CHAPTER 3

METHOD

In this chapter, methodological details of the study are presented. The first section
presents the overall research design of the study. The second section discusses the research
questions of the study, while the third section presents the sample of the study. In the fourth
section, the details regarding the data collection instrument are addressed. The procedure
followed in the study is documented in the fifth section. The sixth section documents the data
analysis employed to the data. Finally, the seventh section acknowledges the limitations of the
study data.

3.1 Overall Research Design

This descriptive case study which employed quantitative data, was designed to see
whether or not EFL teacher-trainees at ENSB are ready to be involved in autonomous
learning regarding three aspects : The first aspect is related to the psychological aspect that
involves 5 areas : Perceptions of learners’ own and their teachers’ responsibilities in learning
the writing skill, their perception of feedback, their perception of their independence towards
learning the writing skill, their confidence in study ability of the writing skill and their
perception towards their experience of learning the writing skill. The second aspect is related
to learners’ use of metacognitive strategies in learning the writing skill. Finally, the last aspect
is related to learners’ use of social and affective strategies in learning the writing skill.
The sample of the present study consisted of 50 3rd year EFL teacher-trainees attending
ENSB. Participants were presented with a Likert Scale questionnaire constructed by the
researcher. Excel was used for data analysis (Table 3.1).

Table 3.1 Overall Research Design

1. Research Questions Literature Review, Previous studies

2. Sampling Simple Random Sampling

3. Research Design Descriptive Case Study

4. Instrument Likert Scale Questionnaire Construction by

the
Researcher
Administration of the questionnaire to third
5. Data collection procedure year EFL teacher-trainees at ENSB within 25
minutes
 6. Data analysis procedure Excel

Relevant literature and the context of

7. Interpreting Results the present study

3.2 Research Questions:

The purpose of this study is to assess students’ readiness for autonomy in three areas.
Firstly, in learner beliefs towards autonomy. Secondly, in the use of self management in
learning. Finally, in the use of social and affective strategies.

The study addressed the following research questions in order to reach the aims stated above:

1.1 To what extent are EFL teacher-trainees ready to be autonomous in the writing
skill?
1.2 What are EFL teacher-trainees beliefs towards autonomy in the writing skill?
1.3 To what extent are EFL teacher-trainees ready to use metacognitive strategies in
the writing skill?
1.4 To what extent EFL teacher-trainees ready to use social and affective strategies in
the writing skill?

3.3 Sample of the Study

The sample of the present study consisted of 50 3 rd year EFL teacher-trainees attending
ENSB. In the selection of the sample 2 groups out of 4 groups were selected randomly. The
subjects displayed little variety in gender.
The characteristics of the sample participated in the present study were as
follows: Out of 50 students, 6 were males and 44 were females. All of the subjects were 3 rd
year students. This research targeted 3rd year students because it represents their last year of
studying the writing skill module; therefore, the writing skill objectives of the syllabus should
be met in the 3rd year of the studies, which makes testing 3 rd year students’ readiness for
autonomy justified.
3.4 Data Collection Instrument

The Data Collection Instrument is a Likert Scale questionnaire constructed by the

researcher. It consists of 3 sections; each section answers a research question. Moreover, each
section is constructed from a different source. The following section deals with each step in
detail.

3.4.1 Construction of the Questionnaire

Prior to the construction of the questionnaire, a substantial literature

review was carried out. All of the three sections answer the main research question that
is “To what extent are EFL teacher-trainees ready to be autonomous in the writing skill?”,
then the three sub-questions answer respectively the three sections of the questionnaire.

I. The first section : (question 1 to 15)

The first section of the questionnaire that is from question 1 to 15 , deals with the 2nd
research question that is “What are EFL teacher-trainees beliefs towards autonomy in the
writing skill? “

To answer this question, Readiness for autonomy: Investigating learner beliefs Sara Cotteral
(1995) questionnaire was adapted to the current study and employed as the data collection
instrument.
According to Sara Cotterall , autonomy is evaluated by the beliefs that the learner
holds on the basis of 6 factors but only the 5 first factors are taken into consideration for this
study, because according to Sara Cotteral the 6 th factor is specific to language learning and
may or may not be linked to beliefs underlying autonomy. Those 5 factors are : (1) Role of the
teacher;(2) Role of feedback;(3) Learner independence;(4) Learner confidence in study
ability;(5) Experience of language learning.

Respondents are asked to indicate their agreements or disagreements with various

statement on five-point Likert scales.

