Language learner autonomy: exploring how English pre-service teachers understand the concept, and view opportunities for its development

There is a paucity of research investigating the views pre-service teachers (PSTs) hold about language learner autonomy (LA), particularly in non-Western contexts.  Consequently, teacher education lacks the essential baseline to efficiently prepare these teachers to promote LA in their future classes. Utilising a mixed methods approach, this study investigated the understanding a cohort of 219 English PSTs, in an Egyptian university, had about LA and opportunities for its development.  Data were collected using a questionnaire and a reflective writing task.  Findings indicated that these teachers had overall positive orientation towards LA and its development and understood it to promote effective foreign language learning, and to incorporate learners’ independence and capacity to take control of one's own learning.  However, they seemed to have concerns relating to learners’ independence and teachers’ redundancy. They were particularly concerned about the tensions and discrepancies they felt towards the appropriateness of incorporating autonomy-supportive practices in conventional education settings where teacher authority was considered a hallmark for professional competence.  Despite holding positive orientations towards LA and its development, the uncertainties these teachers felt regarding culturally accepted teachers’ and learners’ roles seemed more likely to deter these teachers from supporting LA in their future language classrooms. Consequently, it is pertinent for initial teacher education to introduce teachers to the principles and practices of nurturing LA while providing substantial support for development in teachers’ cognition and understanding of cultural expectations and context-appropriate methodologies.