Revisit the Relationship Between English Learner Autonomy and School Type During the COVID-19 Lockdown

• In Event: Assessing Self- and Motivational Regulation During Learning: The Impact of Context on Learning and Well-Being

Abstract

Schools are underrepresented in learner autonomy studies despite being critical in fostering it. To fill this research gap, a convergent mixed method design included a questionnaire, and four semi-structured interviews were employed to examine the autonomy of English as foreign learner (EFL) learners during the COVID-19 pandemic. 1399 non-English major sophomores participated in it. The triangulation of quantitative and qualitative evidence yielded that between a public and a private university, there was a statistically significant difference in EFLs’ motivation for autonomous learning during the lockdown. EFLs were confident about their capacity to do autonomous English learning but engaged in a few systematical autonomous English learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussions over EFLs’ learner autonomy issues and motivation differences are included.

Authors

• Shikun Li, Nanjing Normal University

• Guofang Li, University of British Columbia

• Yangting Wang, University of Texas - San Antonio