A Review of Research on Learner Empowerment in EFL

【Abstract】This paper reviews studies on learner empowerment at home and abroad. Through the analysis of related literature， it is found that few studies examined learner empowerment from a quantitative or mixed-method strand.

【Key words】learner empowerment; EFL; research trend

【作者簡介】杨忱翯（1991.08-），女，汉族，河南邓州人，广东科技大学，硕士，研究方向：英语教学，二语习得。

1. Introduction

The definition of learner empowerment undergoes a shift from stressing individuals power to emphasizing power-sharing with the community. Early attempts to define learner empowerment mainly stem from three conceptions of power： power-over， power-with and power-to， which derive from Ashcrofts （1987， p. 145） definition “a state of belief in ones ability/capability to act with effect”. Later， Frymier， Shulman and Houser （1996， p. 184） placed the concept in an intrinsic motivation paradigm and described it as “a state phenomenon in which students feel competent， find the required course tasks meaningful， and believe that they have an impact on the learning process”. More recently， Sullivan （2001， p. 16） proposed in her doctoral paper that empowerment is an environment in which individual students are supported by the classroom community to “take responsibility for their lives in trying to meet their needs within learning settings”.

2. Previous Studies on Learner Empowerment

As a complex educational philosophy and process， large shares of studies have been conducted to identify potential factors promoting empowerment. Luechauer and Shulman （1992） conducted an early qualitative attempt to explore potential factors influencing learner empowerment， interviewing junior and senior college students about their learning experience and managed to summarize several key variables. The most notable quantitative research into empowerment is the serial studies carried out by Frymier， Shulman and Houser （1996） which examined undergraduate students empowerment using a multidimensional instrument of the Learner Empowerment Scale （LES） consisting three categories： meaningfulness， competence， and impact. Most recently， in the light of the exponential growth in technology-supported education， Ledbetter and Finn （2013） dedicated themselves to exploring the association between instructors technology use policies and learner empowerment.

In China， the majority of researches into educational empowerment were conducted to investigate the role of teacher empowerment in the national curriculum reform. Xin and Wu （2007） analysed the impact of empowerment on English teacher development at the college level， arguing that encouraging policies to involve teachers into the curriculum planning and decision-making process promote teacher empowerment. Wang （2011） conducted a mixed-method research among college students， revealing that empowered students participate in more activities and have positive attitudes toward the course content and the instructor. Shen （2012）， on the other hand， probed the learner empowerment in part-time adult education and proposed learning strategies to promote adult students empowerment.

3. Problems and Drawbacks for Previous Studies

Though there has been a growing number of researches on learner empowerment， few has examined it from a quantitative strand， which can hardly satisfy localization of learner empowerment in Chinese EFL higher education.

4. Conclusion

As a significant indicator of active learning， the development of learner empowerment in EFL context has to date been scarce. Future researches are needed to examine different dimensions of learning empowerment， along with potential learning barriers among Chinese senior English majors in technology-supported education.

References：

[1]Ashcroft， L.. Defusing“empowering”： The what and the why[J]. Language Arts，1987，64（2）：142-156.

[2]Frymier， A. B.， Shulman， G. M.， & Houser， M.. The development of a learner empowerment measure[J]. Communication Education， 1996，45（3）：181-199.

[3]Ledbetter， A. M.， & Finn， A. N.. Teacher technology policies and online communication apprehension as predictors of learner empowerment[J]. Communication Education，2013，62（3）：301-317.

[4]Luechauer， D. L.， & Shulman， G. M.. Moving from bureaucracy to empowerment： Shifting paradigms to practice what we preach in class [C]. Midwest Academy of Management，1992.

[5]Shen. Y. J.. Learning strategies guidance of adult education students from the perspective of self-empowerment[J]. Journal of Nanchang College of Education，2012，27（11）：53-54.