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11 The role of materials in the development of autonomous learning1 Winnie Lee Introduction In recent years there has been a good deal of interest in the development of self-access, self-directed and autonomous learning. It is now widely believed that in order to develop learners' responsibility for their own learning, they need t o have some idea of learning strategies, and shoul d kno w how t o choose their materials and how to evaluate themselves. Consequently, much of the discussion relating to self-directed and autonomous language learning has focused o n learner training and self-assessment (Allwrigh t 1981; Blue 1988; Dickinson 1988 ; Blanche an d Merin o 1989 ; Ellis and Sinclai r 1989; O'Malley and Chamot 1990; Oskarsson 1990). Within thi s context , th e questio n o f material s desig n ha s receive d relatively little attention (Block 1991). Literature on the subject can be found: for example , Allwrigh t 1981 , Frankel 1982 , Hill 1982 , Hughes 1982 , Sturtridge 1982, Dickinson 1987 and Sheerin 1989,1991. However, empirical studies in this area are scarce. Whether learners can maintain their interest in learning depends very much on whether they find th e materials they use interesting and usefu l (Frankel 1982; Hughes 1982) . This is especially true in the context of th e development o f self-directed/autonomou s learning . Ther e hav e bee n studies which indicate the importance of materials in this context (Allwright 1981; Sturtridge 1982; Aston 1993). However, there have been few studie s on what makes effective materials for self-directed/autonomous learning . In this chapter, the issue of effective self-acces s learning materials will be addressed. This will be examined through discussion of a rationale for self-access learning materials, material types and effective learning, and of a surve y o f 50 Hong Kon g Polytechnic University students . The surve y 168 Winni e Lee was designed to find out students' preferences as to material types used in a self-access learning context when using textbooks and authentic materials. It was hoped tha t through this, we can find ou t which material type can result in more effective learning . A rationale for effective self-access learning materials In a self-access learning context, materials function as a surrogate teacher, assuming th e pedagogic rol e normally performe d b y the teacher i n the classroom (Frankel 1982). However, this does not mean that materials will take over the teacher's role in dictating what and how learners are going to learn. On the contrary, what I would like to stress is that materials play a very importan t rol e i n helping learner s mov e toward s self-directed / autonomous learning. Sturtridge (1982 ) point s ou t tha t self-acces s material s shoul d b e "learning" material s rathe r tha n "practice " materials . Thi s i s becaus e 'learning' materials can help learners move towards learner autonomy as they allo w learner s t o expand thei r knowledg e o f language an d decid e what they would like to learn while 'practice' materials are largely remedial and more geared to learners' practice needs. However, should all our selfaccess learning materials be 'learning' materials only? What actually makes good self-access learning materials? The criteria effective self-access learning materials have to meet One of the criteria is that they must be interesting and motivating. In aselfaccess learning context, the interaction between materials and learners is direct because of the absence of a teacher. Thus, materials have to play the role of sustaining learners ' interes t an d motivation i n learning (Franke l 1982; Hill 1982). Secondly, th e material s use d i n th e earl y stage s o f th e develop ment of autonomous learning have to be well-structured, systematic and accompanied with clear and simple instructions/guidelines/answer keys . This is because most of the learners at this stage are not very familiar wit h this mode of learning and they need guidance so that they can work on the materials independently and confidently. In addition, they should be 'good-quality' materials chosen or designed by teachers . Thi s will giv e th e self-access 'beginners ' a taste fo r 'good ' materials an d indirectly prepar e the m t o choose an d design thei r own [3.137.164.241] Project...

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