INVESTIGATING LEARNER AUTONOMY: A STUDY OF ENHANCING COMMUNICATION SKILL COURSE FOR THE FIRST-YEAR MAINSTREAM STUDENTS OF THE FELTE, ULIS, VNU

Abstract

Learner autonomy in learning English is one of the greatest concerns of leaners of English. This study investigates the first-year mainstream students’ autonomy in learning pronunciation at the Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University as well as the effectiveness of Enhancing Communication Skill Course. The study used combination of questionnaires, interviews and observations with participants of 85 students and 2 teachers of the FELTE to collect necessary data. The most remarkable finding was that all learning strategies namely metacognitive, cognitive and social strategies along with making reflection, doing homework and keeping learning journals were employed by students in learning pronunciation, among which cognitive and social strategies were more favorable ones. The paper was, therefore, expected to serve as a reference for both learners of English and other researchers of the same field. Furthermore, the research results have shown the objectivity and validity of the application of these strategies in pronunciation class as well as effectiveness of the pronunciation course which greatly helps to improve students’ pronunciation as well as their learning autonomy. The researcher’s final exploration is that the application of learning strategies in learning pronunciation autonomously may only be fully achieved if the teacher gives more careful guidance and control over their students’ self-learning. Meanwhile, students themselves need to improve their awareness of self-study and set their own learning pronunciation methods in which they can learn best.