While much has been written about learner autonomy (LA) in language teaching and research (e.g., Benson, 2011), teachers’ understanding of the concept remains an area requiring more empirical study (Borg & Al-Busaidi, 2012) in specific contexts. The project reported here investigated a group of Chinese university teachers’ understanding of the notion of LA and their LA-related practices. It also explored a way of enhancing teachers’ cognition and implementation about LA through a series of professional development workshops.
This presentation focuses on three questions: 1) what perceptions did the teachers hold about developing learner autonomy on the basis of their professional practice? 2) what were the factors that facilitated and/or hindered their LA-related practices and perceptions? 3) to what extent and in what ways did the LA-focused workshops help to enhance teachers’ practices and perceptions regarding the development of LA?
The project was conducted with 44 English teachers in a northern Chinese university. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a questionnaire, interviews, workshops and follow-up emails. Findings will be presented and discussed, based on which implications will be suggested for further research and teacher development regarding the development of LA.