Students’ Perceptions Regarding the Development of Autonomous Learning Abilities by Working with Self-study Guides

Abstract

This study was conducted at the School of Languages from the University of Colima. Researchers are interested in finding ways to develop autonomous learning and believed self-study guides contribute to reach such aim. This investigation is relevant because it can generate knowledge regarding the aspects of autonomous learning self-study guides can help develop. The research question was: Do students become more responsible for their learning and develop skills needed in autonomous learning after working with self-study guides? The investigation was conducted through a case study by collecting quantitative data. Participants were university students who worked with self-study guides for one year. Data was collected through the adapted questionnaire by Chan et al. (2002). The findings showed students felt responsible for some aspects of their learning but continued to view others as the teacher’s responsibility. It was concluded that working with self-study guides contributes to develop certain features of autonomous learning.