A pathway to learner autonomy: a self-determination theory perspective

Concepts of learner autonomy and the self-determination theory provided a theoretical rationale for the action program for learner autonomy. The action program incorporated satisfying learners' basic psychological needs into English Foreign Language (EFL) course education. The action program was implemented for one academic year. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this study. Outcomes of the action research indicated that (1) the satisfaction of learners' needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness facilitated them to move along the "learner autonomy continuum" from dependence to autonomy, which was in agreement with the process of internalization of extrinsic motivation; (2) the students' English proficiency improved with the progress of learner autonomy; and (3) the implementation of the action program for one year was not enough to cultivate fully autonomous EFL learners. The study implied that collaborative learning played an important role in fostering learner autonomy in China and that instrumental motivation and educational culture also had impacts on learner autonomy development.