AUTONOMY STUDIES: THE USAGE OF LEARNING STRATEGIES IN

OUR EFL CONTEXT

Advisor: Prof. Dr. Karla Ribeiro de Assis Cezarino

Co-advisor: Prof. Dr. Karen L. Currie

Robson Martins de Araujo Junior

English teacher graduated from UFES 2006-2009

Grad student in Distance Education at UFF, Niterói

rmajunior@hotmail.com / rmarajr@gmail.com

XXII APIES Annual Meeting – Vitória/ES – September, 2012XXII APIES Annual Meeting – Vitória/ES – September, 2012

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What are Learning Strategies?What are Learning Strategies?

“the specific things that one does to learn”. (HINKEL, 2005, p.758)

“learning strategies are special ways of processing information that

enhance comprehension, learning, or retention of the information”. (O’MALLEY & CHAMOT 1996, p. 1)

“[…] autonomy is about people taking more control over their lives -

individually and collectively. Autonomy in learning is about people taking

more control over their learning in classrooms and outside them and

autonomy in language learning is about people taking more control over the

purposes for which they learn languages and the ways in which they learn

them.” (BENSON, 2003, online)

What is autonomy in language learning?What is autonomy in language learning?

• What is the difference between an autonomous learner What is the difference between an autonomous learner and a self-taught learner?and a self-taught learner?

- AUTONOMOUS learners “[...] understand the purpose

and process of learning and are able to choose from available tools

and resources to create a productive learning environment” (THI

CAM LE, 2005, p.6). But they are still dependent on teachers to

receive instruction and contents.

- SELF-TAUGHT learners are the ones who have learned

things without any help from others, making use of their own

techniques in order to learn by themselves. (HORNBY, 2005)

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Obj

ectiv

es By answering these initial questions, this

study hopes to make teachers and students

aware that there are a variety of ways to deal

with the process of learning a new language.

This study aimed to answer the following questions:This study aimed to answer the following questions:

What are the learning strategies used by students, whether consciously or not, during their language learning process?

Which are the most and least frequent strategies used?

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wHolec defines Autonomy as being “[…] the ability to take charge of

one’s learning […]” (1981, p. 5)

“[…] autonomy is a process, not a product. One does not become

autonomous; one only works towards autonomy”.

(THANASOULAS, 2000, p. 2)

Teachers can have a very important role in the development of their

students’ autonomy, according to Thanasoulas:“[…] autonomous

learning is by no means ‘teacherless’ learning” (2000, p.4).

Thi Cam Le states that “the teacher plays an indispensable role by

acting as a facilitator and modifying material for the students when

necessary” (2005, p.6).

“in order to help learners to assume greater control over their own learning it

is important to help them to become aware of and identify the strategies that

they already use or could potentially use”.

(HOLMES and RAMOS, 1991, p. 198)

“[...] appropriate strategies use is an important factor that differentiates more

and less effective language learners, and that useful strategies are both

teachable and learnable”.

(OXFORD, 1996, p.180)

“The teachers promote autonomous behavior by suggesting extracurricular

activities, focusing first on those that students already engage in. For example,

the teacher may want to ask students to try such English learning activities as

writing letters to pen pals; reading newspapers, magazines, or books; listening

to the radio; watching movies; surfing the Internet; talking to foreigners;

keeping a journal; practicing conversation with friends; studying in groups; and

attending a self-study center”.

(SPRATT et al., 2002 apud THI CAM LE, 2005, p. 6)Lite

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• Quantitative approach;

• Structured questionnaire – 5 Point Likert Scale;The Likert scale is an attitude scale, which measures the subjects’ attitudes towards the topic studied (MCNABB, 2004).

• Mode – central tendency measure method;The mode “determines the typical or average value for any scale of measurement, including a nominal scale. […] In a frequency distribution, the mode is the score or category that has the greatest frequency”(GRAVETTER; WALLNAU, 2000, p. 93).

• Questionnaire was revised and validated;

• A pilot-test was made with 10 students;

• All thirty-four selected students participated

deliberately.

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General

1. Estudo inglês quando tenho tempo livre.

2. Tento pensar nas coisas que vejo em inglês.

3. Tento entrar em contato com a língua fora da sala de aula

(música, TV, filmes, vídeo games, internet, etc.).

