NOTICE OF THESIS EXAM
Timi Timothy
202000010018
Nov 10, 2023, 1:00 PM
Building C, Room 706
Adviser : Christine Manara, Ph.D.
Examiners : Dr. Engliana, M.Hum & Yanti, Ph.D.
Title
UNIVERSITY TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARDS LEARNER
AUTONOMY
Abstract
Learner
autonomy as well as aspects surrounding it have been a quite popular research
topic since the Covid-19 pandemic occurred. Some of these aspects were autonomy
readiness, effect of autonomy on language proficiency, as well as perception
toward learner autonomy. Like the other aspects, teachers’ and students’
perception toward learner autonomy has been investigated quite frequently, with
some studies focusing only on either the teachers’ or the students’ perception,
and some other on both participant types. However, the majority of these
studies investigated perception through the lens of either only knowledge or
beliefs, especially in the Indonesian tertiary education context. The present
study therefore set out to investigate teachers’ and students’ perception
toward learner autonomy, with their perception examined through both beliefs
and knowledge combined with their practices of autonomy for confirmation, as
well as the similarities and differences in terms of perception between the two
participant groups in the Indonesian tertiary education context. University
teachers and students participating in this study filled out a questionnaire,
and those willing were interviewed. Classroom sessions conducted by willing
lecturers were also observed. The findings of the current study reveal the
positive beliefs and knowledge of both the university teachers and students,
implying that both participant groups not only possessed knowledge of learner
autonomy, but also favored it. Moreover, the positive beliefs as well as
knowledge were reflected through the teachers’ teaching practices which
provided students with opportunities to take charge of their own learning and
collaborate with each other, and the students’ learning practices which also
generally included autonomous learning practices. Though it was identified that
the teachers and students had a generally similar positive perception toward
learner autonomy, there were differences. Said differences include the
differing view of the teachers and students on collaborative group tasks, the
university teachers’ viewing freedom in choosing how learning is assessed more
negatively than the students’, and the students’ acknowledging the
identification of one’s own learning objectives more than the teachers’. The results
of the current study also imply that in the Indonesian tertiary education
context, university teachers may intensify the assistance they provide the
students with in their autonomous learning, universities could increase their
focus on not only building, but also maintaining facilities essential for
students’ self-access environment, as well as the possibility of university
teachers increasing their management on students’ collaborative group tasks in
order to boost students’ participation and contribution to the group they are
assigned to so that their learning results may be improved.
Keywords: Learner
autonomy, perception, beliefs, knowledge, practices, university, teachers,
students, Indonesian tertiary education