Littlewood's distinction between proactive and reactive autonomy¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article adopts Littlewood's (1999) two-level account of learner autonomy for East Asian contexts. Proactive autonomy corresponds to Holec's model, in which learners are responsible for all aspects of their learning, including objectives, content, pace, methods, and evaluation. Reactive autonomy refers to teacher-directed situations where, once a goal has been initiated, learners organize their resources autonomously to reach it. The authors situate their activities in reactive autonomy: a defined structure gives students security while a degree of choice lets them personalize their learning.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A learning structure with clearly defined guidelines within which students exercise a degree of choice and control.

Constraints¶

• The authors apply the reactive level specifically in a Japanese university setting, where they find proactive autonomy less applicable.

Target Learners¶

• Japanese university foreign language learners

Target Learning Objectives¶

• learner autonomy
• personalized learning within teacher-directed structure

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• Littlewood's division of advanced learners' communication needs into pragmatic and social needs

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Murray, G. L., & Bollinger, D. J. (2001). Developing Cross-Cultural Awareness: Learning Through the Experiences of Others. TESL Canada Journal, 19(1). https://teslcanadajournal.ca. doi:10.18806/tesl.v19i1.920