Exploring Autonomy in the AI Wilderness: Learner Challenges and Choices

Antonie Alm

doi:10.3390/educsci14121369

journal article Open Access Dec 13, 2024

Exploring Autonomy in the AI Wilderness: Learner Challenges and Choices

Antonie Alm

Education Sciences Vol. 14 No. 12 pp. 1369 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/educsci14121369

Abstract

The emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) raises critical questions about learner autonomy and agency. This exploratory case study examines how four university-level German language learners with diverse backgrounds developed autonomy in their learning process through engagement with AI tools. The study was conducted in early 2023 when most learners were first discovering ChatGPT’s potential for language learning. Data were collected through reflective journals, digital portfolios, and interviews during a semester-long course that scaffolded self-directed learning with AI integration. The findings reveal emerging patterns of shared agency between learners and AI tools. Learners developed distinct strategies for AI integration based on their language learning backgrounds, with heritage speakers focusing on accuracy improvement while classroom learners emphasized communication practice. Cross-case analyses identified key dimensions of autonomy development: a critical evaluation of AI output, evolving learner–AI relationships, maintaining and developing a second language (L2) voice, and the strategic integration of AI tools while preserving learner agency. These patterns suggest that autonomy in AI-mediated environments manifests through learners’ capacity to engage productively with AI while maintaining critical awareness and personal agency in their learning process.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

30

[1]

Application of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in language teaching and learning: A scoping literature review

Locky Law

Computers and Education Open 2024 10.1016/j.caeo.2024.100174

[2]

Holec, H. (1981). Autonomy in Foreign Language Learning, Pergamon.

[3]

Dickinson, L. (1987). Self-Instruction in Language Learning, Cambridge University Press.

[4]

Little, D. (1991). Learner Autonomy 1; Definitions, Issues and Problems. Authentik.

[5]

Little "Learner autonomy: A theoretical construct and its practical application" Die Neueren Sprachen (1994)

[6]

Zimmerman, B.J., and Schunk, D.H. (2011). Self-regulated learning and performance: An introduction and an overview. Handbook of Self-Regulation of Learning and Performance, Routledge.

[7]

Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive–developmental inquiry.

John H. Flavell

American Psychologist 1979 10.1037/0003-066x.34.10.906

[8]

Lai "A framework for developing self-directed technology use for language learning" Lang. Learn. Technol. (2013)

[9]

Zheng "The relationship between English language learners’ motivation and online self-regulation: A structural equation modelling approach" System (2018) 10.1016/j.system.2018.05.003

[10]

Oxford "Expanded perspectives on autonomous learners" Innov. Lang. Learn. Teach. (2015) 10.1080/17501229.2014.995765

[11]

Benson, P. (2011). Teaching and Researching Autonomy in Language Learning, Pearson Education. [2nd ed.].

[12]

Murray "The social dimensions of learner autonomy and self-regulated learning" Stud. Self-Access Learn. J. (2014) 10.37237/050402

[13]

Sauro "What are the digital wilds?" Lang. Learn. Technol. (2019)

[14]

Cappellini, M., Lewis, T., and Mompean, A.R. (2017). From learner autonomy to rewilding: A discussion. Learner Autonomy and Web 2.0, Equinox.

[15]

Lai, C. (2023). Insights into Autonomy and Technology, Castledown Press.

[16]

Alm "Online machine translation for L2 writing across languages and proficiency levels" Aust. J. Appl. Linguist. (2022) 10.29140/ajal.v5n3.53si3

[17]

Kern "Twenty-five years of digital literacies in CALL" Lang. Learn. Technol. (2021)

[18]

Teng, M.F. (2019). Autonomy, Agency, and Identity in Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language, Springer. 10.1007/978-981-13-0728-7

[19]

Lai "Individual interest, self-regulation, and self-directed language learning with technology beyond the classroom" Br. J. Educ. Technol. (2024) 10.1111/bjet.13366

[20]

Mollick, E. (2024). Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, Portfolio/Penguin.

[21]

Chapelle, C.A., Beckett, G.H., and Ranalli, J. (2024). Paths for exploring AI in applied linguistics. Exploring Artificial Intelligence in Applied Linguistics, Iowa State University Digital Press. 10.31274/isudp.2024.154

[22]

"Distributed agency in second language learning and teaching through generative AI" Lang. Learn. Technol. (2024)

[23]

Thorne "Generative artificial intelligence, co-evolution, and language education" Mod. Lang. J. (2024) 10.1111/modl.12932

[24]

Kalantzis "Literacy in the Time of Artificial Intelligence" Read. Res. Q. (2025) 10.1002/rrq.591

[25]

Yin, R.K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods, Sage. [6th ed.].

[26]

Daniel, B., Ajji, I., Sheridan, L., and Wierdak, N. (2025). Understanding AI ethics through the student’s eyes: A study of ChatGPT integration in a University German course. Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity: Navigating Ethical Challenges of AI in Education, Springer.

[27]

Taalas, P., Jalkanen, J., Bradley, L., and Thouësny, S. (2018). Self-Directed Learning and the Teacher’s Role: Insights from Two Different Teaching Contexts. Future-Proof CALL: Language Learning as Exploration and Encounters, Research-Publishing.Net. 10.14705/rpnet.2018.26.9782490057221

[28]

Steel, C. (2014, January 23–26). The learning challenge: Discovering the power of digital practices. Proceedings of the ASCILITE 2014—Annual Conference of the Australian Society for Computers in Tertiary Education Rhetoric and Reality: Critical perspectives on educational technology, Dunedin, New Zealand.

[29]

Reinders "20 years of autonomy and technology: How far have we come and where to next?" Lang. Learn. Technol. (2016)

[30]

Ranalli "L2 student engagement with automated feedback on writing: Potential for learning and issues of trust" J. Second. Lang. Writ. (2021) 10.1016/j.jslw.2021.100816

Metrics

17

Citations

30

References

Details

Published: Dec 13, 2024
Vol/Issue: 14(12)
Pages: 1369
License: View

Authors

A

Antonie Alm

Languages and Cultures Programme, School of Arts, University of Otago, 95 Albany Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand

Cite This Article

Antonie Alm (2024). Exploring Autonomy in the AI Wilderness: Learner Challenges and Choices. Education Sciences, 14(12), 1369. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121369

Exploring Autonomy in the AI Wilderness: Learner Challenges and Choices

You May Also Like