english-majors’networkbased-autonomous-english-learning—taking-xinyang-normal-university-as-an-exa.doc

Contents

Abstract 1
摘要： 2
1. Introduction 2
1.1 The Concept of Self-learning 4
1.2 The Significance and Essence of Self-learning 6
2. The Research Methodology 9
2.1 The Research Instrument 9
2.2 The Research Subject 9
3. The Process of Investigation and the Analysis of the Result 9
3.1 The Process of Investigation 9
3.2 The Analysis of the Results 11
4. Suggestions 13
4.1 Strengthening the Supervision and Management of Teachers 13
4.2 Establishing a Correct Concept of English Autonomous Learning 14
4.3 The Leading Role of Teachers and the Main Position of Students 14
4.4 Improving the Quality and the Management of the Learning Resources 15
5. Conclusion 15
Bibliography: 16

English Majors’Network-based Autonomous English Learning
——Taking XinYang Normal University as an example
Abstract: Self-learning is a modern learning way which corresponds to the traditional reception learning. As the name suggests, self-learners achieve their learning goals through an independent analysis, exploration, practice, questioning, creation and other ways. Self-learning is a vital factor in the English learning especially as a foreign language. With the development of computer and modern technology, the computer assisted language learning become more and more important in English learning. The thesis is to investigate and analyze the situation of English major’ autonomous learning in Xinyang Normal University. The research objectives are English majors except the freshmen in Xinyang Normal University, which contains male as well as female. The research method is interview supplemented by questionnaire. Through the investigation, we find some questions in the learning process of self-learning. For example, some students’ learning ability is very weak, which needs teachers’ instruction; some students do not be sure about the target of self-learning, as a result the learning efficiency is low; some students could not get rid of the entertainment on the internet. On the emergence of these problems, we propose some solutions: to strengthen the supervision and management of teachers, on order to improve students’ self-learning ability; to stimulate students’ interest in learning, to strengthen the management of learning resources; to play teacher’s leading role, grasping the main status of the students. We hope that these methods can greatly improve the level of students in independent study, and this new mode of learning becomes an effective complement to traditional teaching model.
Key words: Self-learning; computer network environment; learning model

摘要：
自主学习是与传统的接受学习相对应的一种现代化学习方式。顾名思义，自主学习是以学生作为学习的主体，通过学生独立的分析、探索、实践、质疑、创造等方法来实现学习目标。自主学习很大程度上制约着学习者的外语学习成败。外语教学的最终目的之一就是帮助学生获得和发展该能力。随着计算机、网络和多媒体技术的迅速发展, 计算机辅助语言教学(CALL)逐步渗透到语言教学的各个方面。本论文对信阳师范学院英语专业的学生的自主学习情况进行了调查语分析。调查对象为信阳师范学院英语专业的学生，其中主要为大二以上年级的学生，男女生都包括在里面，调查方法为访谈辅以调查问卷。通过本次调查与分析我们发现了学生在自主学习中存在的一些问题，比如说有的学生自主学习能力不强，还有待老师的各方面指导；有的学生学习目的不明确，学习效率低下；有的学生在自主学习的过程中意志力薄弱，容易受网络上各种娱乐方式的诱惑，从而造自主学习效率不高。针对出现的这些问题，我们提出了一些解决的方法，加强教师的监督管理,培养学生的自主学习能力；激发学生的学习兴趣,提高自主学习效果；加强学习资源建设,强化自主学习管理；发挥教师主导作用,把握学生主体地位等。我们希望通过这些方法能够极大地提高同学们的自主学习水平，从而使自主学习这一新型的学习模式广泛使用，成为传统教学模式的有效补充。
关键词：自主学习；计算机环境下; 学习模式

