The study of Learner Autonomy as Individual Development through Transcriptions and Feedback Sessions: Emic and Etic Perspective

Despite long and well distinguished research history in the area of reflection and noticing in language learning on the side of learners, this area of research is oversimplified on various grounds. Although there is a consensus on the effect of noticing on language development in literature, how noticing affects individual development is still open to research. This paper explores learner autonomy as an individual development as the result of reflection and noticing on transcription of speaking activities. To this end, 70 Iranian adult EFL (male and female) students of intermediate level were selected on the basis of their speaking skill as rated according to Foreign Service Institute (FSI) rating scale. The subjects were assigned in two groups of control and experimental groups receiving placebo in control and transcription activities and reflection sessions in experimental groups. Learners’ answers to learner autonomy questionnaire and IELTS speaking tests in pretest and posttest phases of the study were compared using series of paired and independent sample t-tests. This examines the effectiveness of reflective practice on development of noticing the mistakes by language learner. The mere quantitative analysis masks other important effects of noticing on learner autonomy which was cared through an emic perspective in interview sessions by the participants as they talk about what they noticed as they evaluated themselves and their peers. The results have significant pedagogical implications including the need for modifications on curriculum of language teaching to foster peer-feedback and peer-evaluation, designing more pair-work and group-work projects, and promoting discovery learning methods in order for the students to be more active in developing their own autonomy.