Four Korean Adult Learners' ESL Learning Beliefs and Learner Autonomy

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Learner autonomy, or learners' taking responsibility to direct their learning has recently become a key concept along with learner beliefs in language education. However, few studies have been reported on how ESL learners' autonomy and their learning beliefs interact while one-to-one learner consultation (one of learner autonomy approaches) is applied. To fill the gap in former studies, the current action research study was designed to investigate how four Korean adult learners' ESL learning beliefs and their autonomy interacted. In the study, the informants were assisted by a consultant-researcher biweekly for one 20-week semester regarding their self-claimed learning actions and problems. During the previous semester, an informal ethnographic interview study was conducted with the same four informants as a pilot study, wherein the researcher did not play a consultant role. A research site was a free-of-charge ESL class at a community education center in Western New York. Five data-gathering sources were utilized in this qualitative case study: semi-structured interviews; class observations; open consultations; researcher's reflective journal; and email correspondence.
One foremost finding is the productive or less-productive interaction between learner beliefs and learner autonomy. The first two informants' ESL learning beliefs centered on learner control and supported their autonomous learning actions while creating and reshaping learning actions. Whereas, the other two informants' beliefs focused one on becoming "a perfect English speaker" and the other on the "unavoidable" burden of English learning, their beliefs distracted their conscious involvement to reshape their initially established learning actions. Another finding is that the informants' ESL learning beliefs influenced their degrees of openness to utilize a new learning mode (one-to-one consultation). The last finding is that whereas three informants clearly developed their autonomy, one informant's initially low autonomy was promoted at an extremely slow pace in this study.
This study brings several implications to learner autonomy theory and practice: learners' out-of-class learning is significantly important; a thorough individual investigation on initial learner beliefs is essential to foster autonomy; and the slow autonomy transformation undertaken in this yearlong study cautions that learner autonomy approaches need to be applied for long, preferably longer than one school year.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS = iii
• TABLE OF CONTENTS = v
• ABSTRACT = ix
• CHAPTER I = 1
• Introduction = 1
• Background of the Study = 1
• Theoretical Background of Learner Autonomy = 2
• Autonomy as a Political Concept = 3
• Autonomy as a Societal Demand = 4
• Sociolinguistics and Autonomy = 6
• Psychology and Learner Autonomy = 7
• Metacognitive Knowledge, Learner Beliefs, Learner Autonomy = 15
• Consciousness and Autonomy = 21
• Definitions of Learner Autonomy in Language Learning = 23
• A Working Definition of Learner Autonomy and a Parameter of Learner
• Autonomy Development in This Paper = 27
• Review of Literature on Learner Autonomy in East Asian Contexts = 27
• Learner Consultation = 29
• Research Questions = 36
• CHAPTER II = 37
• Methodology = 37
• Context of the Research = 37
• English Educational Settings for Most Typical Koreans = 38
• Gaining Entry into the Setting and Meeting the Participants = 40
• Participants = 42
• The Adult ESL Listening and Speaking Class = 52
• Amy: The ESL Teacher = 55
• Researcher Background = 59
• Researcher Subjectivity = 60
• Consultant-Researcher Role = 64
• Informal Pilot Study = 69
• How an Action Research Paradigm Is Adopted in This Study = 74
• Data Gathering = 78
• Data Collection Instruments = 82
• Data Analysis = 83
• Credibility of the Study = 86
• Significance of the Current Study = 87
• Limitations of the Study = 89
• CHAPTER III = 91
• Study Results = 91
• Jane: an Initially Autonomous Learner's Productive Role of English Learning Beliefs in Learner Autonomy = 93
• 1. Jane s Initially High Autonomy Level = 93
• 2. Jane's Autonomy and Her ESL Learning Beliefs about "Actual Applications" in "Real Situations" = 98
• 3. Jane's Reactions towards Consultations: Active Utilization to Elevate Her Autonomy = 112
• 4. Sane s Learner Autonomy Development = 117
• Mee: an Initially Autonomous Learner's Less-Productive Role of English Learning Beliefs (ELB) in Learner Autonomy (LA) = 122
• 1. Mee's Moderately High Autonomy Level at the Beginning of the Study = 122
• 2. Mee's Autonomy and Her English Learning Beliefs about Mastery of "Perfect English" through Being Exposed to English "Naturally" = 127
• 3. Mee's Reactions towards Consultations: Expectation to Know a "Se-cret Royal Road and Limited Utilization = 134
• 4. Mee's Learner Autonomy Development = 141
• Sunee: An Initially Less-Autonomous Learner's Productive Role of English Learning Beliefs (ELB) in Learner Autonomy (LA) = 147
• 1. Sunee's Initially Low Autonomy Level = 147
• 2. Sunee's Self-Discipline-Oriented ESL Learning Beliefs and Her Autonomy = 153
• 3. Sunee's Reactions toward Consultations: Active Utilization = 164
• 4. Sunee's Learner Autonomy Development = 168
• Hae-won: An Initially Less-Autonomous Learner's Less Productive Role of English Learning Beliefs in Learner Autonomy = 173
• 1. Hae-won's Initially Low Autonomy Level = 173
• 2. Hae-won's Autonomy and Her ESL-learning Beliefs about Predestined English Learning and An Unavoidable Gap between "Playing in English" and "Studying English" = 177
• 3. Hae-won's Reactions toward Consultations: Puzzlement and Resistance = 187
• 4. Hae-won's Learner Autonomy Development = 195
• CHAPTER IV = 198
• Discussion: Cross-case Comparison = 198
• CHAPTER V = 212
• Conclusions and Implications for Language Teachers and Future Research on Learner Autonomy Theory and Practice = 212
• Final Resonance = 219
• REFERENCES = 221
• APPENDIX A: Information Leaflet for Learners in Voller's One-to-one Consultation Model = 237
• APPENDIX B: Interview questions and consultation descriptions = 238
• APPENDIX C: Individual Meeting Dates = 241
• APPENDIX D: Informed Consent Form = 242
• APPENDIX E: List of Acronyms, Definitions of Terms and Translations of Some Korean Words Employed in This Study = 243