY, 2023 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP The Doctoral Dissertation titled “Learner Autonomy: The Roles of Teachers and Peers” has been submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Except for the references cited in this dissertation, I hereby declare that the whole or parts of this dissertation have not been published or used to obtain the degree elsewhere. No other person's work/research may be used in this thesis that is not properly cited. This thesis has never been submitted for any degree at any other university or training institution. Ho Chi Minh City, // 2023. Le Ha To Quyen ii ACKNOWLEDGEMNENTS “Learner Autonomy: The Roles of Teachers and Peers” Doctoral Dissertation has been completed at Ho Chi Minh City Open University. I take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks and deep gratitude to all those who have contributed to the successful completion of this thesis. Their continuous support, guidance, and encouragement have been instrumental in my academic journey. First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my scientific supervisors, Ms. Bui Thi Thuc Quyen, Ph.D. and Mr. Dang Tan Tin, Ph.D. Their comprehensive knowledge, unwavering support, and enthusiastic guidance have been the cornerstone of my research. Their insights and intellectual stimulation have been invaluable to my growth and understanding of the subject matter. I am forever indebted to them for their roles in my achievement. I am also deeply thankful to the Graduate Lecturers at Ho Chi Minh City Open University. Their extensive expertise and generous provision of background knowledge have significantly enriched my study activities. I must also extend my appreciation to my family, relatives, colleagues, classmates, and friends. Their belief in me and constant encouragement have fortified me during the challenges and pressures of this endeavor. Without their support and love, this journey would have been far more arduous. Finally, I acknowledge all others who have contributed in any way to this project, whether directly or indirectly. The collaborative spirit I have experienced will stay with me as cherished memories. In closing, I reflect on this journey with profound appreciation for the collective wisdom, guidance, and support that have made this thesis a reality. It is my hope that the work presented here honors the efforts and contributions of all those mentioned above. Ho Chi Minh City, .//2023 iii ABSTRACT Learner autonomy has been considered the central aim of education because of its significant role in enabling students to develop into successful lifelong learners. In modern times, students have many opportunities to learn outside the classroom, the ideal context for learner autonomy development. Therefore, research about the development of learner autonomy in the out-of-class learning context needs to receive more focus. Based on sociocultural theory as the theoretical framework, the current research explores the situation of EFL tertiary students’ learner autonomy in the out-of-class context and the potential of promoting it through teachers’ and peers’ roles in the classroom. With the explanatory sequential mixed methods designs, the study collected data from answers to a questionnaire on learner autonomy and teachers’ and peers’ roles (N=709) and semi-structured in-depth group interviews (N=35). The findings pointed out that although students had a moderate capacity to control the situational, behavioural, and psychological dimensions of learner autonomy, they still faced many challenges when learning independently. In addition, there were significant correlations between factors of the situational, behavioural, and psychological dimensions of learner autonomy and the roles of teachers as a resource, an evaluator, a controller, an instructor, a facilitator, and a co-learner in the classroom. The mediating factors of these correlations were the students’ motivation, role model, trust, and care. In addition, the correlations between learner autonomy and the four perceived peers’ roles in the classroom: a co-learner, an encourager, an assessor, and a supporter were also significant. The mediating factors of these correlations were positive emotions, interdependence, responsibilities, and face value. The research findings have provided empirical data about EFL tertiary students’ learner autonomy in the out-of-class context and the connection between in-class and out-of-class learning. These findings provide pedagogical implications for learners, teachers, and peers to foster learner autonomy development in the out-of-class learning context. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................. i LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... ix LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................. xi Chapter 1 ........................................................................................................................ 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 1.1. General context of the study ................................................................................. 1 1.1.1. The history of English teaching and learning in Vietnam .............................. 2 1.1.2. The vital role of English in Vietnamese context ............................................ 3 1.1.3. The challenges of English training in Vietnamese context ............................ 5 1.1.4. English training in Vietnam higher education ................................................ 8 1.2. Rationale of the research ..................................................................................... 11 1.3. Research aims, objectives and research questions .............................................. 13 1.4. Significance of the research ................................................................................ 14 1.5. Scope of the research .......................................................................................... 14 1.6. Definition of key terms ....................................................................................... 15 1.7. Thesis organisation.............................................................................................. 15 1.8. Chapter overview ................................................................................................ 17 Chapter 2 ...................................................................................................................... 18 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 18 2.1. Learner autonomy ............................................................................................... 18 2.1.1. Conceptualisation of learner autonomy ........................................................ 18 2.1.1.1. General conceptions of learner autonomy in language teaching ........... 18 2.1.1.2. Models of learner autonomy .................................................................. 21 2.1.1.3. Operational definition of learner autonomy ........................................... 25 ii 2.1.2. The importance of learner autonomy ............................................................ 26 2.1.3. Degrees of learner autonomy ........................................................................ 28 2.1.4. Factors that influence the development of learner autonomy....................... 29 2.1.5. Approaches to foster learner autonomy ........................................................ 32 2.1.6. Learner autonomy in out-of-class learning ................................................... 34 2.2. Perceived teachers’ roles in the language classroom .......................................... 38 2.2.1. A controller ................................................................................................... 40 2.2.2. An instructor ................................................................................................. 42 2.2.3. A facilitator ................................................................................................... 43 2.2.4. A co-learner .................................................................................................. 44 2.2.5. A resource ..................................................................................................... 45 2.2.6. An evaluator .................................................................................................. 46 2.2.7. An explorer ................................................................................................... 47 2.3. Perceived peers’ roles in the language classroom ............................................... 48 2.3.1. A co-learner .................................................................................................. 49 2.3.2. A supporter ................................................................................................... 50 2.3.3. An encourager ............................................................................................... 51 2.3.4. An assessor ................................................................................................... 52 2.4. Theoretical framework ........................................................................................ 