1. The role of the teacher (Question 1 to 5): One of the most important characteristic of
the autonomous learner is to expect the teacher to be a facilitator in their learning ,because
learners who expect the teacher to be the authority can present an obstacle to teachers who
wish to transfer responsibility to their learners. Therefore; Learners who believe that teacher
is assigned to functions of diagnosing difficulties, allocating time, and establishing the
purpose of activities are not ready for autonomy.

2. Role of feedback (Question 6 to 8): Autonomous learners are unlikely to depend solely
on the teacher for feedback, they not only monitor their language learning, but also assess
their efforts.

3. Learner independence (Question 9 to 11) : Learner independence has been identified in

the literature as a correlate of successful language learning. Autonomous learners are likely
to be individuals who have overcome the obstacles which educational background, cultural
 norms and prior experience may have put in their way. The degree of independence with
which learners feel comfortable will be a key indicator of their readiness for autonomy.

4. Learner confidence in study ability (question 12 to 13): Learner confidence correlates

with academic success ,this belief in the learner's ability influence the outcome of his/her
learning. In addition to being a defining characteristic of autonomous learners ;therefore, a
confident learner is a learner that is ready for autonomy.¨

5. Experience of language learning (question 14 to 15): Past experiences with learning a

language contribute in the form of a positive evaluation of the outcome of prior language
learning. This prior experience has resulted in the development of methods of self-
assessment which is an indicator of readiness for autonomy.

II. The second section (question 16 to 24):

The Second section of the questionnaire that is from question 16 to 24 answers the third
research question that is “To what extent are EFL teacher-trainees ready to use metacognitive
strategies in the writing skill?”
To answer this question, the researcher constructed 8 questions inspired from the list of
Metacognitive strategies that describe mental operations used by learners in the self-
management of their learning. O'Malley and Chamot (1990). Those strategies are organized
into seven major groups. The use of these strategies by the learners is an indicator of readiness
for autonomy.
Respondents are asked to indicate their agreements or disagreements with various
statement on five-point Likert scales.

Metacognitive strategies, O'Malley and Chamot (1990) :

1. Planning ( question 16): Previewing the organizing concept or principle of an anticipated

learning task (advance organization); proposing strategies for handling an upcoming task;
generating a plan for the parts, sequence, main ideas, or language functions to be used in
handling a task (organizational planning)
2. Directed attention (question 17): Deciding in advance to attend in general to a learning
task and to ignore irrelevant distractors; maintaining attention during task execution.
3. Selective attention (question 18): Deciding in advance to attend to specific aspects of
language input or situational details that assist in performance of a task; attending to specific
aspects of language input during task execution
4. Self-management (question 19 to 20): Understanding the conditions that help one
success- fully accomplish language tasks and arranging for the presence of those conditions;
controlling one's language performance to maximize use of what is already known.
5. Self- monitoring (question 21): Checking, verifying, or correcting one's comprehen-sion
or performance in the course of a language task.
6. Problem identification (question 22): Explicitly identifying the central point needing
resolution in a task or identifying an aspect of the task that hinders its successful completion.
7. Self-evaluation (question 23 to 24): Checking the outcomes of one's own language
performance against an internal measure of completeness and accuracy; checking one's
language repertoire, strategy use, or ability to perform the task at hand.
II. The third section (question 25 to 30):

The third section of the questionnaire is from question 25 to 30. It answers the 4rd
research question that is “To what extent EFL teacher-trainees ready to use social and
affective strategies in the writing skill?”.
To answer this question, the researcher constructed 5 questions inspired from the list of Social
and affective strategies Oxford (1990). Social and affective strategies describe actions taken
by the learner to control aspects of the learning situation related to others and to self. The use
of those actions is an indicator of taking control of the learning situation; therefore, showing
readiness for autonomy.

Respondents are asked to indicate their agreements or disagreements with various

statement on five-point Likert scales.

Social and affective strategies list, Oxford (1990):

A. Asking questions (question 25) :

1. Asking for clarification or verification
2. Asking for correction
B. Cooperating with others (question 26):
1. Cooperating with peers
2. Cooperating with proficient users of the new language
C. Empathising with others (question 27):
1. Developing cultural understanding
2. Becoming aware of others' thoughts and feelings

Affective strategies
A. Lowering your anxiety (question 28):
1. Using progressive relaxation, deep breathing, or meditation
2. Using music
3. Using laughter
B. Encouraging yourself (question 29):
1. Making positive statements
2. Taking risks wisely
3. Rewarding yourself
C. Taking your emotional temperature (question 30):
I. Listening to your body
2. Using a checklist
3. Writing a language learning diary
4. Discussing your feelings with someone else
Table 3.2 Construction of the Questionnaire

Section of the questionnaire Research question addressed Source

“To what extent are EFL teacher-
trainees ready to be autonomous in
the writing skill?”

