Abstract:

This paper briefly outlines an approach to practitioner research known as Exploratory Practice (henceforth EP) which emphasizes integrating research into pedagogy, attaches great importance to the quality of life in the classroom, and develops students’ language competency and autonomy in a harmonious atmosphere. The paper also illustrates how the framework of EP can be invoked in the context of research by disclosing and understanding various puzzles in English language classrooms for non-English majors. Namely, it explores how putting EP principles into teaching practice, solves problems in language learning, such as demotivation and plagiarism. It reports that through classroom observations, video recording, discussions, discourse analysis, record keeping, interviews and drafts of students’ writing, the study finds a significant correlation between EP and empowering students’ autonomy.

Keywords:

Autonomy, Exploratory Practice, plagiarism, practitioner research, motivation.