1. Introduction
Autonomous language learning refers to a situation in which learners are able to determine their own learning objectives, choose their own ways of achieving these, and evaluate their own process (Ellis, 1999). To a large extent, self-learning restricts the success or failure of foreign language learning. One of the ultimate goals of foreign language teaching is to help students acquire and develop the capacity.
With the development of computer and multimedia network technology, computer-assisted language learning gradually infiltrated into all aspects of language teaching. In recent years, domestic colleges and universities create the language teaching and learning environment actively with the support of computer network and multimedia technology, in order to make use of modern information technology to promote students’ initiative in independent study. Under such circumstances, it is necessary to investigate the current situation and characteristics of self-learning with the help of computer network. If we can prove that self-learning of English majors in computer network environment is more effective than the traditional model of learning, or the former is the effective supplement to the latter, we can find a new direction for English teaching. For the teaching content that needs a lot of repetition drills, we can develop the corresponding web-based courseware that allows computers to replace teachers in an interactive feedback, to enable students to learn by themselves following the computer and stimulate their enthusiasm of study.
The second part of the thesis will show the preview study about the self-learning in home and abroad. Different scholars have different understanding on self-learning. But they hold the same opinion that self-learning is a new learning model that can greatly improve the interest of students and the efficiency of learning. Then the author introduces the significance and the essence of self-learning.
The third part of the thesis will introduce the research methodology in the thesis.
The fourth part of the thesis gives the author’s investigation of the situation in Xinyang Normal University and the analysis of the result.
The fifth part of the thesis gives some suggests based on the results of the investigation.
Self-learning raised in China on the one hand reflects the new research results of the field of learning theory, on the other hand, it raised a whole series of new fundamental problems to the current reform of education and teaching in China. Self-learning problem is identified as an important research by the National Education and Science “95” plan, which indicated its importance and the broad consensus in theoretical circles. Therefore, to deepen its study, clarify its meaning and the position and significance in the educational process is very necessary.
1.1 The Concept of Self-learning
Although there is a lot of study about self-learning, it does not have a precise definition. In general, many researchers suggest that self-learning has three aspects when talking about its definition (Cheng Xiaotang, 2000). First, self-learning is an internal mechanism which dominant students’ study. And it is a comprehensive study formed by the learners’ attitudes, abilities and learning strategies and other factors. That is, learners should have the abilities to guide and control their learning process, such as the ability to develop learning objectives for different learning tasks, the ability to choose learning methods and learning activities, the ability to monitor the learning process, the ability to assess the learning results. Second, self-learning means the control of learners on their own learning objectives. More simply, it is the degree of freedom of choice of learners to the above aspects. From another perspective, it is the degree of development autonomy, or freedom of choice that education mechanisms (education administration departments, curricula, schools, teachers, textbooks) give the learners. Third, self-learning is a learning model that learners develop specific learning objectives and complete their learning goals according to their own conditions and needs under the macro-control and guidance of teachers of the overall educational objectives. Definitely, this learning model has two essential premises, which is the ability to learn independently and the spaces the educational mechanism provides to learners.
Chinese and foreign scholars (Holec, Dickinson, Littlewood, Benson, Wang Duqin) have research on independent study from different perspective and emphasis, which conducted different definitions, such as self-regulated learning, self-planned learning, self- directed learning, self-monitored learning, and so on.
As the first researcher who studies self-learning of foreign language, Holec hold the opinion that from learners’ view, having self-learning capability means that one could determine the learning objectives, content, materials and methods, the ability to define learning time, location and ability to assess learning progress and learning results. Dickinson pointed out that self-learning refers to learning attitudes and the independent learning ability. The importance of cultivating self-learning should be reflected in self-learners who will be more autonomic and effective in the learning process. Wenden has the view that self-learners have a good understanding of their own learning styles and strategy, and they have a positive attitude towards the learning tasks and hold a friendly attitude to the target language. They pay attention to both the form and content. Also they have an independent set of reference system. Researchers have emphasized that learners should take the learning tasks and responsibilities initiative and have an overall management to their own learning.
