THOUGHTS ON LEARNER AUTONOMY IN A CALL SYSTEM TOGETHER WITH STUDENT PERCEPTIONS

Abstract

In our institution, Quartet (computer software program) was a part of the curriculum whichprovides the students with the opportunity to work on their own in order to develop theirlanguage skills. To what extent the learners benefit from the materials and the time providedfor them mainly depends on students since as Dakin suggests (1973) “though the teacher maycontrol the experiences the learner is exposed to, it is the learner who selects what is learntfrom them” (p. 16). According to the observations of teachers, some, but not all studentsworked effectively in lab lessons. This paper aims to identify the students’ perceptions aboutthemselves, the teacher, their peers and language learning to have an idea of their autonomyand their thoughts on computer assisted language learning. Data were gathered through a 46-item questionnaire. Frequency tests were used to determine the frequencies and percentagesof each item to find out the perceptions of participants on learner autonomy and theusefulness of computer lab lessons. Though the students shoulder the responsibility oflearning, most students need guidance of their teachers to set goals for their learning process.