TESOL-major students’ perceptions and practices on group autonomy at Dong Thap University

Abstract

For decades, researchers around the world have expressed concern about group autonomy outside the classroom. However, this topic has received little attention in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. To address this gap, a study was conducted with 107 first-year TESOL-major students in the Foreign Languages Faculty at Dong Thap University. They were invited to complete a set of questionnaires to explore their perceptions and practices regarding group autonomy behind class. The findings revealed that the majority of students understood the importance and role of group autonomy in their learning process. However, the results also indicated that just half of them could learn autonomously without teacher requirements, and group work frequency was quite low. This study provides valuable insights into the literature on autonomous learning in the local context.