The Relevance of Self-Access Centers for the Development of Autonomy in Foreign Language Learning at University

Abstract

The need for formal environments at supporting language learners has been the subject of several debates in the area of Modern Foreign Languages, considering its importance in the formation of autonomous subjects. Therefore, this study seeks to reflect on the role of institutionalized spaces, specifically, of Self-Access Centers in the process of development of autonomy and its relationship with the process of foreign language learning. The study focuses its debate at seeking to understand how language scholars/learners develop their autonomy, which strategies they use, as well as what's the relationship like of this process and the use of Centers of Self-Access. The theoretical background is based on authors in the field of Applied Linguistics, such as: ^{Leffa (2018 [1988]}); ^{Oxford (1990}); ^{Morrison (2011}); ^{Tassinari (2012}; ²⁰¹⁴) and ^{Magno e Silva (2018}). For this purpose, the present qualitative approach research is aimed at students belonging to two groups of the Graduate Course in German Language at UFPA, which are in different stages of their higher education. Considering this context, the study proposes some guidelines for to the apprentices/users of the ‘Centro de Autoacesso Base de Apoio a Aprendizagem Autônoma (BA³)’, aiming at the their effective development in his the process of autonomy in learning German as a foreign language.

Keywords:
Center for self-access; self-access; methodologies for foreign language teaching; German language learning