Promoting EFL learners' autonomy through strategy based instruction

Abstract EN

The motivation underlying this research is the lack of learner autonomy among first-year undergraduate EFL learners.

Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the effect of strategy-based instruction (SBI) on promoting learner autonomy in relation to the use of metacognitive strategies with different language learning skills and tasks.

A quasi-experimental study is conducted with a sample of 51 first-year undergraduate EFL learners at Mohammed-Lamine Debaghine University, Setif2, Algeria.

Participants are divided into a control group (N26) and an experimental group (N25).

This latter receives a strategy-based instruction course over a period of 11 weeks.

Learning autonomy strategy use in both groups is evaluated using an adapted questionnaire as a pretest and a posttest.

The findings indicate that after the completion of the intervention course, participants in the experimental group shows significant improvements in metacognitive strategy use as an indication to their learner autonomy development.

The study suggests that SBI should be incorporated into the EFL classroom as a course towards promoting learners' autonomy.