ERIC Number: EJ1314743
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Aug
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1072-4303
EISSN: N/A
What Is Learner-Centered Education? A Quantitative Study of English Language Teachers' Perspectives
Bremner, Nicholas
TESL-EJ, v25 n2 Aug 2021
The concept of 'learner-centered education' (LCE) continues to be defined inconsistently across the literature, and very little research has examined LCE from the perspectives of the teachers themselves. This study addressed this gap by conducting a quantitative survey with 248 English language teachers. The study sought to examine 1) whether or not participants had heard of LCE; 2) how confident they felt explaining the concept; 3) how they would define LCE; and 4) how useful they felt the concept was to their practice. Teachers were asked to rate the extent to which they agreed with 10 potential aspects of LCE that had emerged from a metaanalysis of the literature. The study found that the teachers interpreted LCE in a broader way than is typically found in definitions in the literature, generally agreeing that all 10 aspects should be included in a multi-faceted definition of LCE. Some aspects (such as 'Active participation') were considered important by a larger number of teachers. Moreover, certain variations were noted based on factors such as participant nationality, further reinforcing the idea that a more flexible, context-led approach to defining LCE might be more useful than the numerous contradictory definitions found in the literature.
Descriptors: Student Centered Learning, Teacher Attitudes, Language Teachers, English (Second Language), Experienced Teachers, Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Knowledge Level, Self Efficacy, Concept Formation, Definitions, Value Judgment, Theory Practice Relationship, Foreign Countries
TESL-EJ. e-mail: editor@tesl-ej.org; Web site: http://tesl-ej.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Syria; Thailand; United Kingdom; Malaysia; Mexico
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A