Readiness for Autonomy Among EFL Students in Oman

Abstract

There is an overwhelming consensus in Omani English language tertiary settings about the importance of developing autonomous learners. This chapter discusses findings from a small-scale study conducted in Oman that explored the extent to which EFL students on a foundation program in a private university college were inclined toward learner autonomy. Student preferences were elicited by the use of a questionnaire administered to a self-selected sample of 173 students currently enrolled in the university college’s English foundation program. Descriptive analysis focusing on frequency counts and item means were used to analyze the data. Results indicate that the majority of participants rely excessively on their teachers in the language learning process and that, as a result, they display low levels of autonomy and little inclination toward developing as autonomous learners. The reasons for this situation within Oman are explored before ways in which greater autonomy can be encouraged in learners are explored.