A Study on the Correlation between Sense of Class Belonging and Autonomous Learning Ability of English-majored Undergraduates 英语专业本科生班级归属感与英语自主学习能力的关系

闽江学院本科毕业论文(设计)题 目a study on the correlation between sense of class belonging and autonomous learning ability of english-majored undergraduates 学生姓名 学 号 120090201220 系 别 外语系 年 级 09级 指导教师 职 称 完成日期 2013年5月31日 闽江学院毕业论文（设计）诚信声明书本人郑重声明：兹提交的毕业论文（设计） “a study on the correlation between sense of class belonging and autonomous learning ability of english-majored undergraduates”是本人在指导老师 的指导下独立研究、撰写的成果；论文（设计）未剽窃、抄袭他人的学术观点、思想和成果，未篡改研究数据，论文（设计）中所引用的文字、研究成果均已在论文（设计）中以明确的方式标明；在毕业论文（设计）工作过程中，本人恪守学术规范，遵守学校有关规定，依法享有和承担由此论文（设计）产生的权利和责任。声明人（签名）： 2013年 5月 31 日摘 要近20年来,国内外许多学者对影响英语自主学习能力的内部因素做过大量研究， 但鲜有学者运用实证调查的方法探究其外部影响因素。鉴于此，本研究将围绕以下三个问题探讨英语专业本科生所感知的班级归属感与英语自主学习能力之间的关系：（1）英语专业本科生的英语自主学习能力及所感受到的班级归属感如何？（2）学习者的自主学习能力是否与其班级归属感相关？（3）学习者所感知的班级归属感在自主学习能力的培养中扮演什么样的角色？这对二语习得领域的研究将是一个非常有意义的探索和补充。该研究主要以闽江学院外语系大二149位英语专业本科生为调查对象，采用问卷调查的形式考查班级归属感与英语自主学习能力之间的相关性。然后，使用spss软件对所收集到的数据进行定量分析比较。研究结果表明学习者具有良好的班级归属感，且具备了一定的英语自主学习能力;学习者的自主学习能力与其班级归属感具有一定的相关性;在英语自主学习能力培养中，班级归属感扮演着积极向上的角色。关键词：班级归属感；自主学习能力；英语专业本科生；问卷调查 abstractin recent twenty years, numerous scholars home and abroad have done a lot of research on the internal factors influencing autonomous learning ability, while few empirical studies have been applied to exploring the effects of the external factors. therefore, the study focuses on the following three questions to examine the relationship between the autonomous learning ability and the sense of class belonging: (1) how is english-majored undergraduates english learning autonomy and perceived sense of class belonging? (2) is english learning autonomy correlated with learners perceived sense of class belonging? (3) what is the role of learners perceived sense of class belonging in developing autonomous learning ability? it will be a meaningful exploration and supplement for the research in the second language acquisition. in the current study, 149 english-majored undergraduates in grade two from foreign languages department of minjiang university were selected to be the subjects to investigate the correlation between the autonomous learning ability and the sense of class belonging. then, quantitative analyses were employed to interpret the collected statistics through spss software. the findings show as follows: learners have nice sense of class belonging and certain autonomous learning ability; learning autonomy bears some correlation with the sense of class belonging; the sense of class belonging really plays a positive role in enhancing autonomous learning ability.key words：sense of class belonging; autonomous learning ability; english-majored undergraduates; questionnaire surveycontents1. introduction(1)2. literature review(1)2.1 definition of autonomy(1)2.2 definition of sense of class belonging(2)2.3 relevant studies on learning autonomy(3)2.4 relevant studies on sense of class belonging(3)3. the current study(4)3.1 research questions(4)3.2 questionnaire design(4)3.3 subjects(5)3.4 method(5)4. results and analyses(5)4.1 the current state of english majors sense of class belonging and english learning autonomy(5)4.2 the correlation between students perceived sense of class belonging and english learning autonomy(6)5. implications for english instruction in china(7)6. conclusion(8)6.1 conclusions of the study(8)6.2 limitations and recommendations(9)references(10)appendices(12)acknowledgements(15)a study on the correlation between sense of class belonging and autonomous learning ability of english-majored undergraduates1. introduction in recent twenty years, many a researcher has reached a consensus that cultivation and promotion of autonomous learning ability should be put in the first place in second language teaching under the influence of the educational concept “learner-centeredness. however, the process in the development of autonomous learning ability is complicated and confined by multiple factors. a number of experts and teaching staffs have committed to exploring the intrinsic effects on learning autonomy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, but few preceding empirical studies have probed into the extrinsic influences on it. moreover, little investigation was conducted on the autonomous learning ability from english majors angle. it is known that college students are very different from the secondary school students; generally, they study far away from their hometown. in this case, the class becomes the unique place for their sense of belonging. hence, the class has a great effect on students. once students form a moderate sense of class belonging, it is not only beneficial to improving the class cohesion, but also can create a better learning atmosphere. up to now, it is almost a blank to make the sense of class belonging as a significant external factor to inquire its influence on the autonomous learning ability. thus, this study focuses on the impact of sense of class belonging on chinese english-majored undergraduates autonomous learning ability. and it is hoped that the findings of the research will have some practical instructions and implementation in cultivating autonomous learning ability for chinese efl learners in the future. 2. literature review 2.1 definition of autonomy one of the earliest and most cited definitions of “autonomy” is put forward by holec-“the capacity or ability to take charge of ones learning” 9 (p3). later, little made a supplement to holecs study, arguing that “autonomy is not exclusively or even primarily a matter of how learning is organized” 10 (p4). in order to make the concept learner autonomy more specific, xu et al. have concluded the following five characteristics of autonomous learning in chinas unique cultural and educational surroundings: (1) students understand what is being taught; (2) students are able to formulate their own learning objectives; (3) students are able to select and make use of appropriate learning strategies; (4) students are able to monitor their use of these strategies; (5) students are able to self-assess or monitor their own learning 11. 