PROMOTING LEARNER AUTONOMY IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING BY USING STUDENT JOURNALS

Abstract

This paper reports on a study conducted at SEEU (South East European University) in Republic of Macedonia promoting learner autonomy in language learning by using student writing in an EFL course. To encourage my students towards independent learning, improve their writing skills and extend their English language proficiency, I have introduced journal writing into my syllabus years ago. The study was conducted across one semester, in the year 2012. Acknowledging convenience sampling, the 31 subjects who participated in this study were students from the English Department of the Languages Cultures and Communication Faculty. Journals were collected at regular intervals and subjected to a modified content analysis (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2003) to identify the main themes related to learner autonomy and student experiences. Semi-structured interviews with volunteers were undertaken to substantiate the essential findings of the content analysis.