© The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. Helping Vietnamese university learners to become more autonomous Gareth Humphreys and Mark Wyatt Autonomy is an important educational goal in international universities in countries with Confucian heritage cultures, such as Vietnam. However, approaches taken to support autonomy can sometimes be limited by over- generalizations about culture, dependence on pre-packaged materials, and a focus on technical practice. This can result in the slow development of learner autonomy. We report on an attempt to stimulate autonomous practices among EAP learners in Vietnam. This collaborative action research first focused on discovering how learners perceived and experienced autonomy, with data collected through questionnaire and focus groups. Data were analysed and discussed with teachers, autonomy levels identified, and strong autonomy-supporting strategies selected for use. Priorities included developing goal setting and self-reflection. An independent learning journal that included focused autonomy-supporting tasks was developed, trialled, and evaluated. Although this was a small-scale intervention, it provided evidence that socially mediated support for autonomy can help Vietnamese university learners take greater control over their own learning. The importance of learner autonomy is widely recognized in ELT (Smith 2008). Indeed, in a recent survey of university-level EFL teachers in Oman (Borg and Al-Busaidi 2012: 283), an overwhelming majority felt learner autonomy positively impacts on language learning, providing students with ‘an enhanced ability to make decisions’. According to Ushioda (2011), if students are able to take responsibility for, manage, and regulate their own learning, this suggests their behaviour is self-determined. She maintains that ‘we want [our students] to fulfil their potential to be the persons they want to become and do the things they value in a healthy way’ (ibid.: 30). However, notions of learner autonomy are rooted in European philosophy (Benson 2006) and it has been argued, for example by Pennycook (1997), that autonomy is a western construct that might not be appropriate to Asian classrooms, particularly if autonomous behaviour involves questioning. In a Confucian heritage culture like Vietnam (the setting of this research), ‘harmony reigns supreme’ and is expressed Introduction 52 ELT Journal Volume 68/1 January 2014; doi:10.1093/elt/cct056 Advance Access publication October 24, 2013 at University of Portsmouth Library on December 10, 2013 http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from