2.2 definition of sense of class belongingin psychology, sense of class belonging refers to the individuals making themselves belong to a certain community, and produce emotional experience of affability and pride. according to maslows hierarchy of need theory, belongingness and love is considered to be one of the human basic needs. and freeman deems that sense of class belonging is a kind of emotion that students feel themselves to be an important member of the class, accepted by others, deemed valuable by others and transforms into community eventually12. on the basis of the domestic scholars studies, sense of class belonging was defined as the students ideological, emotional and psychological acceptance and engagement of their own class. in this way, they will be willing to take the responsibility and obligation as a member of the class they belong to and be enthusiastic to take part in the collective activities 13. besides, previous studies showed that college students tolerance for psychological nowadays is rather weak. still, the status of mental health is not optimistic. particularly, it is very common that sense of class belongingness is keeping on the low level. and here are some specific examples: without identity of their own school, poor cohesion of the class, low self-esteem and weak individual cognition.at the same time, as is known to all that the environment of a class plays a significant role in the development of a students intelligence, personality and ability. it is beneficial for students healthier growth by putting them in the class with warmness, high-level belongingness and supports. therefore, this research will define sense of class belonging as mental, emotional and psychological identity of their own class, including three dimensions-identity of class consciousness, enthusiasm in participating in group activities and the feeling of responsibility towards class, so as to reflect the individual acceptance and trust of their own class. 2.3 relevant studies on learning autonomy a lot of foreign experts and scholars have made a wide range of theoretical studies and empirical research on the concept of autonomous learning ability, theoretical basis, influencing factors, implementation strategies, curriculum, practical consequences and the creation of autonomous learning center from different views 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. since then, the study on autonomy has been receiving increasing concern. in the late 80s, the theoretical research of autonomous learning ability has been made great achievements. from early 90s, a lot of research has been conducted on promoting language learning and emphasized the importance on enhancing learners cooperative and social learning ability because they have recognized that learner autonomy has both individual and social characteristics 17. autonomous learning ability not only has a motivation on western language teaching exploration, but also arouses english teaching scholars deliberations and discussions domestically 19. although relevant studies started a little late in china, the related research on learner autonomy is booming in recent 10 years from diversified perspectives. some scholars have summarized and integrated the status of autonomous learning research home and abroad 18; some have done the investigation into autonomous learning ability of foreign language based on chinese students 10, 21; some have explored the related factors influencing learner autonomy6, 7; and others carried out experimental study on cultivating students autonomous learning ability 22, 23.2.4 relevant studies on sense of class belonginggoodenows study found that students sense of class belonging has a remarkable effect on their own learning motivation, learning input. especially, it is good for students to make sustaining efforts in face of difficult learning tasks 24. in the west, not a few researchers have regarded learners sense of school or class belonging as a straightforward impact on their academic achievements 25. however, in recent years, more and more scholars believe that the relationship between the two is rather indirect although they also acknowledge the correlation between sense of school or class belonging and learners academic achievements. and by virtue of the students engagement as the intermediary, the influence would be exerted 26, 27.3. the current study 3.1 research questions this research is to examine, by data collecting and statistics analyzing, whether the sense of class belonging has a significant influence on english majors autonomous learning ability. the study is set out to find out the answers to the following three questions:(1) how is english-majored undergraduates perceived sense of class belonging and english learning autonomy? (2) is english learning autonomy correlated with learners perceived sense of class belonging? (3) what is the role of learners perceived sense of class belonging in developing autonomous learning ability? 