The role of CALL in shaping learner autonomy of undergraduate EFL students in the Vietnamese university setting

One of the major questions facing educational reformers in Vietnam who value the combination of CALL and face-to-face learning is how to promote learner autonomy in this blended approach. Using a mixed methods design with two sequential phases, the aim of this research was to understand the beliefs and performance of learner autonomy in the Vietnamese EFL context, and to explore the relationship between learner autonomy and CALL. In Phase One, quantitative data collected from 1,258 EFL tertiary students in Vietnam through survey questionnaires helped to investigate several aspects of learner autonomy. It also helped to examine how these aspects correlated with CALL via students’ beliefs of responsibility and self-reported autonomous practice. Phase Two focused on four students at one university that currently uses blended learning, and further explored how these learners took responsibility when having more choices in a technology-enriched environment. Qualitative data in Phase Two was collected through a series of student learning journals, classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with learners.