Computers and Learner Autonomy: Trends & Issues

Huw Jarvis

Computers and learner autonomy:  trends and issues

Supported by The British Council’s English Language Teaching Awards (ELTRA) 2010-11

This project examines the practices and perceptions of non-native adult student speakers working on computer-based materials (CbMs) in self-study contexts in their own countries.  With reference to Thai and Arabic university students it asks the following questions: Which CbMs do such students access and why?  To what extent do they perceive such CbMs as assisting with their language studies? Where access to material is available anywhere and anytime, where do students prefer to work and why?  What e-literacy skills are employed? To what extent do students make use of social networking sites in English?   Do they see computer-mediated-communication as influencing the type of language that they use?  What are the policy implications for the development and direction of self access centres (SACs) of the answers to these questions?  And what are the implications for the theory and practice of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) today?  In answering these questions the project addresses some key issues of ICT and new technologies as well as aspects of teacher education and training and intercultural communication and social economic, political aspects of English.

Need for research

Language pedagogy has seen a significant shift from teacher to learner centred approaches and this notion is frequently realised in self-access centres (SACs) which have now become an essential feature for many providers.  Typically SACs stock a range of materials, but it is computer-based materials (CbMs) such as the internet, MS Office, Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and dedicated language learning software materials, which dominate.  The links between such CbMs and learner autonomy are well-established, students are assumed to visit a SAC and consciously work on a particular CbM in order to practise their English.  

The value of learner autonomy in language learning is long established and well-documented (Dam, 1995; Dickenson, 1987, 1992; Ellis and Sinclair 1989; Holic, 1980; Little, 1991, Niaman et al. 1978) as is the relationship between CbMs and autonomous learning in SACs.  Motteram (1998: 17) comments that “There has always been a perceived relationship between education technology and learner-autonomy … this has become increasingly true for computers and self-access.” More recently Warschauer and Shetzer (2003: 176) observe that “flexible, autonomous, lifelong learning is essential to success in the age of information”.   Most publications concerned with setting up and managing SACs include some discussion on the role of computers, (Carvalho, 1993; Esch, 1994; Gardner and Miller, 1999; Little, 1989; Sheerin, 1989) and today it is difficult to conceive many SACs without them.  

Jarvis (2008a: 369) however, characterises the links between CbMs, SACs and learner autonomy as well-established and yet problematic “... in that there is little in the literature which examines what students actually do in such centres and why; empirical data on the practices and perceptions of learners is noticeably missing …”  In recent years several UK-based studies (Jarvis and Szymczyk, 2010; Jarvis and Pastuszka, 2008; Jarvis, 2008a; Jarvis, 2008b;  Figura and Jarvis, 2007), with adult non-native speakers (NNS) of English studying at a British university, have attempted to address this shortfall. 

These studies have examined adult language learners’ perceptions, practices and strategies when working on a range of CbMs in self-study contexts.  A number of significant issues for pedagogy and policy have arisen out of this work.  Students multi-task and use both L1 and L2 when working on a variety of CbMs and “This undermines what might be characterised as a traditional view of language learning which tends to stress an individual activity which is completed in the target language” (Figura and Jarvis, 2007: 460). The role of CbMs is important, but “... it would be a mistake for practitioners and other resource providers to slavishly follow the digitalized medium route for everything ... the potential opportunities offered by a blended approach which combines both digitalized and paper-based materials should not be overlooked and the implications for SAC design need to be addressed (Jarvis and Szymczyk, 2010).

Furthermore, NNS view wide range of CbMs as helping with language learning irrespective of whether they have an obvious teaching function and this has implications for our conceptualisation of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL).  The physical location of a SAC, in an ‘anywhere-anytime’ era, cannot be overlooked; “where the physical worlds and the virtual worlds meet is a significant factor and one which warrants further investigation” (Jarvis, 2008b: 137).  E-literacy, an ability to access, make sense of and manage huge quantities of information in digitalized mediums in English, was also found to be problematic for some students.

Historically, most CALL research has tended to examine the role and value of an individual CbM as applied in a very controlled class-based context.  However, as we have seen, the recent studies cited above have now begun to examine student practices and perceptions when working on a range of CbMs in less controlled situations, but surprisingly such work has not yet been conducted in countries where the vast majority of students actually learn the English language i.e. in their native country.   The studies by Jarvis and his colleagues were all conducted in the UK amongst NNS studying English whose exposure to a variety of forms of English, including face-to-face everyday contact beyond the SAC, was unlimited.  This contrasts with the experience of most overseas learners whose access to English outside the classroom is frequently restricted to CbMs in general and internet-based interaction in particular.  Clearly, such students do not experience the same type of exposure to the English language as those who are studying in the UK.

