The predisposition of adult ESOL learners in a FE college towards autonomy

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 predisposed to it. Using questionnaire survey administered among 20 selected students and supplementing this with a focus group discussion, the research sought to test this assumption in the context of ESOL students. Towards achieving this, the research sought the reaction of the subjects to various components of autonomous learning. The findings indicate that students in this group are to a large extent negatively predisposed to many of the components of autonomous learning. It concludes with the injunction that teachers should not assume that all students would be positively predisposed towards autonomy because of a number of reasons ranging from the psychological to the historical. It suggests that a lot of work needs to be done in order to bring these students around to accepting the usefulness of autonomous learning.