4. Vou ao centro de auto aprendizagem do curso de inglês.

5. Navego sites em inglês.

6. Utilizo sites que ensinam inglês.

Listening

7. Tento ouvir o CD [áudio] antes de ler o texto [script] da atividade.

8. Assisto à programas de TV e filmes com o áudio em inglês.

9. Escuto músicas em inglês.

10. Tento compreender a letra da música enquanto escuto.

11. Procuro as letras das músicas para melhor entender e acompanhá-la.

12. Tento transcrever as atividades de listening

(conversations, livros,etc.).

13. Gosto de ouvir / Fico curioso quando as pessoas conversam em

inglês.

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Reading

14. Procuro ler (livros, revistas, artigos,etc.) em inglês.

15. Quando leio não me prendo a palavras que não sei, tento

entender o texto como um todo.

16. Configuro a língua inglesa como padrão nos meus eletrônicos

(computador, celular, MP3, jogos, etc.).

17. Assisto filmes com a legenda em inglês.

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Writing

18. Faço todos meus exercícios de inglês.

19. Escrevo em inglês com meus amigos no MSN/Orkut/E-mail, etc.

20. Mantenho um diário em inglês.

21.Tento escrever pequenos textos sobre diferentes tópicos em

inglês.

Speaking

22. Tento falar o máximo de inglês com amigos, professores,

família, etc.

23. Falo sozinho em inglês.

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Pronunciation

34. Quando escuto algo em inglês presto atenção nos sons e

entonações.

35. Tento imitar e pratico a pronúncia dos áudios que contém

falantes da língua inglesa.

36. Tento cantar minhas músicas favoritas em inglês mesmo

sem saber a letra.

Grammar

24. Uso gramáticas de inglês para estudar estruturas.

25. Costumo fazer exercícios de gramática para praticar.

26. Reviso meus textos para procurar meus erros.

27. Anoto tópicos e estruturas gramaticais que tenho dificuldade

para estudar depois.

28. Tento traduzir pequenos textos do inglês para o português.

29. Tento traduzir pequenos textos do português para o inglês.

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Vocabulary

28. Tento traduzir pequenos textos do inglês para o português.

29. Tento traduzir pequenos textos do português para o inglês.

30. Utilizo dicionários (português/inglês; inglês/inglês;

inglês/português).

31. Procuro o significado de novas palavras e analiso seus

possíveis usos.

32. Assisto filmes e anoto algum vocabulário que não entendo.

33. Procuro as letras das minhas músicas favoritas em inglês,

pesquiso o significado.

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• The data collected from all questionnaire was

tabulated;

• The mode was applied in order to foreground the

most recurrent scores in each strategy;

• The fifth point of the scale “E”, which stands for “I

do it but not with the purpose of improving my

English” did not receive enough answers to be

highlighted by the mode, it was not used in the

analysis;

Dat

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• The data was grouped into two categories: the most

frequent (A-Frequently) and the least frequently (D-

Never) used strategies, which meant that only the

strategies that were highlighted by the mode in these

points of the scale, were part of these categories;

• According to tables 1 and 2, we can see that

students have a slight preference of using listening

and pronunciation strategies, rather than using the

grammar and writing ones.

Dat

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anal

ysis

anal

ysis

• The data was grouped into two categories: the most

frequent (A-Frequently) and the least frequently (D-

Never) used strategies, which meant that only the

strategies that were highlighted by the mode in these

points of the scale, were part of these categories;

• The strategies which were highlighted with gray

shading are the ones which received answers from

more than seventeen (50%) participants. In tables

1 and 2, we can see that students have a slight

preference for using listening and pronunciation

strategies, rather than using strategies related to

grammar and writing.

