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1、ANEMPIRICALINVESTIGATIONOFCULTIVATINGSTUDENTSAUTONOMOUSLEARNINGCAPACITYINCOLLEGEENGLISHTEACHINGAbstractThis paper is a two2year empirical investigation of cultivating students autonomous learning capacity inCollege English teaching at Shanxi University of Finance and Economics (SUFE).The goal of the
2、 study is to optimize students language learning and to find a new direction of teaching innovation. The paper analyzes the current teaching context and presents a critical review of the literature on learner autonomy. The author explores understanding of learner autonomy in Chinese context and prod
3、uces an autonomous learning model in the experimental study. The paper presents some strategies f or fostering autonomy such as instructing students how to learn, level2based teaching and collaborative learning. It was found that only by encouraging greater learner autonomy can students raise their
4、English learning effectiveness.Key wordsTeaching English as a f foreign language; learners autonomy; teaching innovation1. IntroductionIt is true that after studying English for over ten years, most university students continue to find reading English books a difficult task. Understanding oral Engli
5、sh, especially English spoken by native speakers, is considered an even tougher t ask than reading aloud. But, even more difficult, is the job of expressing themselves clearly and fluently in spoken English. Many students who are able to pass the upper2level English examinations wit h high grades ar
6、e frequently poor at using t he language .Especially since 1999, university enrollment across the country has been expanding annually. This has plunged college English teaching into a new series of problems including: particularly severe shortages of teachers, increased class sizes and a widening ga
7、p in t he English proficiency levels of university students. The best way to make students lea r n both actively and effectively in such a situation is to challenge the traditional methods that have proved insufficient.In order t o meet the requirements of work places wit h t he intention of raising
8、 the quality of English teaching , Shanxi University of Finance and Economics called on the staff t o reform the cur rent teaching model of college English. By careful studying the modern theories of language teaching and learning of West countries, the author found that cultivating students autonom
9、ous learning capacity in college English teaching might be an effective and efficient way. Therefore, the author produced an autonomous learning model of college English and put it into teaching p practice. The paper reflects t he outcomes of the two year teaching experiment of learner autonomy cond
10、ucted at the university.2. Current Teaching ContextSince opening the door to the outside world, college English teaching in China has made great progress. Indeed, remarkable changes and achievements have been made across the country. However, the developments at each university in China are of ten q
11、uite different from each other. Chinese students English proficiency is commonly rather limited. Unfortunately, teaching English as a foreign language in China still leaves much to be desired (Zhou Liuxi 2003) .2. 1 The goal of English teachingThe teaching goals of the traditional syllabus demonstra
12、te an emphasis on a reading for comprehension based pedagogy, and the document nominates a basic amount of vocabulary that students were required to master. When tuition was focused on the emphasis in the syllabus the staff who delivered it regarded reading, writing and translating as the basis of s
13、cholarly endeavor and they tended to ignore it he cultivation of students list ending and speaking ability. Both are now recognized as essential to the requirements of the international business community. As a result, it is understandable that some teachers place considerable emphasis on the studen
14、ts passing the examinations and spend much time in dealing with students examination competence. Therefore, students may demonstrate a capability to remember many words by sight but are, all too frequently, neither able to understand nor say them. Such students may well have acquired a basic vocabul
15、ary but have not mastered the techniques of applying it in acts of communication.2. 2 The most recent model of English teachingThe English language teaching model, as it has been recently practiced in Chinese tertiary institutions, generally comprised a teacher, students, text books and the blackboa
16、rd. This equipment has been used in a class room with students sitting in rows listening to a teacher who stood in front of them. Some classes occasionally used computers but that use has generally been very limited. Normally there are around 55 students in each class, and it is clearly impossible f or the teacher to instruct students individually in such a situation . The teacher will talk about grammar, do some translation, explain the text
