Learner Autonomy Across Cultures

DAVID PALFREYMAN is based at Zayed University, Dubai, contributing to ESOL-related programmes in the English Language Centre and academic development in the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Assessment. His research interests include the roles of sociocultural context in language education, vocabulary curriculum development, and the use of information and communication technology. RICHARD C. SMITH lectures in ELT/Applied Linguistics in the Centre for English Language Teacher Education, University of Warwick, UK. He taught for thirteen years in Japan, and his main research interests are

What does 'autonomy' mean within language learning? By foregrounding cultural issues and thus explicitly addressing the concerns of many educators on the appropriateness and feasibility of developing learner autonomy in practice, this book fills a gap in the literature and offers practical benefits to language teachers.What does 'autonomy' mean within language learning? Should it be enhanced within national, institutional or small group culture and, if so, how can that be done? A variety of new theoretical perspectives are here firmly anchored in research data from projects worldwide. By foregrounding cultural issues and thus explicitly addressing the concerns of many educators on the appropriateness and feasibility of developing learner autonomy in practice, this book fills a gap in the literature and offers practical benefits to language teachers.