The Graduate Students’ Autonomy Development in A Thesis Writing Course For Postgraduate Students at EMU

The present study aimed to explore autonomy development of graduate students in a Thesis Writing class at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). It was designed as a case study involving a questionnaire administration to 9 MA and PhD students enrolled in the graduate course as well as an interview and evaluation of the course instructor. The questionnaire employed in this study was based on an interview designed by Borg and Al-Busaidi (2012) and a questionnaire designed by Jarvis (2012); whereas the interview guide was prepared by the researcher. The study addressed the following research questions: 1) How does the instructor of the Thesis Writing course perceive the graduate candidates‘ autonomy? 2) To what extent do the graduate candidates enrolled in the course perceive themselves autonomous at the start and end of the course? 3) Have the graduate students developed their autonomy over the Thesis Writing course? Accordingly, the study collected, content analyzed and triangulated comprehensive qualitative data comprising the graduate candidates‘ self-reports as well as their course instructor‘s perceptions and evaluation of their autonomy development. The analysis of the pertinent qualitative data manifested the participants‘ awareness of the significance of autonomy both for themselves and their instructor. Further, the triangulated perceptual evidence collected at the start and end of the course suggested promising changes in terms of the autonomy development of the student participants, as well as their academic progress in the Thesis Writing course. The graduate candidates reportedly could make decisions on their own studies, as well as the course topics, materials, activities, and other aspects. Furthermore, they used Moodle and other resources for their studies, interaction, and discussion with peers and the course instructor. Overall, the graduate students expressed positive perceptions in relation to their learning experiences throughout the Thesis Writing course. Finally, triangulation of the qualitative data demonstrated a promising congruence between the graduate candidates‘ self-reports and the course instructor‘s perceptions and evaluation in terms of their autonomy development and academic progress. Importantly, the study raised the graduate candidates‘ awareness of the challenges of autonomy in the 21st century and the need to further develop in this regard. In conclusion, the study provided some implications for the instructor(s) of the Thesis Writing course in the context under investigation as well as made suggestions for prospective research. Keywords: autonomy development, graduate candidates, course instructor, Thesis Writing course, using English, Moodle.