FOSTERING VIETNAMESE EFL LEARNERS’ LEARNER AUTONOMY AND READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY THROUGH ONLINE PLATFORMS

Duong Thanh Hung Duc, Vo Thi Thu Hang

Abstract


The ability of learner autonomy is a prerequisite for many university students in Vietnam. However, it is a daunting task for EFL teachers and learners to achieve that learning outcome. The present study aims to delineate second-year English majors’ perceived learner autonomy and reading comprehension ability in an online reading course at Van Lang University, Vietnam, with two online platforms (synchronous via Microsoft Teams and asynchronous via Moodle). During the ten weeks of this course, different online reading and vocabulary practices were assigned to 65 students in two intact classes. The results were obtained from reading tests, questionnaires, and a follow-up interview. The findings revealed that they could perceive their learner autonomy more positively and statistically remarkably improve their reading comprehension ability after the course. The students’ insights into the course’s effectiveness confirmed several benefits in addition to a few barriers (i.e., technical issues, English proficiency levels, learning motivation, and online self-study skills). The results have specific implications for the practice of English reading instruction at the faculty. Viable online platforms and pedagogical techniques should be applied to foster the students’ learner autonomy and reading comprehension ability.

 

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learner autonomy, reading comprehension, Microsoft Teams, Moodle

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v9i4.5624

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