Reflexive and reflective thinking: a crucial link between agency and autonomy
- 21 October 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching
- Vol. 7 (3), 226-237
- https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2013.836204
Abstract
As the construct of agency has generated considerable discussion among language educators recently and has become a buzz word, there is a need for it to be further conceptualized and operationalized in autonomy research. Drawing on Margaret Archer's theorization of ‘internal conversation,’ this paper theorizes language learners' agency as a precondition to their efforts to take control of the learning process. It proposes reflexive/reflective thinking as a means to examine how agency enables language learners to discern and deliberate their concerns, desires, and visions in the light of contextual and structural conditions and assuming control of their language learning. To this end, language learners' narratives are used to illustrate how they are enabled by agency to conduct reflexive/reflective thinking for regulated language learning. The paper concludes that such an understanding of agency and autonomy may be foundational to language educators' efforts to promote autonomous learning.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Autonomous language learning against all oddsSystem, 2010
- Language Learning Experiences and Learning Strategy Research: Voices of a Mainland Chinese Student in Hong KongInnovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 2007
- A tale of Blue Rain Café: A study on the online narrative construction about a community of English learners on the Chinese mainlandSystem, 2007
- Autonomy in language teaching and learningLanguage Teaching, 2007
- Social context and resources for language learningSystem, 2006
- Cognitive and Sociocultural Perspectives: Two Parallel SLA Worlds?TESOL Quarterly, 2006
- Learner Autonomy as Agency in Sociocultural SettingsPublished by Springer Science and Business Media LLC ,2003
- Language and AgencyAnnual Review of Anthropology, 2001
- Metacognitive Knowledge and Language Learning1Applied Linguistics, 1998
- Knowing Thyself and Others: Progress in Metacognitive Social PsychologyPublished by SAGE Publications ,1998