Preparatory Learners’ Perspectives of Learner Autonomy in the Saudi Context

Learner autonomy is a developing concept that has been the focal point of number of research papers investigating language learning. It has been under investigation by number of scholars and researchers over the years, the concept of learner autonomy has been supported by number of researchers, others attempted to prove that it does not fit all learners of different backgrounds. In this research paper, the focus is mainly on learners’ perspectives of learner autonomy, what do they know? To what extent the students understand the concept of learner autonomy? Developing autonomous learners is an area that needs to be explained. There are limited studies conducted in the Saudi context therefore, this study investigates Preparatory year female EFL students’ perspectives of learner autonomy in the Saudi context. Moreover, it examines whether the learners have the knowledge and the competence to develop their learning. The perspectives and views of 150 learners were collected using a questionnaire. The study follows a mixed methods approach. The reviewed literature showed that implications of learner autonomy reflected positively on learners (Burkert & Schwienhorst. 2008; Han, 2015). The main findings of this study revealed that students participated in this study had negative perspective of learner autonomy