Research aims and methodology

It is against a background of huge interest and massive growth and investment in SACs that the practices and perceptions of the students identified above warrants investigation and our key research questions arise:  Which CbMs do such students access and why?  To what extent do they perceive such CbMs as assisting with their language studies? Where access to material is available anywhere and anytime, where do students prefer to work and why?  What e-literacy skills are employed? To what extent do students make use of social networking sites in English?   Do they see computer-mediated-communication as influencing the type of language that they use?  What are the policy implications for the development and direction of self access centres (SACs) of the answers to these questions?  And what are the implications for the theory and practice of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) today?

The learners participating in this study will be registered young adult students studying English at foundation level or as a major or minor subject on a BA or BSc at a Thai university and a university in Dubai.  As such they will be native speakers of Arabic or Thai.  They will be registered to use the SAC as provided by the language institute at the relevant institution.  They are likely to be of an intermediate level of English. The research will be facilitated by the project partners.

The methodology employed will include both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The former is used to explore ‘‘the measurement and analysis of casual relationships between variables, not processes’’ whilst the latter allows for a focus on ‘‘processes and meanings that are not rigorously examined or measured in terms of quantity, amount, intensity, or frequency’’ (Denzin and Lincoln, 1998: 8). The quantitative element will involve asking quick closed-ended questions via the distribution of a paper-based questionnaire, which will be piloted and amended as required before being distributed to students. It is anticipated that at least 30 students from each institution will be surveyed in this way.  Data generated using such techniques arguably affords ‘‘a good deal of precision and clarity’’ (McDonough and McDonough, 2004: 171) and allows quick and simple answers (Oppenheim, 2001).  The project partners will assist with the distribution and collection of questionnaires. However, such techniques only allow for limited responses and to overcome this, semi-structured interviews and snap-shot observations will also be employed. Interviews give participants ‘‘some power and control’’ (Nunan, 2005: 150) and observations open up possibilities for discovering new and important realities by accident (Adler and Adler, 1998).  These observations and interviews will be conducted by the principle researcher whilst visiting the partner institutions.

Related Publications

Jarvis, H. and Szymczyk, M. (2010). 'Student views on learning grammar with web and book-based materials.'  English Language Teaching Journal. Vol. 61. No. 1. pp.32-44.

Jarvis, H. (2009).  'Computers in EAP:  change, issues and challenges.'  Modern English Teacher.  Vol. 18. No. 2. pp. 51-54.

Jarvis, H. (2008). 'Computers and independent study:  practices and perceptions of students.' In  P. Torres, and R. Marriot,   (eds), Handbook of Research on E-Learning Methodologies for Language Acquisition. PA:  Information Science Reference.  pp. 367-386.

Jarvis, H. and Pastuszka, L.  (2008). 'Electronic literacy, reading skills and non-native speakers:  issues for EAP.'  CALL-EJ Online.  Vol. 10. No. 1.

Jarvis, H. (2008). 'Resource centres and self-study: issues in computer assisted language learning.' In E. O'Doherty, (ed.) The Fourth Education in a Changing Environment Conference Book 2007. Informing Science Press.  pp. 137-154.

Figura, K., and Jarvis, H. ( 2007). 'Computer-based materials:  a study of learner autonomy and strategies.'  System.  Vol. 35.  No. 4.  pp.  448-468.

Jarvis, H. (2006). 'Issues of computer-mediated communication for English Language Teaching.'  British Journal of Education Technology.  Vol. 37.  No. 4.  pp.  643-645.

Conference Papers

August, 2009.  The Language and Language Teaching Conference (LLTC).  Thailand. Plenary speaker on ‘The changing role of computers in language pedagogy.’

April, 2009. The Oman International ELT Conference.  Oman. Keynote speaker on ‘The changing role of computers in independent learning.’

December, 2007.  The 12th English in South East Asia Conference .Trends and Directions. Thailand.  Featured speaker 'From the role of computers in the language classroom to the role of the language classroom in a computer age.'

September, 2006.  The 15th IATEFL Poland Annual Conference.  Poland. Plenary speaker and conference panellist ‘Computers and the challenges for English Language Teaching.’

May, 2006. The 1st World Congress on the Power of Language. Thailand. Plenary speaker ‘The impact of computers on changing notions of language, language learning and language pedagogy.’