Abstract
Learner autonomy is a vibrant field. Early interpretations of learner autonomy primarily emphasised the individual learner but have since evolved to understand the nature of the relationship between context and learner autonomy (Smith 2003; Palfreyman 2014; Sharmin 2024). Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the extent to which the Algerian English as a foreign language (EFL) context supports autonomy. Additionally, before COVID-19, Algerian EFL education was entirely face-to-face. However, the pandemic prompted a rapid transition to blended learning, altering the language learning context. This shift makes it important to assess how blended learning affects the overall language learning situation and the development of learner autonomy in the EFL Algerian context.This study addresses these gaps and aims to develop a better understanding of the learning experiences of Algerian EFL learners in a blended learning environment in the higher education context, the influence of their past learning experiences on the development of their autonomy, and how the implementation of blended learning as a result of COVID 19 has changed their learning culture and their autonomy development. Drawing on constructivism and interpretivism traditions, this study adopted the qualitative narrative approach to the collection
and analysis of data. It utilised narrative frames, and semi-structured online interviews to collect data from a sample of thirty second-year master’s students in a tertiary EFL program within the Department of English at Northern University, Algeria. While literature relating to EFL in the Algerian context usually depicts Algerian learners as reluctant, lacking readiness and motivation to learn autonomously (Ghout-Khenoune 2018; Hadi 2018; Maouch and Arib 2021), this study indicates that learners’ autonomous capacities to learn the English language have been largely overlooked. The analysis revealed that learners
possess significant capacities for autonomy and actively engage in their English learning within the blended context. However, these autonomous behaviours appear to be profoundly shaped and conditioned by the language learning context. They have been stifled by the EFL learning culture in fully face-to-face learning and have become evident when the learning situation changes such as with the implementation of blended learning. This illustrates how blended
learning can support autonomy by altering the traditional constraints in the learning culture.
| Date of Award | 25 Aug 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English (Ireland) |
| Supervisor | Deirdre Ní Loingsigh (Supervisor) & Helen Kelly Holmes (Supervisor) |