‘Am I aware of my roles as a learner?’ the relationships of learner autonomy, self-direction and goal commitment to academic achievement among Turkish EFL learners

Abstract

This study explores the relationships between learner autonomy (LA), self-directed learning (SDL), goal commitment (GC) and academic achievement in English and also examines the scores which Turkish EFL learners obtained on selected measures according to demographic variables. The participants were 248 English-major Turkish undergraduate students. A mixed-method, embedded design was chosen for this study. The participants completed the Autonomous Learning Scale, the Self-Directed Learning Scale, the Commitment Scale and three open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of LA and SDL in foreign-language learning. The results showed that LA, SDL and GC are all correlated with academic achievement and with each other, with the strongest correlation found between LA and SDL. The findings also revealed statistically significant relationships between Turkish EFL learners’ LA scores and all the demographic variables. Furthermore, students’ open-ended responses regarding LA and SDL failed to provide particular examples of how learners exercise control over their language learning. Most of the participants in the study were aware of autonomy and self-direction and had an understanding and perception of both LA and SDL. A major implication of this study is that language learners’ autonomous learning within but more importantly beyond the classroom should be encouraged.

Keywords:

• Learner autonomy
• self-directed learning
• goal commitment
• academic achievement
• EFL learners

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Omer Ozer

Dr. Omer Ozer is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Adana Alparslan Turkes Science and Technology University, Turkey. He has published extensively in the areas of multilingual policies in higher education, curriculum, and instruction, mobile-assisted language learning, technological addictions and autonomous language learning.

Ceyhun Yukselir

Dr. Ceyhun Yukselir is an associate professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Turkey. His research interests include teacher education, reflective teaching, learner autonomy, technology integration in EFL classes and applied linguistics with ELT focus.