Autonomous Learning And The Smart School English Language Courseware
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Date
2011-01
Authors
Osman, Yasmin
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
This research is exploratory and descriptive in nature seeking to understand how the interaction of students with the smart school English Language courseware could foster learner autonomy and consequently improved their achievement in English. The study is mainly divided into 3 phases: Assumptions, Practice and Challenges. In the Practice Stage, learner training is an important phase of the study. Guidance to retrieve, use and evaluate students' own learning in using the smart school English Language courseware is integral to the research. Students are guided to use cognitive and metacognitive strategies in their learning experiences. They carry out journal writing, self-evaluation activities and reflections on certain questions raised by the researcher while working with the English Language courseware. This research is based on these characteristics: in-depth inquiry, immersion in setting, emphasis on context and concepts with participants’ perspectives. The portfolio is used as a mechanism to monitor progress both in the capacity to become autonomous and the achievement of English since it could demonstrate student learning and at the same time, measure the students’ progress throughout the study. The research finds that a number of the students progressed quite well into achieving better grades in their English tests and are also able to demonstrate certain degrees of autonomy. The students in this study are found to realize that if they could direct their own learning, they are able to work under their own direction and being able to accomplish that give them a great sense of self achievement. During the study, it is apparent that students have moved from no autonomy to some degree of autonomy. One of the indicators of autonomous learning is the ability to step back from what they are doing and to reflect upon it in order to make decisions about what they need to do next.
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Keywords
The interaction of students with the , smart school English Language courseware