Classroom Practices That Foster Learner Autonomy in Primary EFL Contexts

Abstract Book of the 10th World Conference on Research in Teaching and Education

Year: 2026

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Classroom Practices That Foster Learner Autonomy in Primary EFL Contexts

Sevgi Sezen Alkaya, Asst. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Remzi Uluşan

ABSTRACT:

With the spread of student-centered approaches, learners are expected to take a more active role
in their own learning processes. This has brought learner autonomy to the forefront, which
involves skills such as monitoring one’s learning, recognizing one’s strengths and areas that need
improvement, and taking responsibility for learning. Teachers at different educational levels aim
to support learner autonomy through various classroom practices. Despite its importance,
autonomy has mostly been studied with adult learners. At the primary school level, it has often
been examined in connection with other concepts rather than on its own. This study aims to
examine the practices used by primary English teachers to support learner autonomy, how they
evaluate the outcomes, and the factors that affect them. Learner autonomy is defined from
different perspectives, and how the concept is perceived at the primary level and how it differs
from adult learners are also discussed. The study has a qualitative research design. Data are
collected through semi-structured interviews with English teachers at a private primary school.
Ethical approval was obtained from the Social and Human Sciences and Arts Research Ethics
Committee of Başkent University (Approval No: 548949, Date: 27.01.2026) prior to data
collection. The data will be analyzed through thematic analysis. Teachers’ views on learner
autonomy are expected to largely shape their classroom practices. The findings will contribute to
both national and international literature and provide a basis for the development of autonomyfocused teaching practices at the primary school level.

Keywords: Age-Appropriate Pedagogy; Autonomous Learning; Language Education; Teacher Cognition; Young Learners