An Assessment of ESL Learners’ Autonomy in Online Classes during Covid-19 at Postgraduate Level

This quantitative research critically investigated the multifactorial architecture of learner autonomy among postgraduate ESL students at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur during the Covid-19 pandemic. It employed a structured questionnaire comprising 37 items with a sample size of 147 respondents. Utilising SPSS for advanced statistical analysis, the study revealed that digital pedagogical affordances—specifically the helpfulness of online notes and resources, engagement with social media platforms, self-assessment practices, and flexible scheduling—are statistically significant positive predictors of autonomous learning behaviours. Regression coefficients indicate robust associations (β = 0.41 for online engagement, β = 0.28 for flexibility, β = 0.29 for self-assessment, all p < 0.01). Notably, gender emerges as a salient variable, with female learners reporting higher autonomy scores (M = 4.34, SD = 0.62) compared to males (M = 3.97, SD = 0.77). Conversely, technological barriers (β = -0.28, p < 0.01) and motivational deficits are identified as principal impediments to sustained autonomy. Thematic analysis further elucidated the centrality of digital resource accessibility, peer interaction, and metacognitive self-regulation as critical determinants of autonomous learning, while also highlighting persistent challenges such as infrastructural constraints, limited peer engagement, and instructor accessibility. The findings underscore the imperative for targeted pedagogical, infrastructural, and policy interventions to optimise learner autonomy in technologically mediated, post-pandemic ESL education, thereby contributing a rigorous, empirically grounded perspective to the evolving discourse on digital language pedagogy.