INVESTIGATING IN-SERVICE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS ON ONLINE AND AUTONOMOUS LEARNING

Abstract

Purpose of the study: The aim of this study is to investigate in-service teachers’ perception of online and autonomous learning and what types of obstacles they face during the program. It investigates the practice of autonomous learning classrooms by 101 Indonesian in-service English teachers in an entirely online learning environment, where skills and learning tools are incorporated to form integrated autonomous learning activities. Methodology: This research was conducted at Universitas Syiah Kuala, Indonesia. Online questionnaire was used to gather information from 101 participants about their autonomous learning experience through task-based instructions (TBI). Main Findings: Our research results indicated that the range of modules and tasks given to the in-service teacher participants were able to foster independent learning. Findings suggest that in-service teachers showed positive attitudes towards the implementation of online autonomous learning, while limited task instructions, technical issues, and communication constraints were among obstacles faced by the participants during the program. Applications of this study: It is hoped that the findings of the present study will contribute to the development of the existing literature in the field of teacher training and can be used as an important input for the improvement of the current teacher training program. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study is intended to draw conclusions from a series of actual research data and contribute a new angle to the existing research on teachers’ perception on online and autonomous learning.