This document summarizes a study on Taiwanese novice EFL teachers' perceptions and practices regarding language learner autonomy in a high school curriculum. The study explored teachers' views of an autonomy-oriented curriculum (RQ1) and factors influencing their promotion of it (RQ2) through interviews with 3 teachers. The findings were that teachers felt the curriculum was desirable but less feasible, and there were discrepant perceptions regarding learner proficiency levels and institutional culture. The study aims to reveal difficulties in implementing autonomy-oriented curriculums and identify support needed for diverse learners.

1. Language Learner Autonomy
in A High School Curriculum:
Taiwan Novice EFL Teachers’
perceptions and practices
Yu-Ting Huang
MA TESOL Pre-Service
Institute of Education
University College London, UK
IDSP Competition 2020
London, 23, July 2020

2. Introduction
● Learner autonomy refers to the “ability to take
charge of one’s learning” (Holec, 1981).
● Autonomy-oriented curriculum mostly at tertiary
level
● Autonomy-oriented curriculum in secondary
education:
2019 Taiwan’s Curriculum Guidelines of 12-Year
Basic Education for The Language Field: English
• Research purpose:
An exploratory teacher perception study

3. Research Framework
RQ1
How do novice EFL
high school teachers in
Taiwan view learner
autonomy manifested in
the curriculum?
RQ2
What are the factors
influencing novice EFL high
school teachers’ promotion
of an autonomy-oriented
curriculum in Taiwan?
Research Framework Information
Research paradigm interpretivism
Research type primary
Research approach qualitative
Research approach
characteristics
survey (interview)

4. Data Collection
Three novice high school
English teachers teaching
General English classes
in Taiwan.
Audio recording,
transcript
Purposive
sampling
Semi-structured
interview
Participants
Sampling
Strategies
Data
collection
method
(RQ1, RQ2):
DC1
Data
format
Participants Years of
teaching
experience
Types of
institutions
Academic
performance of
schools
Participant 1 1 year Public-funded
high school
Lower-achieving
Participant 2 1 year Private-funded
high school
Average
Participant 3 1 year Public-funded
high school
High-achieving

5. Data Analysis
Interview sections Data analysis
methods
Section 1 (RQ1) (DC1) Thematic analysis
(DA1)
(Burnard, 1991)
Section 2 (RQ2) (DC1) Thematic analysis
(DA1)
(Burnard, 1991)

6. Findings
• F1: (RQ1-DA1)
Teachers considered the autonomy-oriented curriculum as
desirable but less feasible
F2: (RQ2-DA1)
• Discrepant perception: Learners’ low English proficiency
“If the new curriculum is designed for the elites, what can those
students with lower English levels do with the curriculum?”
• Discrepant perception: Negative institutional culture at private
schools
• “The administrators will tell you, hey, just teach what’s on the
textbook.” • Limitation: small sample size

7. References
• Benson et al. (1997) Autonomy and independence in language learning / edited
by Phil Benson and Peter Voller., Harlow: Longman.
• Burnard, P. (1991) A method of analysing interview transcripts in qualitative
research. Nurse Education Today, 11(6), pp.461–466.
• Holec, H., Council of Europe & Eurimages (1981) Autonomy and foreign
language learning / prepared for the Council of Europe by Henri Holec.,
Oxford: Published for and on behalf of the Council of Europe by Pergamon.
• Mayring, P. (2000) Qualitative Content Analysis. Forum : Qualitative Social
Research, 1(2), pp.Forum : Qualitative Social Research, 2000, Vol.1(2).

8. Funding
• Reveal the difficulties, such as unpromising institutional
cultures encountered during the local implementation of an
autonomy-oriented curriculum for the consideration of future
practitioners and policy-makers.
• Identify invisible minority groups, such as learners with
lower English proficiency that might have challenges
accessing an autonomy-oriented curriculum
• Suggest supportive measures, such as engaging teacher,
administrative, and parental education to make learner
autonomy promotion feasible across a more diverse student
population and institutions