3.2 questionnaire design the questionnaire design aims to explore the three research questions put forward above much more better. the design of the english major undergraduates english learner autonomy scale is based on the investigation and evaluation about the learner autonomy done by xu et al. 11. the design of the sense of class belonging investigation questionnaire is adapted from the dus research on university belonging of undergraduates and its impact factors 28.the questionnaire consists of three parts as follows: the first section is concerned with subjects basic information including grade and gender of the students. the second part focuses on the learners perceived sense of class belonging, and it comprises 10 items. all the items are about the students emotions of their own class. the third part copes with the evaluation of autonomous learning ability, and it is divided into 5 subparts : part a (5 items) (“evaluation of ones own understanding on teachers teaching purposes and requirements”); part b (5 items) (“evaluation of ones own formulation of learning plans”); part c (5 items) (“evaluation of ones own learning strategies”); part d (5 items) (“evaluation of monitoring ones use of learning strategies”); part e (5 items) (“evaluation of monitoring ones own english learning process”). the following 39 items under the 5 parts is based on the evaluation of these 5 main subparts. among the total 49 items in part ii, iii of the questionnaire, students are also to rate answers on a five-point scale of “likert-type” questions with “completely-false (1)”, “false much of the time (2)”, “sometimes true and sometimes false (3)”, “true much of the time (4)”, and “completely true (5)” ticked according to different statements. for more details, please refer to appendix i and appendix ii. 3.3 subjects in the study, the subjects are 198 undergraduate english-majored sophomores from foreign languages department of minjiang university. after nearly two years of college english learning and the collective life, the sophomores have mastered certain english autonomous learning ability. whats more, they have a fairy profound understanding of their own classes. therefore, the validity of the research can be greatly guaranteed via establishing sophomores as the subjects. 3.4 methodin order to save time for distributing questionnaires, the number of the questionnaires required for each class was counted ahead of schedule. and the specific instructions about filling questionnaires were made while sending them. under the circumstances, it is effective to collect much more valid questionnaires. when conducting the questionnaire, we show our great desire for receiving the serious answers; in addition, for the sake of the subjects to answer honestly and conveniently, the questionnaires are anonymous and written in chinese with concise multiple-choice questions. in this case, the students can concentrate on the questions more actively. finally, after eliminating the invalid questionnaires, 188 ones were collected with 149 valid. 4. results and analyses 4.1 the current state of english majors sense of class belonging and english learning autonomyfrom table 4.1, it is clearly known that the average among the 149 subjects sense of class belonging reaches 3.6591, which means that students sense of class belonging is on a relatively high level on the whole. moreover, the mean of students autonomous learning ability is 3.3657 and such number also displays certain level of learner autonomy. as table 4.1 shows, among the five subcategories (part a, part b, part c, part d and part e.) of learner autonomy, the mean of the 149 investigated subjects is 3.5544, 3.3342, 3.3300, 3.3758, and 3.3228 respectively. in particular, the participants are likely to get the highest score in answering the questions in part a (“evaluation of ones own understanding on teachers teaching purpose and requirements”) with the average of 3.5544, which is much higher than other parts. on the other hand, the means of other four parts of the learning autonomy are almost similar. so, the students learning autonomy arises most from their evaluation of their own understanding on teachers teaching purpose and requirements. table 4.1 descriptive statistics of sense of class belonging and english learning autonomy (n=149)variablesmeanstd. deviationsense of class belonging3.6591.65099part a3.5544.63549part b3.3342.74849part c3.3300.58050part d3.3758.60412part e3.3228.63151overall ability3.3657.51058note: part a= students understanding of teaching purposes and requirements part b= students formulation of learning plans part c= students use of learning strategies part d= students monitoring the use of learning strategies part e= students monitoring of learning process4.2 the correlation between students perceived sense of class belonging and english learning autonomy in order to present the correlation between students perceived sense of class belonging and english learning autonomy concisely and distinctly, the collected data were further treated with pearson coefficient (see table 4.2). regarding the relevant analysis data from table 4.2, it is clear that the correlations between assessing their own understanding of teachers requirements, formulating their own learning objectives, making use of appropriate learning strategies, monitoring their use of these strategies, self-assessing or monitoring their own learning and sense of class belonging are positively significant at the .01 level. whats more, the correlation between sense of class belonging and the overall ability of learning autonomy reaches up to .470. moreover, the data reveals the sense of class belonging exerts the greatest influence on students understanding of teaching purposes and requirements (r= 0.434, p=.0000.01) and their use of learning strategies (r= 0.414, p=.0000.01). then the data indicate a moderate positive relationship between sense of class belonging and the investigated subjects monitoring the use of learning strategies (r=0.389, p=.0000.01). lastly, there is also some significant correlation between sense of class belonging and the stu