DEVELOPING EFL LEARNERS' AUTONOMY IN SPEAKING ENGLISH: AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS' PRACTICE AT A UNIVERSITY IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM

Abstract

Learner autonomy (LA) is currently concentrated in the Vietnamese educational context as it equips learners with the capacity for lifelong learning. For the EFL context, tertiary students encounter numerous challenges practicing language skills, especially English speaking because of lacking the language environment. This study aims at exploring what Vietnamese EFL students practice to develop LA in speaking English. The study using a mix-method approach was conducted at a university in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam with the participation of 102 English-majored students ranging from freshmen to seniors. A questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were used to explore students’ practice to develop LA for their English speaking development. The result reveals that the level in practicing LA among groups of students reaches the average, and it also figures out the components of LA in English speaking skills that students have performed as well as activities that students still encounter many obstacles in practicing. Article visualizations: