AUTONOMOUS LEARNING ABILITY OF CHINESE LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN CAMEROON

Abstract

Since the end of the 20th century, autonomous learning has become a popular research topic in education and has received much attention from researchers. The acquisition of Chinese as a second language requires learners to practice autonomous learning and develop their language learning ability. The present study used the theory of autonomous learning proposed by (Holec H., 1981), in addition to questionnaires and interviews to study the general trend of autonomous learning ability of Chinese language learners in Cameroonian universities and institutions. The results of this study show that Cameroonian Chinese language learners have a certain level of autonomous learning ability in Chinese language, which is demonstrated by their ability to control the learning process and evaluate its effectiveness but they still encounter some problems, such as lack of the ability to achieve learning goals and develop reasonable learning plans, lack of the ability to select properly learning content and apply learning strategies, and most students are not aware of the importance of autonomous learning. Finally, this study suggests some main ways to develop the autonomous learning ability of Cameroonian Chinese language learners.