Thesis
Learner autonomy in a Libyan EFL context
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2026
- Thesis identifier
- T17968
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 202274739
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- Benson (2021) defines learning autonomy as the ability of individuals to take charge of theirown learning process, exercising responsibility and making decisions for their own learning.The concept has been a focus in foreign language education for many years. However, learnerautonomy in the Libyan educational context remains under-researched. This study explores theconcept within the Libyan English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university context, identifyingbarriers and strategies that support it.Traditionally, higher education in Libya has followed a teacher-centred approach wherestudents take a passive role (Algwil, 2024), making the promotion of autonomy challenging.In addition, the Libyan education system has been shaped by socio-political instability,resulting in disrupted learning conditions that have significantly affected the learningenvironment. In this context, fostering learner autonomy is especially important to helpstudents remain engaged and resilient despite these challenges.This study adopted a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design in two phases: semistructured interviews with 20 students and teachers in four public universities, followed by aquestionnaire with 309 EFL teachers and 486 students. Findings showed that both groupsdemonstrated basic understandings of learner autonomy across four perspectives (Benson,1997; Oxford, 2003): technical, psychological, sociocultural, and political. Teachers viewed itmainly from a technical perspective, while students leaned towards a more psychologicalperspective.The study identifies three key categories of constraints: institutional, sociocultural, and thoserelated to individual learners. Teachers and students largely – but not entirely – raise issues thatare outside their control: resource shortages, political instability, with cultural factors such asreliance on teacher authority, parenting practices, reliance on memorisation, and perceptions ofautonomy as a Western concept also playing a role. In Libya, strong collective cultural valuesinfluence learning, but classroom practices remain dominated by teacher authority, limitingautonomy. The findings of this study suggest that disrupted conditions and collectivist valuesshape learner autonomy as gradual, context-dependent process, where learners show partialindependence rather than complete independence from teacher guidance.Teachers and students emphasised self-management as crucial. Students reported strategiessuch as note-taking, summarising, seeking feedback, and breaking tasks into smaller steps.Overall, the findings of this study further highlight that autonomy in the Libyan EFL context is best understood as a balance between independence (through self-management) andinterdependence (through collaboration), rather than one or the other.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Birnie, Ingeborg
- Sims, Rebekah
- Resource Type
- DOI
- Funder
Relations
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