THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN METACOGNITIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES AND LEARNER AUTONOMY IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the frequency of metacognitive language learning strategy employment and language learner perceptions related to learner autonomy. Metacognitive strategies are defined by Oxford (1990:136) as “the actions which go beyond purely cognitive devices, and which provide a way for learners to coordinate their own learning process.” Victori and Lockhart (1995) have reported that the employment of metacognitive strategies help learners to develop more active and autonomous attitude enabling them to take the control of their own learning. This view is supported by Reinders (2000:14) as “if it is the aim of education to let learners take charge of their own learning, then they need to be able to plan, monitor and evaluate their learning. And in order to do so, they need to be metacognitively aware.” The participants of the study were 226 English language learners studying at a public university in Turkey. Two different instruments were used for collecting the data of the study: (1) metacognitive strategy use section of Oxford’s (1990) language learning strategy inventory; (2) a learner autonomy questionnaire adapted from Chan, Spratt and Humphreys (2002). For language learning strategies, Oxford’s (1990) inventory was preferred because “it differs in several ways from earlier attempts to classify strategies. It is more comprehensive and detailed; it is more systematic in linking individual strategies, as well as strategy groups, with each of the four language skills; and it uses less technical terminology (p. 14).” In the inventory, participants read different sentences related to employment of metacognitive strategies, and they reported the frequency of their employment of the same strategies on a five-point Likert scale. The learner autonomy questionnaire had two sections focusing on participants’ perceptions of teacher and learner responsibilities in the language learning process and their perceptions of language learners’ abilities to act autonomously. Several descriptive and inferential statistical analysis methods were employed for analyzing the data of the study. Results indicated that there is a significant relationship between metacognitive strategy use and perceptions of learner autonomy. Results and implications of the study are discussed in the light of the relevant literature.