Collaborative Learner Autonomy: A Mode of Learner Autonomy Development

247 Pages·2017·3.31 MB·English

by  Soufiane Blidi (auth.)

Soufiane Blidi
Collaborative
Learner
Autonomy
A Mode of Learner Autonomy
Development
Collaborative Learner Autonomy
fi
Sou ane Blidi
Collaborative Learner
Autonomy
A Mode of Learner Autonomy Development
123
SoufianeBlidi
Faculty of LanguageStudies
SoharUniversity
Sohar
Oman
ISBN978-981-10-2046-9 ISBN978-981-10-2048-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-2048-3
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016946006
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Preface
Overthepastfewdecades,autonomouslearninghasemergedasoneresponsetothe
emergingchallengesandchangesintheeducationalfield.Theuseofreadingcircles
(RCs)asamodeofautonomouslearningintheOmanicontextofhighereducation
institutions (HEIs) indicates learners’ positive perceptions and attitudes of learner
autonomy and their readiness to adopt autonomous learning practices. Building on
findings from these RCs, the present book proposes Collaborative Learner
Autonomy (CLA) as a novice interpretation (theory) of learner autonomy and
advocates it for use in the Omani context and potentially for similar educational
contexts within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
TheCLAresultsfromtheexplorationoflearnerautonomyintheOmanicontext
from a number of perspectives. It argues against the claim that autonomy is typi-
cally a product of Western educational environments only as, for example, sug-
gestedinSonaiya’s(2002)studyonAfricaneducationalcontexts.Itthenproposesa
group-oriented and gradual approach to enhance the development of learner
autonomyandtoincorporateautonomouslearningpracticesinformalandinformal
teaching platforms, creating learning opportunities conducive to autonomy in
collaboration.
The CLAbuildsonafirm beliefinteachers’responsibilityfor thedevelopment
of their learners’ learning awareness and “conscious perception and take-up of a
learningopportunity”Crabbe(2007:119).Itadvocatesasharedresponsibilityanda
common goal different stakeholders need to embrace so that learners become
“actively engaged in identifying and managing the learning opportunities” (Ibid).
Teachers, HEIs, parents and learners themselves, share the responsibility to ensure
that “learners are better equipped, and therefore more likely, to manage learning
opportunities outside the classroom” (Ibid).
The CLA puts much emphasis on the constructive role that the teachers play in
developing autonomy in their learners. It fact, it suggests the term Responsible
Reliance to describe Omani’s perception of teachers’ presence and claims that the
training and orientation of learners have to be formalised and made systematic
v
vi Preface
through integrated orientation programmes, such as the Autonomous Learning
Orientation Programme (ALOP) applied in some HEIs.
The CLA perceives autonomy as a social construct that includes the ability to
operate effectively in collaboration as a cooperating member in a group with the
capacityandwillingnesstoact autonomouslyandincollaboration with othersasa
socialandresponsibleperson.ThewillingnessandmotivationOmanilearnershave
to develop autonomy in collaboration can be detected in their readiness, interde-
pendence and particular perception of autonomy as a collective endeavour. As
learning involves both dependent and interdependent learning strategies, the CLA
perceives Omani students as individual learners who responsibly accept the
teachers’presenceandrolewithoutdependingonteacher-ledlearningexperiences.
DrawingonobservationsintheOmanicontextexploredinourresearch,itcould
beconcluded that theinterdependentself isthepredominant conceptualisationand
modeloftheselfandthatOmanilearners’relianceontheteacherandtheirneedfor
assistance, support and guidance should not be viewed as a rejection of and
resistance to autonomy.
The book draws on research findings and conclusions to refute misconceptions
about learner autonomy in the MENA region context initially nurtured by wrong
assumptions and stereotypes on learners in these educational contexts, being
unfairly placed within the traditional and rote-learning frame. It is important to
rejectill-foundedculturalstereotypesandgeneralisationsthatcanharmtherapport
between teachers and their students and ultimately hinder the development of
learner autonomy.
Our research concludes that while students, teachers and educational stake-
holders believe in the merits of autonomous learning and the need to develop it,
they admit that there are constraints that hinder the development of learner
autonomy. They also admit the relative failure of the teachers and HEIs in the
Omani context to provide what Crabbe (2003) terms “learning opportunities”
(Crabbe2007:118).Theycan,asmuchasthelearner,failtorecognisetheneedfor
autonomous learning in a rapidly changing society.
The book finally recommends a new learner autonomy continuum the
Individual-Competitive-Collaborative-AutonomousLearningContinuum(ICCAC),
grading the progress of the learner to autonomous learning practices and suggests
that it is a shared responsibility that students, teachers, HEIs, families and the
society should assume in a spirit of partnership.
Sohar, Oman Soufiane Blidi
Acknowledgements
I would like to express my appreciation to the people who kindly accepted to take
part in this book through support, encouragement, criticism, inspiration, research
designandimplementation,manuscriptdraftandreview.Thebookinevitablyowes
much to my students, teachers and colleagues who have shaped my approach to
teaching and learning and my perspective to the role of each contributor in the
education scene.
I acknowledge and express my gratitude to the contribution of each of these
people: my father who is a teacher himself; my teachers who taught me that
individual differences can be positive and inspiring; my students and colleagues at
Majan College and Sohar University who generously and relentlessly took part in