Self-learning does not exclude the role of teachers. College English teaching is the primary process that students develop their self-learning ability. If the college English teachings suddenly change into solely responsible study from learning under whole control of teachers in the middle schools, learning effect can not be guaranteed. Professor Su Ding fang emphasized that self-learning is a learning attitude, not just an external form of learning without the teachers’ guide. Self-learning does not mean the individual and isolated learning. The social nature of language and communicative language also determine that English learning must be individual which will not be divorced from self-learning groups, thus learning process should be interactive and cooperative. Nedelsky hold the principle that autonomy is an ability that under the conditions of social environment and rely on the social relations. So self-learning is not individual self-learning. The consultation, cooperation, and mutual supervision between students and teachers, students are the important factor in order to promote the self-learning. Self-learning is not the learning of freestyle. Self-learning should not only involve learners’ identification about learning objectives, content, methods and time, place and schedule, and the self-audit, assessment and correction of learning results can not be ignored.
Based on the above researches, we can say that self-learning is a modern learning way which corresponds to the traditional reception learning. As the name suggests, self-learners achieve their learning goals through an independent analysis, exploration, practice, questioning, creation and other ways.
Self-learning requires establish the main status of independent development of the learners, so that the teaching of theoretical knowledge-based economy will be more in line with the inner laws of the knowledge learning, skills and personality development. The true meaning of “teaching” should change from the past “teach students the knowledge and skills” to “teach students to learn”. The learning theory should be established as the center of modern teaching theory. In self-learning, teachers should establish the scientific concept of knowledge structure. It is necessary to attach importance to the teaching of book knowledge, but also pay attention to guiding students to the accumulation of experience and theory. Students should not focus on learning “what” and “why”, more attention should be paid to “how to learn”.
1.2 The Significance and Essence of Self-learning
1.2.1 The Significance of Self-learning
Firstly, independent study can develop the ability of initiative development of students.
In the traditional teaching model, students are the target of education. The development of students is very passive, for example, students did not end in mind that what are their study goals, objectives and their development orientation. Their initiative is not be fully motivated. However, self-learning is totally different from the traditional model. It is a new teaching model in which students can obtain knowledge through self-learning, exploration and discovery. It emphasizes that students are the truly leading people of the learning process. They can arrange their learning content, methods and objectives according to their own schedule. Therefore, the effective of learning will improve a lot.
Secondly, self-learning enables students to form a good learning habit.
Self-learning enables students to truly become the masters of learning. Under such circumstances, students should take charge of the learning process actively, and join the study spontaneously and consciously. They should be responsible for themselves. In this way, the initiative of learning will be greatly enhanced. To learn effectively and quickly, they should find the most useful ways to learn which must be very suitable for them, then, the good learning habits have been formed. Instead, this good habit also ensure the efficiency of self-learning in the further learning activity.
Thirdly, Self-study can help students to cultivate their confidence.
Self-confidence is the key to success. A confident person will always meet the challenges and overcome difficulties full of vigor. The learning process should be accompanied with teachers’ expectation and motivation. In traditional teaching, there is always a fixed answer to a question. When considering self-learning, it creates a free learning environment for the students, with the proper enlightenment and guidance of teachers, students can explore knowledge spontaneously and independently.
Lastly, independent study can protect and stimulate the curiosity of students.
Curiosity is human nature, however, in the traditional teaching model; teachers often unconsciously deprive students’ curiosity. Without curiosity, it is impossible to stimulate the learning interest and cultivate the habit of self-learning. With the help of computer network, students can find the answers to their questions freely and quickly, in this way, their curiosity can be satisfied.
In classroom teaching, teachers should protect the curiosity of students fundamentally. Teachers may use some unusual experimental phenomena, suspense-type questions and strange story to inspire the curiosity of students. Therefore, an “I want to learn” atmosphere is formed, and the advantages of self-learning are fully achieved.
1.1.2 The Essence of Self-learning
Different schools of theory have different views about the essence of self-learning. To clarify this issue, Zimmerman proposed a systematic framework of self-learning research, which shows the essence of self-learning deeply. He pointed out that the reason why all schools hold different views on substantive issues of self-learning, mainly due t