The idea of learner autonomy is not new, but it has been widely referred to in
the field of ELT only over the last decade. Previously, terms referring more
directly to practical interventions or situations of learning were more
favoured within ELT: ‘individualization’, then ‘learner independence’ for
example. One sign of the shift to ‘learner autonomy’ as a preferred term has
been the recent name change of the IATEFL ‘Learner Independence’
Special Interest Group (SIG) to ‘Learner Autonomy’ SIG.