Understanding students' learner autonomy through practitioner research

This thesis reports on practitioner research I conducted over two semesters teaching online listening courses to three different groups of students in Fu-Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. Instead of a typical three-cycle Action Research model starting with a specific target area to improve, I adopted a more flexible exploratory approach allowing a longer evaluative phase before deciding on a focal area. Originally, my interest was to investigate how CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) could help students in counteracting the relative isolation of online learning. However, after the first phase, I directed my attention more to the role of reflection as students neglected the online interactions and preferred communicating their ideas with me through reflective accounts and listening diaries. My research questions focused on three areas: the roles of collaboration and reflection, the online modality and issues related to researching learner autonomy. With the aim of exploring development over time, I gathered three kinds of data: pedagogically motivated data including online interactions and student assignments (listening diaries, reflective accounts); additional student interview and evaluation data; my fieldnotes and observation data documenting how I managed the three courses. Therefore, all the data collected was textual and qualitative in nature. Different approaches to data analysis were applied to different datasets. Grounded theory was applied to the interview data to allow themes and codes to emerge, whereas I-statement analysis and some predetermined coding categories were applied to the diaries and reflective accounts. The findings are structured according to the three areas of investigation. First of all, regarding collaboration and reflection, the success/failure of collaborative tasks depends greatly on task design configuration, while diarykeeping indeed serves as an effective pedagogical tool to raise students’ awareness of their learning processes and heighten their sense of ownership. Based on this understanding, teachers can create a space for reflection by marking regular opportunities for reflection and offering guiding questions. Secondly, regarding the online modality, the success of the online interactions contributed to students’ sense of ownership, which is closely related to their perception of what a listening course should be like and their identity as college students. Lastly, regarding issues related to researching learner autonomy, combining both Action Research and Exploratory Practice principles is beneficial to ensure that the teacher-researcher does not impose the research agenda onto learners. When data elicitation tools and data analysis techniques are also pedagogically motivated, the findings can authentically represent the picture of students’ learning. In viewing the development of learner autonomy as a learning process, considering cognitive, affective and behavioural domains can help us to understand learners’ perceptions and metacognitive strategies which are not easily observable from their learning behaviours. Furthermore, the data reveals that motivation and strategies interplay with learner autonomy throughout the process of learning.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Further our understanding of reflection through I-statement Analysis

Since Dewey (1933) highlighted reflection as an essential component in higher education, scholars (Dyment & O’Connell, 2011, Finlay 2008, & Hatcher, Bringle, & Muthiah, 2004) have pointed out the crucial role reflection plays in Service-Learning (S-L). Listed as one of the essential elements in service-learning, reflection acts as the hyphen between service and learning (Giles & Eyler, 1999). It enables participants to connect action and learning in a real-life setting, creating a new dimension through a deeper understanding of their experiences. No longer passive consumers of knowledge, participants can better clarify their own beliefs and values, explore issues emerged in their service and relate themselves to the community they engage. In the English Department, Fu-Jen Catholic University, teachers and students initiated this two-week English teaching project in Nan-tou, central Taiwan, since 2005 in order to bridge the “English Divide”. This case study aims to further our understanding of how the reflective process can be facilitated in the five stages of S-L projects--investigation, planning, action, reflection and demonstration (Kaye, 2010). How can teachers design tasks facilitating reflection at these five stages? How do evidences in students’ reflective accounts correspond to the task configuration? The literature review section focuses on the role of reflection and summarizes various frameworks and models in S-L (Brookfield, 1995, Shön, 1983, Boud et al, 1985, Kolb, 1984). Types of reflective activities designed in each of the stages will then be exemplified to discuss pedagogical impacts. In order to study the subtle changes captured in students’ reflective process, qualitative data including students’ reflective accounts, semi-structured interviews and classroom observation are collected. One particular data-analysis technique, I-statement analysis, will be discussed to show how participants’ streams of thoughts can be quantified and studied in more detail. The findings of this study, particularly the application of I-statement analysis, illustrate how the four Cs reflection principle—continuous, connected, challenging and contextualized reflection—can guide the practice (Eyler & Dwight, 1996). This small scale investigation demonstrates that systematic analysis on reflection helps practitioners see more depths in the reflective process

