Learner Autonomy: Pakistani Learners’ Perceptions, Attitudes, Motivation and Challenges

Abstract

Learner autonomy has drawn much interest from educationists and researchers around the world both in terms of second language acquisition as well as students’ learning orientation, classroom organization, and personal development. Classroom teaching in Pakistan has long so been teacher-centred that, even at the level of higher education, it is widely in practice resulting in a low quality of learning outcomes. This study aims at investigating learner autonomy in higher education in Punjab. The purpose is to examine the students’ views, attitudes and their orientation to the learning approach that they take on to develop and strengthen their knowledge. Firstly, through their views, the particular focus was to investigate whether teachers endeavour for the promotion of autonomy. Secondly, it has also attempted to determine the major challenge to independent learning. The study, therefore, also examined the gender differences in terms of learner autonomy. The data instrument was a structured questionnaire consisting of fifteen items on the attitude scale, the Likert-scale. Sixty students comprising an equal number of both genders from the University of Gujrat were sampled. Therefore, this paper finds out that both the teachers and the students have positive attitudes towards autonomy and active involvement in its promotion. Because learners at the university level can have better learning opportunity within teacher-supervised autonomy, this can improve their learning skills far better than doing everything on their instructors’ disposal. Challenges, i.e. marking system and fixed course outlines are present, but teachers have their commitment to promoting learner autonomy.