Title: Examining the predictive power of autonomy and self-evaluation on high school students' language achievement

Authors: Ismail Yuksel; Yalcin Toker

Addresses: Faculty of Education, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Meselik Campus, 26480 Eskisehir, Turkey ' Faculty of Education, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Meselik Campus, 26480 Eskisehir, Turkey

Abstract: This study aims to determine language learners' autonomy, self-evaluation levels and to examine the predictive power of these two variables on language achievement. The study was designed as mixed method design and was conducted with 108 high school students. Data were collected through an autonomy scale, a self-evaluation scale, schools record on language achievement and an open-ended questionnaire. The data were analysed through descriptive statistics, independent groups t-test, one way analysis of variance (ANOVA), simple correlation and regression analysis techniques. The results indicated that gender and school grade level made significant change in participants' autonomy, self-evaluation and achievement level. Results highlighted that as class level decreased students' self-evaluation scores increased. The regression results showed that autonomy, self-evaluation was, taken together, significantly associated with language achievement. The qualitative analyses indicated that students with high achievement scores regarded watching movies with subtitles and listening to songs as the most effective ways of learning English.

Keywords: language learning; autonomous learning; learner autonomy; student beliefs; language achievement; self-evaluation; high school students; gender; school grades; learning English.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLC.2013.056513

International Journal of Learning and Change, 2013 Vol.7 No.1/2, pp.126 - 140

Received: 19 Apr 2013
Accepted: 23 Jul 2013
Published online: 24 Sep 2013 *

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