CULTIVATING LEARNER AUTONOMY IN UNIVERSITY EFL PROGRAMMES: THE ROLE OF METACOGNITIVE INSTRUCTION, SELF-REGULATED LEARNING, AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

Abstract

Learner autonomy — the capacity and willingness to take charge of one's own learning — has been recognised as both a desirable outcome of education and a condition for its effectiveness since Holec's (1981) seminal articulation of the concept. Yet despite three decades of research and a growing consensus on its theoretical foundations, the development of learner autonomy in university EFL contexts remains among the least systematically addressed dimensions of English language programme design. This article argues that learner autonomy in EFL is neither a personality trait that learners bring to the classroom nor a spontaneous outcome of communicative instruction, but a teachable set of metacognitive strategies, self-regulatory skills, and reflective dispositions that must be explicitly cultivated through principled instructional design. Drawing on self-determination theory, metacognitive strategy research, and a systematic review of empirical studies published between 2012 and 2024, the article develops a comprehensive framework for autonomy-supportive instruction in university EFL programmes. The framework addresses four interconnected domains: metacognitive awareness, goal-setting and planning, self-monitoring and evaluation, and reflective practice. Evidence-based recommendations are provided for curriculum design, classroom practice, and assessment, with specific attention to contextual factors — including cultural norms of learning, institutional constraints, and technology integration — that shape the possibilities for autonomous learning in EFL settings.   Keywords: learner autonomy; metacognition; self-regulated learning; EFL; university English teaching; self-determination theory; reflective practice; autonomy-supportive instruction; language learning strategies; motivation.