Self-Access Language Learning: Students’ perceptions and choices

Abstract

This paper looks at quantitative and qualitative data collected from tertiary level students at the end of a period of self-access language learning which they were completing as part of an English for Academic Purposes course. One goal of the course is to promote learner autonomy. The paper reports on the students’ perceptions of their language skills proficiency, their reasons for learning English and their evaluation of the usefulness and purpose of self-access learning; and then compares these with the language learning goals these students set for their self-access work and also the learning activities they chose to use during their self-access study. Despite participants’ largely positive feedback about self-access learning, the above comparison reveals some apparent inconsistencies between their perceptions of their abilities and needs, and their reported actions. We will discuss the inconsistencies and draw conclusions from the data in terms of how these, and perhaps similar students, view self-access learning as an integrated part of their learning and what might be done to enhance the experience.