Learner-centered english language teaching: Premises, practices, and prospects

Abstract

Although learner-centered education is claimed to have several learning gains, research suggests that teachers’ attitudes and practices play a crucial role in promoting its prolific outcomes. This study examines the adaptation of learner-centered education and examines how it has been implemented in second language teaching by university teachers since launching an educational shift embodied in the learner-centered reform a decade ago. In so doing, a questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 128 instructors. The data collected were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical analyses using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS 16.0 software. Meanwhile, interviews were analyzed qualitatively. The quantitative analysis of data provides a snapshot of instructors’ attitudes towards Learner-centered education and the extent to which they implemented it in their courses. More importantly, the analysis of qualitative interview results outlines a “contextualized” framework that takes into account the conceptual nature of the global premises of Learner-centered education by linking them to teachers’ perceptions and practices in a particular context. The findings provide insights into the dynamism of meeting college students’ second language learning needs. The study further addresses the problems of designing teacher training that aims at promoting higher education second language learning in the Middle East and North Africa context.