Abstract
Learner autonomy is a multifaceted concept and as such it is problematic when we want to implement and propagate its premises among students. If autonomy is advocated to be a goal of language education, it is implied that teachers and educational institutions should attempt to foster autonomy among learners. The focus of the article is on a goal-setting logbook as an instrument that develops students’ positive attitudes towards autonomy. The instrument was originally used in a longitudinal study that aimed at observing its influence on upper secondary students’ motivation to learn English as a foreign language. Since motivation and autonomy are closely related concepts, it has been also discovered that there seems to be a strong connection between goal-setting and autonomy. Some positive consequences of using the logbook were observed, such as, for example, greater effort invested in achieving the set goals, responsibility shared between the teacher and students, the development of metacognitive skills, and more efficient learning. The analysis of students’ goal-setting logbooks led to developing a classification of possible strategies of goal-attainment. It comprises four groups of different activities ranging from controlling behavior through cooperating with others and using various resources to employing cognitive skills.
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Appendix: Goal-Setting Logbook
Appendix: Goal-Setting Logbook
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I.
The table below lists goals that should be achieved within a week. Add to them your own goals that you would like to achieve. Indicate the importance of each goal, using the following scale: 5—a very important goal for me; 4—an important goal for me; 3—it is difficult to say how important the goal is for me; 2—an unimportant goal for me; 1—a goal that is irrelevant to me. In the column labeled Activities, write down what you are planning to do to achieve these goals. Think about the problems you can come across when trying to achieve these goals and how you can get around them.
Goals
Importance
Activities
Possible problems and ways of overcoming them
1.
2.
3.
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II.
The time for implementing the goals has passed and it is necessary to evaluate this process. Indicate in the table the appropriate column: 100 %—the goal has been achieved in its entirety; 75 %—the goal has almost been achieved in its entirety but I am not fully satisfied; 50 %—the goal has been achieved only in part; 25 %—the goal has been achieved only marginally; 0 %—the goal has not been achieved or I have not tried to achieve it. In the column labeled Comments write down who or what was helpful in the achievement of the goal or what prevented you from achieving it.
Assessment of goal achievement
Comments
100 %
75 %
50 %
25 %
0 %
1.
2.
3.
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Klimas, A. (2017). A Goal-Setting Logbook as an Instrument Fostering Learner Autonomy. In: Pawlak, M., Mystkowska-Wiertelak, A., Bielak, J. (eds) Autonomy in Second Language Learning: Managing the Resources. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07764-2_2
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