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4.1 The Importance of Autonomous Learning
There are many experts discussing that autonomous learning is important to practice. Cotterall in Ando 1998 states three important reasons for developing
learner autonomy: philosophical, pedagogical and practical. The philosophical reason refers to the learners‟ right to make choices about their learning. It means
that learners have the right to make choices about their own learning. Helping learners to learning how to make their own choices will prepare them for a
changing future. In the pedagogical reason, it is argued that adults will learn more effectively when they are consulted about dimensions such as the pace, sequence,
mode of instruction and even the content of what they are studying. This means that learning is more effective when learners are involved in making decisions
about the learning process. The practical argument for promoting learner autonomy means that the learners need to be able to learn on their own because
they do not always have access to all instructions they need to become proficient. The learners feel more secure when they participate and are involved in the
decision-making process. According to Omaggio as cited in Bayat 1998, autonomy in language
learning is important to create good language learners who are aware of their learning styles and strategies and they know how to adapt them for different
learning conditions; know about their strengths and weaknesses; and use every opportunity to communicate in the target language. This means that the students
who are autonomous are able to know all their needs to reach their target in learning language.
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4.2 Characteristics of Autonomous Learners
Talking about promoting students to become autonomous learners will always be related to the characteristics of autonomous learners the students need
to become. There are some characteristics of autonomous learners as some researchers argue. Autonomous learners need to be active to take role in the
learning process by finding more learning opportunities for themselves rather than just doing what the teacher asks them to do. Dickinson 1993 provides four
characteristics of autonomous learners. First, autonomous learners are able to identify what is being taught in the classroom. The second characteristic is that
they are capable to formulate their own learning objectives. It means that they can improve their language skills outside the classroom by reading or watching TV
programs in the target language. The third characteristic is that autonomous learners can select and implement the learning strategies which are appropriate for
them to improve their language skill. The fourth characteristic is that autonomous learners are able to monitor the effectiveness of the strategies they use and make
necessary changes for them. Meanwhile, there are also other characteristics of autonomous learners
provided by some researchers. Charp as cited in Junaina 1994 notes the autonomous learners characteristics are as active listening and the ability to work
independently in the absence of a live instructor become crucial for success. Moreover, there are also other characteristics of autonomous learners suggested
by Chan 2001 as: having high motivation, goal oriented, well organized, hard- worker, initiative, enthusiastic about learning, flexible, active, willing to ask
questions, making use of every opportunity to improve their learning. While the
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experts have different characteristics of autonomous learners, the characteristics lead the students to be more independent, initiative, and active in their learning
process.
4.3 Level of Autonomy
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