Exploring EFL teachers’ beliefs about and practices of learner autonomy across experience and licensure

ABSTRACT

Learner autonomy (LA) has become an intriguing topic in the field of language teaching. This study explored Iranian EFL teachers’ beliefs about and practices of LA in light of two under-researched variables, namely experience and licensure. To this end, a cluster sample of 50 teachers were chosen who were further categorized into TEFL versus non-TEFL based on their degree and then into novice versus experienced, based on their teaching experience. The data were gleaned utilizing the Learner Autonomy Questionnaire [Borg and Al-Busaidi 2012. Learner Autonomy: English Language Teacher’ Beliefs and Practices. London: The British Council], a class observation form designed based on the questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview. The results of two-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in the participants’ beliefs toward autonomy in terms of experience and licensure and significant differences in the autonomy-promoting practices only in terms of experience. The results of the interview indicated that the teachers overlooked the significance of strategic investment in promoting LA and conceived of policy-makers and learners’ expectations as two factors defying autonomy-promoting practice. The findings carry a number of implications for teacher education.

KEYWORDS:

• Learner autonomy
• EFL teachers
• licensure
• experience
• beliefs
• practices

Disclosure statements

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Bijan Ahmadianzadeh is a PhD candidate at Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran. His areas of interestinclude learner autonomy, language teacher education, and reading comprehension.

Zohreh Seifoori is an Associate Professor of English Language Teaching at Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch and an internationally licensed teacher and teacher trainer. She has published a number of research papers in renowned national and international journals. Her research intersts include teacher education, learner autonomy and teaching methodology.

Nasrin Hadidi Tamjid has a PhD in TEFL. She is an assistant professor who has been teaching at Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch for 19 years. She is also an official translator to the justice administration and the managing editor of the Journal of English Language Pedagogy and Practice. She has published and presented a number of papers in different international journals and conferences. Her main research interests are alternative assessment, teacher education, and teaching language skills.

ORCID

Bijan Ahmadianzadeh http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7719-8313

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.