Res Militaris (resmilitaris net), vol. 12, n°3, November Issue 2022 Developing Learner Autonomy in efl academic Classes By

Res Militaris, vol.12, n°3, November Issue 2022
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comprehensible. This is in line with 
Holden and Usuki (1999)
who implemented the ideal 
lesson in autonomous learning that was unproblematic to follow and inclusive in the subject-
related. 
 
Most of the students reported that they didn’t have enough time to concentrate on 
several assignments for different courses because of the large amount of the materials to cover. 
This finding runs contrary to 
Wanna and Paulos (2021)
who implied that in the autonomous 
learning, the students should have enough time to gain personal fulfillment not bound by time 
or context and the they should not be rushed. Most of the students said that in some of their 
courses, they didn’t gain new knowledge. This is not in line with 
Raghunath et al. (2018)
who 
reported that the learners should gain new knowledge as one the goals of autonomous learning. 
Most of the students also believed that many of the courses they took did not include current 
topics, while 
Little et al. (2017)
declared that the ideal lesson in autonomous learning should 
be authentic and have topical issues to motivate the students to learn better. The majority of 
the students complained that in most of their lessons the materials covered were theoretical and 
a small proportion of the covered materials included applied ones. On the contrary, 
Livi et al. 
(2015)
concluded that in autonomous learning, the desirable lesson should be practical and 
students should gain practical knowledge.
 
Most of the students declared that their main concern was to gain good grades rather 
than to learn. This is contrary to 
Ryan and Deci (2020) 
who mentioned the notion of self-
evaluation and reached to this conclusion that the learners should not be forced to study hard 
for receiving high marks or ranks. They should acquire personal fulfillment. Most of the 
students noted that they didn’t generally get involved in determining the objectives, the 
materials, what they should learn in their next sessions, the activities and the time spent on each 
activity. They noted that the only options they had were choosing the topic of their assignments, 
the topic of their presentations, and the internet materials on their own and in a few classes that 
they had group work; they could adjust the time on the activities. On the other hand, 
Chan, 
Humphreys and Spratt (2002) 
verified that the learners’ role in autonomous learning was to 
choose the materials, the objectives, what they should learn in their next sessions and the 
activities and the time spent on the activities. The majority of the students complained about 
the conditions that had a negative effect on their learning; such as inadequate time for doing 
the assignments, some repetitious materials, impractical ones, when their opinions were not 
voiced, even uncomfortable classrooms and not conducting the class activities in group work. 
Furthermore, most of the students stated that some of the assignments were not compatible 
with their ability level because they were not familiar with the procedures of doing the 
assignments; especially in the first semesters. At the same time, the assignments were varied 
for each course and the students didn’t have enough time to complete them well. In opposition, 
Wang and Littlewood (2021) 
clarified that in autonomous learning, by creating a positive 
impression, the learners should be stimulated to learn and the content provided for the learners 
should be compatible with their ability level. Most of the students in the present study said that 
in many classes in case they expressed their opinions about the materials, the objectives of the 
course, the type of activities or the amount of time allocated, they were not voiced; however, 
Raghunath et al. (2018)
described in their study, a leaning environment in which the learners’ 
opinions were voiced. As in autonomous learning, the students are regarded as active 
participants and their needs and interests are in priority. Some of the students declared that in 
a few lessons they had group work and they illuminated that conducting the class activities in 
group work was a beneficial experience as they could share the knowledge by the students and 
take advantage of the shared time to focus on specific topics. Similarly, 
Lewis (2004) and Tsai 
(2021) 
considered the group work activities as a requirement of learner autonomy.