Dat

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anal

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anal

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# Type Description Mode

9 Listening Escuto músicas em inglês. 26

13 Listening Gosto de ouvir / Fico curioso quando as pessoas conversam em inglês. 23

3 General Tento entrar em contato com a língua fora da sala de aula. 22

10 Listening Tento compreender a letra da música enquanto escuto. 20

15 Reading Quando leio não me prendo a palavras que não sei, tento entender o texto como um todo. 19

8 Listening Assisto à programas de TV e filmes com o áudio em inglês. 17

36 Pronunciation Tento cantar minhas músicas favoritas em inglês mesmo sem saber a letra. 17

34 Pronunciation Quando escuto algo em inglês presto atenção nos sons e entonações. 16

28 Gram/Vocab Tento traduzir pequenos textos do inglês para o português. 15

11 Listening Procuro as letras das músicas para melhor entender e acompanhá-la. 14

33 Vocabulary Procuro as letras das minhas músicas favoritas em inglês e pesquiso o significado. 14

35 Pronunciation Tento imitar e praticar a pronúncia dos áudios que contém falantes da língua inglesa. 11

27 Grammar Anoto tópicos e estruturas gramaticais que tenho dificuldade para estudar depois. 10

Table 1 Strategies which were frequently used by some students

# Type Description Mode20 Writing Mantenho um diário em inglês. 334 General Vou ao centro de auto aprendizagem do curso de inglês. 25

16 Reading Configuro a língua inglesa como padrão nos meus eletrônicos (celular, MP3, etc.) 1824 Grammar Uso gramáticas de inglês para estudar estruturas. 1732 Vocabulary Assisto filmes e anoto algum vocabulário que não entendo. 1621 Writing Tento escrever pequenos textos sobre diferentes tópicos em inglês. 156 General Utilizo sites que ensinam inglês. 14

19 Writing Escrevo em inglês com meus amigos no MSN / Orkut / E-mail, etc. 1425 Grammar Costumo fazer exercícios de gramática para praticar. 127 Listening Tento ouvir o áudio (CD) antes de ler o texto da atividade. 11

23 Speaking Falo sozinho em inglês. 11

Table 2 Strategies which were never used by some students

Dat

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anal

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anal

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• All the 36 listed strategies were said to be used by the 34

participants;

• However, are students aware of the fact that they are using

strategies that could be used as strong supportive tools throughout

their learning process?

• The questionnaire used in this study could be a great instrument to

help teachers identify the strategies used by their students in order

to reinforce the ones that students already know and teach the

strategies that they are not acquainted with yet.

• The researched school has an Independent study Lab available for

all students and free of any charge, but even so, 73.5% of the

students do not go there.

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s• Once this study has shown what the most and least used

strategies are, teachers could start developing more activities

related to these practices in order to explore, increase, and

reinforce students’ ways of studying.

• Teachers should explore songs as being valuable teaching tools

since students showed they have been in touch with the audio and

the lyrics very frequently.

• Teachers can also improve students’ autonomy by teaching or at

least mentioning the existence and purposes of the least used

strategies, in order to facilitate the students’ learning process.

• There are several simple actions that are regarded as being

powerful strategies to support a language learning process that still

have not been used by students.

• Finally, I dare to say that the autonomous practice is undoubtedly

one, if not, the strongest ally that we, teachers and students, have to

transform the process of learning foreign languages into something

much more enjoyable and easy to experience, rather than

something that demands big efforts to be accomplished.

• This is not an impossible proposal to be put into practice. Both

students and teachers, whether experienced or not, are fully

capable to engage into this search and further development of

autonomy in themselves.

• As Thanasoulas (2005, p. 2) have stated, “it is a process, not a

product”; thus what is left for us is to follow Holec’s (1981, p. 5)

claim and “take charge of our own learning” and immerge into this

extremely positive teaching/learning possibility.Fina

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““Teachers open the doors. Teachers open the doors. Students enter by themselves.”Students enter by themselves.”

Chinese proverbChinese proverb

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If you liked this presentation and the ideas brought to our teaching reflective process, please get in touch. Let me know what you think about it! Your feedback is really important!

rmajunior@hotmail.com / rmarajr@gmail.comI’m looking forward to publishing this research, if you by any chances, have suggestions of good journals or academic magazines, please mail me!!

THANK YOU!

Refe

renc

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______________________ et al. Learning Strategy Applications with Students of English as a Second

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Last access on 11 Oct. 2009.

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http://exchanges.state.gov/englishteaching/forum/archives/docs/05-43-3-b.pdf> Last access on 09 Oct. 2009.