Fostering Learner Autonomy outside the Classroom at an English Preparatory School

Learner autonomy is one of the major topics in education and language learning for more than 40 years. It has been studied as a research topic almost all over the world. In contrast to being studied too much, every single study comes up with a new point to be considered. This is the proof for the wideness of this subject. The main purpose of the present study is to identify the FLEPS students’ and instructors’ perceptions as regards fostering learner autonomy outside the classroom at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) School of Foreign Languages and English Preparatory School (FLEPS). To this aim, the study attempts to find out the students’ study habits, and how they use the Student’s Self Study Centre (SSSC) to develop their autonomy level. In other words, it aims to obtain to what extent the SSSC and the instructors are fostering learner autonomy outside the classroom. In this case study, the mixed method approach was used to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. The participants were 10 instructors and 105 students from the FLEPS. A questionnaire was administered to the students and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the instructors in order to obtain data. The results revealed that generally the students watch movies and listen to music outside the classroom to improve their English. They also said that they frequently use the SSSC. Based on the results, the instructors, on the other hand, mainly give assignments to help students develop autonomy. Moreover, the results showed that there is an urgent need for updating the materials and renewing the SSSC’s resources and facilities. There is also need for a continuous staff development programme in the SSSC in order to equip the staff with necessary knowledge and skills to make them be able to inform, guide and facilitate students more effectively. Keywords: Learner Autonomy (LA), English Preparatory School (EPS), Students’ Self Study Center (SSSC), perceptions.