Papers


This page features research papers of interest to researchers on language learner autonomy or related topics:

Work by Me

This section features academic publications by me on language learner autonomy:

A Qualitative Synthesis of Practitioner Research of English Language Learner Autonomy in Higher Education in Japan

Stringer, T., & Jordan, E. (2025). A Qualitative Synthesis of Practitioner Research of English Language Learner Autonomy in Higher Education in Japan. Research Synthesis in Applied Linguistics, 1–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/29984475.2025.2584790

This study draws on Chong and Reinders’ (2025) international scoping review to offer a nationally focused, qualitative synthesis of bilingual practitioner research on the conceptualisation, operationalisation, and evaluation of English language learner (ELL) autonomy in Japan. The scarcity of chances to use English, alongside a facilitative domestic publishing culture, have made autonomy a key practitioner research focus. However, this work has not undergone systematic secondary review. As such, while aiming to benefit Japanese audiences, the study also hopes to broaden international access to research published in Japanese. Adopting systematic procedures aligned with the Synthesis Methods and Reporting Tool (SMART) for Research Syntheses in Applied Linguistics (Chong, 2025), data from 14 studies was extracted, inductively coded, and discursively analysed following a literature search on CiNii, a Japanese research database. The findings revealed points of convergence (e.g., conceptual prevalence ordering) and divergence (e.g., use of non- experimental research designs, focus on the transition to higher education) between domestic and international settings. Practitioner-researchers are recommended to adopt diverse research designs using performance-based measures, ground work more firmly in theory, strive for greater clarity in role definition, and examine other liminal periods – such as the transition to work life.

Review of the PanSIG 2025 Conference: Agency & Autonomy in Language Learning

Also available here

Stringer Event ReviewDownload

Flyin’ Solo : Evaluating Language Learner Autonomy in Undergraduate Slang Research

Stringer et al. (2025)Download


A conceptual framework for Emergent Language Learner Autonomy – a complexity perspective for action research 

A conceptual framework for Emergent Language Learner Autonomy a complexity perspective for action researchDownload

Read the Accessible OASIS Summary: How does language learner autonomy emerge where we are?

OASIS_Summary_Stringer_2024Download

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Research Mapping – Work by Others

This section features thought-provoking questions mapped to recent (2025~) research on autonomy, agency, self-directed learning, and other areas grouped by theme, sub-theme, and research type.

Educator Development & Practice

Empirical

🇬🇭 How does teachers’ sense of efficacy affect their ability to implement constructivist teaching—especially critical constructivism—in Ghana’s new standards-based curriculum?

🤖 How do EAL teachers in Australia exercise their professional agency when navigating the opportunities and challenges of using generative AI in language teaching?

Review

🔍How has research over the past decade advanced our understanding of language teacher autonomy and its role in teacher development?

Learner Psychology

Empirical – Affect

🔥 How does an autonomy-supportive learning climate (ASLC) influence students’ boredom and burnout over time?

Empirical – Agency

🇯🇵 How do Japanese EFL learners enact and enhance their agency in a self-directed learning unit, and what factors afford or constrain this process?

📚 How do learners exercise agency within complex educational settings, such as online private English tutoring alongside mainstream schooling?

🌏 How do Bangladeshi students studying abroad exercise agency and negotiate cultural identity through language use in intercultural contexts?

Empirical – Grit

🗣️How do grit and growth mindsets influence students’ willingness to communicate in a foreign language?

📘 How do the two dimensions of grit—perseverance of effort and consistency of interest—relate to L2 achievement, and what role does well-being play in this relationship?

Empirical – Self-Efficacy

📚 How do personalized feedback, self-efficacy, and autonomy affect motivation and English performance among Chinese EFL learners in online courses?

Empirical – Self-Regulation

🏫 How does the Montessori classroom environment support the development of self-regulated learning skills in primary school students?

Review – Self-Determination Theory

📊 How does autonomous motivation, as defined by self-determination theory, relate to L2 achievement and language anxiety across different learner profiles?

Tools & Techniques

Empirical

🎮 Can Twitch support autonomous language learning?

🤖 How can AI-enhanced strategies foster learner autonomy and improve grammar learning in CALL?

🎶 How can a melodic, technology-mediated approach to pronunciation training support autonomous and engaging L2 learning in multilingual, AI-driven contexts?

🇯🇵 How can using the MReader platform improve extensive reading and language proficiency for Japanese high school students?

🎭 How does role-playing in EFL/ESL contexts support linguistic and affective learning outcomes, and what roles do structure and agency play in its effectiveness?

🎬 How can a video-based framework in a flipped classroom setting help EFL students develop self-regulated learning and autonomy?

Research & Policy Impact

Empirical

🌍 How do host country language integration policies influence immigrant integration success, as measured by the Migrant Integration Policy Index?

Review

📚 How has SiSAL Journal evolved over its 60 issues to support and shape the field of self-access language learning?

🇹🇼 What challenges and opportunities does Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 policy face in promoting learner autonomy within a Confucian-influenced education system?

Language Advising

Empirical

🌍 How do language teachers perceive and implement language advising to promote learner autonomy in diverse teaching contexts?

🎡 How can the Wheel of Language Learning (WLL) tool support learner autonomy and reflection in language advising?

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