the research underpinning the book; students and teachers in higher education
institutions in Oman for their kind support in answering research questionnaires;
and students in the Faculty of Language Studies at Sohar University, Oman, for
their kind acceptance to participate in the implementation of various samples of
autonomous learning activities.
SpecialmentionshouldbemadetoDr.MunirTriki,UniversityofSfax,Tunisia;
Dr. Thomas Roche, Southern Cross University, Australia; Dr. Rafik Jamoussi,
Dr.RakeshBelwal,andMr.AbdelkaderChaou,SoharUniversity,fortheirconstant
support, encouragement, helpful comments and constructive criticism.
Specialthanksarealsoduetomylittleangles,mywifeandmyfamilyforbeing
unfailingly on my side, bearing it all.
I acknowledge the important impact a number of autonomous learning
approaches and perspectives had on the development of the CLA and its ICCAL’s
continuum of gradual development of learner autonomy. Clear reference has been
made to landmark works from Phil Benson, Henri Holec, Hayo Reinders, Sarah
Cotterall and William Littlewood, Gardner and Miller, among other prominent
landmark theorists on learner autonomy.
vii
viii Acknowledgements
AsIplacethebookasacontributioninthefieldoflearnerautonomy,displaying
anotherperspectiveandsharingadifferentexperience,Ihopeitservesasaplatform
for further discussions with the strong belief that knowledge is an experience
sharing inspirational quest worth living for.
Contents
1 Learner Autonomy—An Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Proliferation of Learner Autonomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Learner Autonomy from Different Perspectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Learner Autonomy and Learning Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.4 Theoretical Typology of Learner Autonomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.4.1 Proactive and Reactive Autonomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.4.2 Influential Factors in Developing Learner Autonomy. . . . . 13
1.4.3 Learner Autonomy Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2 Learner Autonomy and the MENA Region Context . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.1 Misconceptions About Learner Autonomy
in the MENA Region. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.2 Attitudes to Control and Authority in Learner Autonomy. . . . . . . 26
2.3 Redefining Responsibility and Autonomy
in the Omani Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.4 Impact of Learning Styles on Learner Autonomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.5 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
3 Gradual Development of Learner Autonomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
3.1 Levels of Learner Autonomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
3.2 Contexts of Application and Their Impact on the Typology
of Autonomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
3.2.1 Autonomy Beyond the Classroom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
3.2.2 Autonomy in the Classroom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
3.3 The 21st Century T&L Challenge: Understanding Learners’
Psychological Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
3.4 Learner Autonomy Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
3.5 Optimising Learners’ Positive Attitudes Through ALOP. . . . . . . . 81
3.6 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
ix
x Contents
4 Learner Autonomy and the CLA Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4.1 Autonomy and Socio-Cultural Conceptualisation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4.2 Individualism, Self-regulation, Motivation
and Interdependence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
4.3 Reading Circles: A Mode of Collaborative Learner Autonomy . . . 106
4.4 Impact of SLV Use on the Development of Learner Autonomy
Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
4.5 Pedagogical Implications of Autonomous Learning . . . . . . . . . . . 126
4.6 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
5 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
5.1 Learning Habits and Attitudes Towards Learner Autonomy . . . . . 134
5.2 Learner Autonomy Educational Environment Provisions. . . . . . . . 136
5.3 Aspects and Implications of the CLA and the ICCAL
Continuum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
5.3.1 Partnership and Collaboration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
5.3.2 Response to Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
5.4 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Resources Pack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Appendix A: Questionnaire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Appendix B: Interviews with Students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Appendix C: Interviews with Teachers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Appendix D: Impact of ALOP on Language Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Appendix E: Reasons for Using the LRC Among Students. . . . . . . . . . 195
Appendix F: Reading Circles—Samples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Appendix G: Post-implementation Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Appendix H: Interdependence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Appendix I: Teacher’s Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Appendix J: Readiness and Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Appendix K: Self-esteem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Appendix L: Voluntariness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Appendix M: Flexibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Appendix N: Teacher’s Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Appendix O: Peer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Appendix P: Overall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223