53 2.4.1. Constructivism and social constructivism .................................................... 53 2.4.2. SCT ............................................................................................................... 54 2.4.3. CoP................................................................................................................ 57 2.5. Learner autonomy and perceived teachers’ roles ................................................ 59 2.5.1. Perceived teachers’ roles in learner autonomy development activity .......... 59 2.5.2. Mediating factors of learner autonomy and perceived teachers’ roles ......... 60 2.6. Learner autonomy and perceived peers’ roles .................................................... 61 2.6.1. Perceived peers’ roles in learner autonomy development activities ............ 61 2.6.2. Mediating factors between learner autonomy and perceived peers’ roles ... 62 2.7. Previous studies and research gap ....................................................................... 64 2.8. The conceptual framework of the study .............................................................. 67 2.9. Chapter overview ................................................................................................ 69 iii Chapter 3 ...................................................................................................................... 70 METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 70 3.1. Research paradigm .............................................................................................. 70 3.2. Research design ................................................................................................... 71 3.3. The quantitative research .................................................................................... 75 3.3.1. Objectives ..................................................................................................... 75 3.3.2. Participants.................................................................................................... 75 3.3.2.1. Rationale for choosing English majors .................................................. 75 3.3.2.2. Sample size ............................................................................................. 76 3.3.2.3. Sampling method .................................................................................... 76 3.3.3. Instrument development ............................................................................... 78 3.3.3.1. Rationale for choosing the questionnaire format ................................... 78 3.3.3.2. Questionnaire design .............................................................................. 79 3.3.3.3. Questionnaire proofreading .................................................................... 86 3.3.3.4. Translating the questionnaire ................................................................. 87 3.3.3.5. Piloting the questionnaire ....................................................................... 88 3.3.4. Quantitative data collection procedure ......................................................... 89 3.3.5. Quantitative data management ..................................................................... 90 3.3.6. Quantitative analysis ..................................................................................... 92 3.3.7. Issues of reliability and validity of the quantitative research ....................... 96 3.4. The qualitative research ...................................................................................... 96 3.4.1. Objectives ..................................................................................................... 97 3.4.2. Rationale for adopting semi-structured in-depth group interview ............... 97 3.4.3. Participants and the recruitment process ...................................................... 97 3.4.4. Instrument ................................................................................................... 100 3.4.4.1. Instrument design ................................................................................. 100 3.4.4.2. Piloting the interview protocol ............................................................. 101 3.4.5. Qualitative data collection procedure ......................................................... 101 3.4.6. Qualitative data analysis ............................................................................. 102 3.4.7. The trustworthiness of qualitative data ....................................................... 103 3.5. Ethical considerations ....................................................................................... 105 iv 3.6. Chapter summary .............................................................................................. 107 Chapter 4 .................................................................................................................... 108 DATA ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................... 108 4.1. Results of the quantitative phase ....................................................................... 108 4.1.1. Demographic information ........................................................................... 108 4.1.2. EFL students’ learner autonomy in out-of-class learning .......................... 109 4.1.2.1. Internal consistency reliability measure of learner autonomy scale .... 109 4.1.2.2. Descriptive statistics of learner autonomy ........................................... 110 4.1.3. Perceived teachers’ roles in the language classroom .................................. 115 4.1.3.1. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) of the Perceived teachers’ roles scale ................................................................................................................... 115 4.1.3.2. Descriptive statistics of perceived teachers’ roles ............................... 119 4.1.4. Perceived peers’ roles in the classroom ...................................................... 122 4.1.4.1. Exploratory Factor Analysis of Perceived peers’ roles scale ............... 122 4.1.4.2. Descriptive statistics of perceived peers’ roles .................................... 125 4.1.5. Correlations between learner autonomy and perceived teachers’ roles ..... 127 4.1.5.1. Pearson correlations between learner autonomy and perceived teachers’ roles ................................................................................................................... 127 4.1.5.2. Canonical correlation between learner autonomy and perceived teachers’ roles .................................................................................................... 130 4.1.6. Correlations between learner autonomy and perceived peers’ roles .......... 133 4.1.6.1. Pearson correlations between learner autonomy and perceived peers’ roles ................................................................................................................... 133 4.1.6.2. Canonical correlation between learner autonomy and perceived peers’ roles ................................................................................................................... 137 4.2. Results of the qualitative research .................................................................... 140 4.2.1. Mediating factors of learner autonomy and perceived teachers’ roles ....... 141 4.2.2.1. Motivation as a mediating factor .......................................................... 141 4.2.2.2. Trust as a mediating factor ................................................................... 143 4.2.2.3. Role model as a mediating factor ......................................................... 145 4.2.2.4. Care as a mediating factor .................................................................... 146 4.2.2. Mediating factors of learner autonomy and perceived peers’ roles ........... 147 v 4.2.2.1. Positive emotions as a mediating factor ............................................... 148 4.2.2.2. Interdependence as a mediating factor ................................................. 149 4.2.2.3. Responsibilities as a mediating factor .................................................. 150 4.2.2.4. Face value as a mediating factor .......................................................... 151 4.3. Chapter overview .............................................................................................. 153 Chapter 5 .................................................................................................................... 154 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ............................................................................ 154 5.1. EFL tertiary students’ learner autonomy in out-of-class learning .................... 154 5.1.1. The situational dimension ........................................................................... 154 5.1.2. The behavioural dimension ......................................................................... 157 5.1.3. The psychological dimension ..................................................................... 160 5.2. Pe