ABSTRACT

The present study examines, via questionnaire and interview, the autonomous learning capacity of first-year English majors and the factors affecting the capacity in question by investigating 105 freshmen in English Department of the School of Foreign Languages of Jiangsu University. The results show that: (1) first-year English majors have a certain level of autonomous learning capacity, and although confused about how to learn English well, they have great confidence in English learning; (2) they can formulate reasonable objectives and plans according to their own situations, but they are not good at monitoring and evaluating their learning process; (3) they are psychologically dependent on their teachers, not knowing how to transfer roles between teachers and themselves in learning process and, what’s more, they cannot take full advantage of available learning resources and some of them are not willing to communicate with others.

Key words: first-year English major; autonomous learning capacity; English learning

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One  INTRODUCTION-1

Chapter Two  LITERATU REREVIEW-2

Chapter Three  RESEARCH DESIGN -5

3.1 Questions-5

3.2 Participants-5

3.3 Instruments-5

   3.3.1 Questionnaire-5

   3.3.2 Interview-6

3.4 Procedure-6

Chapter Four  RESULTS AND DISCUSSION-8

4.1 First-year English majors’ general autonomous learning capacity-8

4.2 Factors affecting the autonomous learning capacity-9 

4.2.1 Learning motivation-9

4.2.2 Formulating learning objectives and plans-10

4.2.3 Self-efficacy in English learning -12

4.2.4 Perception of teachers’s role-13

4.2.5 Monitoring and evaluating learning process-14

4.2.6 Use of learning resources-15

Chapter Five  CONCLUSION-17

REFERENCES-19

APPENDICE 1-21

APPENDICE 2-23