Describes eight changes that fit the paradigm shift in second language education toward what is often called communicative language teaching: learner autonomy, cooperative learning, curricular integration, focus on meaning, diversity, thinking skills, alternative assessment, and teachers as co-learners. The paradigm shift is examined as an element…

Reports on an action research project on ways and means of promoting learner autonomy in an English-as-a-Second-Language classroom. Focuses on the implementation of an autonomy-based English program with first-year university students at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The context and objective of the program are presented, classroom…

This article reports on the gains that may be obtained from the use of computers to develop language skills in students of English as a foreign language. Advantages and disadvantages of using computers to teach English are presented. A set of guidelines for using computers are suggested, and two related issues in using computers in instruction are…

Discusses autonomy in language related to East-Asian contexts, describing autonomy in language learning, proposing a framework for learners in all contexts, examining three sources of sociocultural influence that could affect students' approaches to learning in East Asia, and considering attitudes and habits of learning that might result from such…

The paper reports a small-scale research on the predisposition of adult ESOL learners in a further education college to the components of autonomous learning. The research is based on the perception that there is an untested assumption that all students will react positively to the concept of autonomous learning and by implication are positively…

This article examines the contribution of language learning advisers to the creation of synergy in specific learning spaces and considers advisers' roles in relation to the development of successful learner self-management (LSM). Starting with an historical overview of the evolution of the self-access centre at the University of Hull, the article…

This paper demonstrates how learners can work on problems involved in learning a foreign language on their own through reading strategies and the help of a well-stocked, language resources center. Using this self-access approach and the resources center, the learner can accomplish the goal of learning with only minimal assistance from other…

Designed as a reference tool for continued language learning beyond the beginning level, this workbook provides explanations and sets of exercises for learning, practicing, and understanding the major points of Romanian grammar. The manual contains 11 units on certain grammar problems for use with a tutor or under self-guided learning…

Reports on an experiment carried out with Swiss high school students who had had four years of French. The students were allowed to design their class work individually. On the basis of a questionnaire, which is provided here, the experiment was judged very successful. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Educators are urged to encourage gifted/talented students to teach themselves foreign languages. This essay discusses the lack of language requirements in schools, linguistic insensitivity or laziness shown by Americans, individuals' linguistic potential, goals of multilingual development, the appropriate time to introduce foreign languages, and…

Reports on an evaluation of the self-directed English study program for adults of C.R.A.P.E.L. (France). The evaluation is based on an analysis of 15 recorded interviews covering 20 hours of conversation between individual students and program counselors. Only students' comments on their progress, their problems, and learning strategies are…

Presents accumulated insights for benefit of colleagues considering embarking on software development projects. Original purpose of project was to produce a set of grammar revision and extension modules allowing teachers to use computers as a means of ensuring that once a language point had been dealt with in class, students could be required to…

Describes the self-reported strategies of 30 adults who were independent language learners for a period of 6 months and kept diaries of their language learning experiences. High achievers showed significantly more instances of communication-making and context-making activities, treating language as a medium of communication rather than as a…

Drawing primarily from theory and research in the cognitive literature on learning, this paper defines and illustrates the various components of task knowledge and attempts to show the functional relationship between task knowledge and autonomous learning. An approach to learner training that is (task) knowledge based is discussed. (54 references)…

Highlights the unifying role of metacognition in all levels of learner training. The article argues that one of the premises of any self-directed program should be that of enhancing students' metacognition to prepare them for their own learning autonomy. This paper describes an application of this principle including two examples of its use by…