In response to the English divide : our ten-year service-learning journey

Whether a small-scale intensive Service-Learning project makes an impact or not? This is a question we have been asking ourselves over the past ten years. In 2005, this S-L project was initiated to respond to a call from an elementary school located in central Taiwan. Since then, students and faculty of the English Department have been collaborating closely with teachers in the local community. The driving force behind this ten-year long journey is our urge to bridge this English Divide, a socially-rooted issue in education and also the ugly reality we hate to confront. In this AR research study, we intend to examine the developmental process of partnership building among student participants, faculty, institutions and communities in the five S-L stages through the lens of Service-Learning Program Planning Model (SLPPM). Researchers argue that program planning would impact on the quality of S-L practices, and call for improving research as a tool to involve community voices and to enhance reciprocity. Well-integrated program design that includes academic studies/professional knowledge, structured reflections, and continuous dialogue with the community, is essential to maximize and sustain learning and to improve the pedagogy. To analyze the complex negotiation and communication throughout the whole process, qualitative data including reflections, interviews, and observation logs are collected. Through interactions with community partners during service and through further data analysis after service, a deeper understanding of various contextual factors and the local community\u27s needs is gained and reciprocity facilitated. Aspects addressed in our study include: 1. Which contextual factors underlying the English Divide are crucial in this S-L project? 2. What transformation process do participating students undergo during the process of partnership building? 3. Which possible roles do the participants carry and which meaning perspective do they construct in the research process? This action research provides a more systematic analysis of our ten-year S-L experiences. It demonstrates how students\u27 active participation in the research process helps to develop a deeper understanding of the community needs and to contribute to a sustainable partnership

Understanding students' learner autonomy through practitioner research

This thesis reports on practitioner research I conducted over two semesters teaching online listening courses to three different groups of students in Fu-Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. Instead of a typical three-cycle Action Research model starting with a specific target area to improve, I adopted a more flexible exploratory approach allowing a longer evaluative phase before deciding on a focal area. Originally, my interest was to investigate how CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) could help students in counteracting the relative isolation of online learning. However, after the first phase, I directed my attention more to the role of reflection as students neglected the online interactions and preferred communicating their ideas with me through reflective accounts and listening diaries. My research questions focused on three areas: the roles of collaboration and reflection, the online modality and issues related to researching learner autonomy. With the aim of exploring development over time, I gathered three kinds of data: pedagogically motivated data including online interactions and student assignments (listening diaries, reflective accounts); additional student interview and evaluation data; my fieldnotes and observation data documenting how I managed the three courses. Therefore, all the data collected was textual and qualitative in nature. Different approaches to data analysis were applied to different datasets. Grounded theory was applied to the interview data to allow themes and codes to emerge, whereas I-statement analysis and some predetermined coding categories were applied to the diaries and reflective accounts. The findings are structured according to the three areas of investigation. First of all, regarding collaboration and reflection, the success/failure of collaborative tasks depends greatly on task design configuration, while diarykeeping indeed serves as an effective pedagogical tool to raise students’ awareness of their learning processes and heighten their sense of ownership. Based on this understanding, teachers can create a space for reflection by marking regular opportunities for reflection and offering guiding questions. Secondly, regarding the online modality, the success of the online interactions contributed to students’ sense of ownership, which is closely related to their perception of what a listening course should be like and their identity as college students. Lastly, regarding issues related to researching learner autonomy, combining both Action Research and Exploratory Practice principles is beneficial to ensure that the teacher-researcher does not impose the research agenda onto learners. When data elicitation tools and data analysis techniques are also pedagogically motivated, the findings can authentically represent the picture of students’ learning. In viewing the development of learner autonomy as a learning process, considering cognitive, affective and behavioural domains can help us to understand learners’ perceptions and metacognitive strategies which are not easily observable from their learning behaviours. Furthermore, the data reveals that motivation and strategies interplay with learner autonomy throughout the process of learning