EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Promoting Learner Autonomy in a Thai EFL Context
Learner autonomy has become an important aspect in educational research and language teaching in the
21 century. Furthermore, the key role of teachers in promoting learner autonomy is to create and
maintain learning community. This study aimed at exploring EFL teachers’ perceptions of the promotion
of learner autonomy in a Thai EFL Context. Both qualitative and qualitative data were obtained via a
questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. There were thirty participants who answered the
questionnaire and eight of them were then selected for the interviews. Descriptive statistics were
employed to analyze quantitative data whilst qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The
findings indicated that the participants generally acknowledged the importance of learner autonomy in
language learning and viewed a teacher as a facilitator, a counselor, and a resource in promoting learner
autonomy. In practice, however, the participants encountered some difficulties which resulted in some
contradictions between their perceptions and teaching practices.
Keywords: Learner autonomy: promotion: perceptions: EFL teachers: Thai EFL context
Biodata
Tham M. Duong, a Ph.D. student at Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand, has been teaching
English at Nong Lam University, Vietnam since 2005. Her research interest includes learner autonomy,
TESOL methodology, task-based learning and content-based instruction.
Dr. Sirinthorn Seepho is currently a lecturer of English at the School of Foreign Languages, Suranaree
University of Technology. She received her PhD in Foreign Language Education from the University of
Pittsburgh, USA. Her academic areas of interest lie mainly in EFL teaching methodology, content-based
instruction, qualitative research and teacher education.