Section one : question 1 to 15 “What are EFL teacher-trainees Questionnaire: Investigating

beliefs towards autonomy in the learner beliefs Sara Cotteral
writing skill? “ (1995) (adapted and modified ).

Section two : question 16 to 24 “To what extent are EFL the list of Metacognitive
teacher-trainees ready to use strategies O'Malley and Chamot
metacognitive strategies in the (1990).
writing skill?”

Section three : question 25 to 30 “To what extent EFL teacher- the list of Social and affective
trainees ready to use social and strategies Oxford (1990).
affective strategies in the
writing skill?”

3.4.2 Expert Opinion

The first draft of Likert scale questionnaire was given to two academicians who were
actively
working at ENSB ,the EFL department. One of these experts is in the field of applied
linguistics, and the other one is in the field of ( the field of Madame Bouchareb)..
They were requested to evaluate the items in the questionnaire critically in terms of the
content validity, face validity and clarity of the items.
In the light of these criticisms, The Likert scale questionnaire was revised and
necessary changes were made on the following areas: double-barrelled questions, unclear
instructions, ambiguous items and vocabulary .

3.4.5 Second Draft

The second form of Likert scale questionnaire included three different sections with 30
items in total. The first section included : Perceptions of learners’ own and their teachers’
responsibilities in learning the writing skill, their perception of feedback, their perception of
their independence towards learning the writing skill, their confidence in study ability of the
writing skill, their perception towards their experience of learning the writing skill. The
second section included learners’ use of metacognitive strategies. Finally ,the third section
included use of social and affective strategies. The number of items in each section was as
follows: 15 items in the first section, nine items in metacognitive strategies, five items in the
social and affective strategies. Students were instructed to rate the items in three sections on a
5-point Likert scale,; “strongly disagree”. “Disagree”, “Neutral”, “Agree” ,”Strongly agree”,
The weight for every answer changes between 5 and 1 in the direction from most negative to
most positive.
3.4.6 Pilot Study
The instrument was piloted with 14% of the school students. That is to say, the pilot study
was conducted with 7 students as compared to the 50 students that made up the sample of the
study. The subjects involved in the pilot study were not included in the sample during the
administration of the final form of the instrument. The school students involved in the pilot study
were selected randomly.

3.4.7 Final Draft

After the pilot study and checking the reliability of the instrument, a final expert’s opinion
was needed for the construction of the last version of the instrument. Based on the expert’s
criticism, it was agreed that small modifications in the areas: double-barrelled questions, unclear
instructions, ambiguous items, vocabulary, be actualized.

3.5 Data Collection Procedure

The final draft of Likert scale questionnaire was administered to 50, 3rd year EFL
teacher-trainees attending ENSB in the first week of may 2019.
Prior to the implementation of the data collection instrument, the permission of the Head of
the English department of the teacher-trainees school was taken via submitting the proposal
of the study.

The questionnaire was administered to the students in their classroom settings, which
took approximately 25 minutes for each class. The classroom teachers, who were informed
about the aim of the study and the administration procedure, carried out the administration.
Also, the respondents were explained the purpose of the study before requesting them to
answer the questions. Subjects’ confidentiality was guaranteed.

3.6 Data Analysis Procedure

The statistical analyses were conducted by using Excel program. In the present study, Excel
descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.

3.7 Limitations of the Study

The nature of this study is limited to the data collected from 50 EFL students studying
at the teacher-trainees school of Bouzereah . For this reason, it can be said that the study is
limited to a small group of the school students, which makes it hard to generalize the results
in different groups of students in other educational settings.
Moreover, the areas of autonomous learning, that were investigated in this study, were still
limited to the area of learners beliefs that involves 5 aspects: perceptions of learners’ own and
their teachers’ responsibilities in learning the writing skill, their perception of feedback, their
perception of their independence towards learning the writing skill, their confidence in study
ability of the writing skill, their perception towards their experience of learning the writing
skill. The second area is related to learners’ use of metacognitive strategies in learning the
writing skill. Finally, the last area is related to learners’ use of social and affective strategies
in learning the writing skill. There are other aspects that can be taken into consideration such
as learners’ control over the cognitive process and over the content. However, the degree of
this research does not allow to take the research farther. It would be more suitable for a master
or a doctoral degree research. Another limitation is that the results of the present study were
based on the quantitative data collected from participants through questionnaires. Interviews
might have been conducted to gather more detailed information from the respondents.