Students in the Clubs: How to Foster Learner Autonomy?

Learner autonomy, which is defined by Holec (1981) as the ability to take charge of one’s learning, has taken on a prominent role in the field of second language teaching in recent years. However, majority of Turkish students are not autonomous learners since their previous learning experiences are generally based on a teacher-centered approach. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of collaborative activities outside of class on learner autonomy in an EFL classroom. The participants comprised 23 students at intermediate level enrolled in a Language Preparatory Program at İstanbul Şehir University. Data were collected by means of pre-test and posttest questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews with the students. The results indicated that the treatment had a significant effect on some of the aspects of learner autonomy.