Developing learner autonomy through situated practice: A multiliteracies-informed study in higher education English as a foreign language

Abstract

Learner autonomy is widely valued in higher education English as a foreign language (EFL), but it does not develop simply through expectations that students should learn independently. Less is known about how situated practice, a component of multiliteracies pedagogy that anchors learning in experience, social interaction, multimodal resources, and purposeful communication, supports autonomy in classroom activity. This study examined students’ perceptions of learner autonomy and how situated practice was experienced in an Indonesian university EFL course using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Questionnaire data from 39 students were followed by interviews and reflective journals from 10 students. Students viewed the learning environment positively and associated situated activities with meaningful engagement, responsibility, confidence in expression, communicative decision-making, and greater awareness of themselves as learners. However, autonomy was guided and task-dependent: students made meaningful choices within lecturer-designed activities but had limited control over the wider learning sequence. The study shows that situated practice may support autonomy when tasks require learners to connect materials with personal experience, negotiate meanings with peers, and produce texts for recognisable audiences and purposes.