Teachers’ Quest for Fostering Learner Autonomy: Exploring Desirability, Feasibility, and Constrains
Teachers’ Quest for Fostering Learner Autonomy: Exploring Desirability, Feasibility, and Constrains

Summary/Abstract: Promoting learner autonomy is widely recognized as an important goal in education.However, while the principles of autonomy are highly desirable, the actual practice and development of autonomous learning skills can be challenging for many students. This study aims to explore the extent to which 21 university EFL professors perceive autonomous skills as desirable or feasible, shedding light on the factors affecting teachers’ quest for promoting those skills. The study adopted a mixed-method approach in which data from both questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were collected and analysed. Results showed that almost all the autonomous learning skills were perceived to be more desirable than feasible. Thus, teachers, at the level of the decision making regarding some aspects such as choosing materials and the course objectives,generally showed lack of trust in their students’ capacity to have a say in these aspects and in others. Also, most of the teachers reported some contextual constraints for promoting it. Several implications and recommendations were included.

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