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Volume 21 Number 3, Autumn 2024, Pages 520-759   


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Exploring the Enabling Factors and Constraints for Developing Learner Autonomy in an Underprivileged Indonesian EFL Context

    Bonik Kurniati Amalo & Eleni Petraki


Learner autonomy is a multidimensional and complex concept that has attracted immense research attention in both Western and Asian contexts. The majority of this research focused on privileged environments neglecting underprivileged contexts, where learner autonomy has been recognised as a rescue strategy. Simultaneously, most research addressed either student or teacher perceptions on learner autonomy development in a single study. This study addressed the aforementioned gaps, by investigating EFL teachers' and students' perceptions about the prospects and barriers in the promotion of learner autonomy in disadvantaged Indonesian secondary schools. It adopted a phenomenological qualitative approach comprising 32 interviews with EFL teachers and focus groups with 30 EFL learners. Findings revealed that both teacher and student participants identified socioeconomic factors as the most prominent hindrance comprising limited access to learning resources and limited time to conduct autonomous learning. Moreover, a notable disparity emerged in the teachers' and students' perceptions of the enabling factors for promoting autonomy. The students were more optimistic about the feasibility of developing learner autonomy, acknowledging several enabling factors compared to their teachers. The study provides practical implications for designing appropriate teacher training to address the needs of many similar underresourced teaching environments.

Keywords: learner autonomy, EFL teacher perceptions, EFL student perceptions, underprivileged schools, feasibility of learner autonomy