Self-motivated learners: the importance of fostering autonomous learning skills in ESL students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2617-3921.2023.24.430-440Keywords:
language learning, learner autonomy, autonomy formation, learning strategies, learners’ motivation, autonomous learning skills, self-assessment, self-control.Abstract
Over recent years the concept of autonomous learning has gained increased importance. The objective of this study was to explore the attitudes toward learner autonomyy. 52 ESL students (27 men and 25 women) of engineering majors of the Igor Sikorsky National Technical University of Ukraine participated in the survey. The authors aimed to investigate students’ perceptions of their autonomous learning skills and how they evaluate the readiness for autonomous learning. Collected data would allow to determine more effective strategies for encouraging independent and motivated learning among ESL students in the future. The survey concluded that students are willing to develop good autonomous learning skills that will make them feel capable of learning new knowledge and setting more challenging future goals. It should be noted that such readiness shows how open the participants are to new requests from society. People with developed critical thinking and independent decision-making skills are needed, which in turn is a key to the successful development of society. It was outlined that student autonomy needs to be supported and developed to increase awareness of full autonomy as students move beyond the classroom and take full responsibility for their own learning. This explains the importance of the role of a teacher in formation of students' self-directedness and autonomy, focusing on their own requirements and needs. Most of the students at the beginning of the learning process cannot find out which learning skills they need to master, so the teacher's task is to motivate students to work independently on self-improvement. The authors emphasized that the university's ESL teachers should constantly work on finding and implementing approaches that focus on skill development and aimed to foster intrinsic motivation in students, which can be a powerful force in overcoming many barriers to independent, self-directed lifelong learning.
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