| dc.description.abstract | As per the definition, “The ability to take charge of one’s own learning”, Learner Autonomy (LA) has been a
significant theme of interest in second and foreign language learning over the last five decades. Yet this concept is
not widely practiced among local learners in the English as a Second Language (ESL) pedagogy. Implementing
autonomous learning behaviours benefits the education system, of a country like Sri Lanka, to minimize most
obstacles the ESL learners encounter. For a successful implementation of the concept, the contribution of both
teachers and students is essential. Therefore, this research aims to identify sixty ESL teachers’ understanding of
how much they support in fostering LA, and the best approaches to implement the practice. Using the simple random
sampling method, 10% out of 600 English teachers from the Galle zonal division were given a researcher-made
questionnaire that included four sections. A 5-point Likert scale was used to measure the collected data, and they
were quantitatively analyzed using descriptive statistics. The SPSS version 21 was used, while Cronbach’s alpha
determined the reliability of the Likert scale. The questions were composed of identifying the teachers’
understanding upon the LA concept, the teachers’ roles and responsibilities in planning, implementing, monitoring,
and evaluating the class; and how the teachers view their learners’ abilities to take responsibility in planning,
implementing, monitoring, and assessing their learning tasks, while suggestions were forwarded to get the teachers’
preferences as the best approaches to foster autonomy among ESL learners. Significantly, 98.3% believe that
implementing LA is essential, and the study concluded with the understanding that teachers are willing to cultivate
LA if a suitable environment is created. | en_US |
