Filipino teachers of English cognition on learner autonomy

• Main Author: Cabanding, Monica Reyes
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: English language—Study and teaching; Learner autonomy; English teachers > Philippines; Reflective teaching; Language and Literacy Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdd_deal/10; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdd_deal/article/1013/viewcontent/Filipino_teachers_of_English_cognition_on_learner_autonomy_Redacted.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

What language teachers think, know, believe, and do, viewed as teacher cognition, is deemed to be a significant field of study that can provide language teachers, educators, and institutions with the backdrop of a language education that is offered to the ESL students of this generation. In the present study, the researcher explored the cognitions of Filipino teachers of English on the promotion of learner autonomy in the classroom. Learner autonomy (LA) or the capacity of learners to take charge of her/his own learning has been an important focus of educational practices and research for decades. Using a survey questionnaire, classroom observations, and stimulated recall interviews, the researcher followed through the mental lives of the tertiary teachers affiliated with the various state-owned universities in Region 3. The results of the inquiry suggest that Filipino teachers of English, with their varied beliefs and strategies to facilitate learning in ESL classes, generally, embrace the Filipino learners' learning preference characterized by values of conformity and obedience. This was evident in the dominance of traditional teacher-led ways of teaching and the role of the teacher as the main purveyor of knowledge in the classroom. However, despite the imposition of the traditional teacher led-ways of teaching in the classroom, some teachers were able to establish among their students a sense of responsibility and critical thinking that are illustrative of the LA principles. The study strengthened claims of the cultural context perspective of learner autonomy as a curricular goal. Hence, it is recommended that teachers take initial steps like a thoughtful study of the learners' needs and learning styles in the process of integrating learner autonomy in the classroom. Lastly, the study proved the contribution that research on teacher cognition plays in the pursuit to inform practices and policies in the field of language teaching and learning. teacher cognition, learner autonomy, stimulated recall interviews, ESL classes, Region 3, language educators, Filipino teachers of English, mental lives, post method, reflective teaching