On Autonomy of English Language Teachers : Who Exercises Autonomous Discretion in Upper Secondary English Language Education?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between individual English language teachers' autonomous discretion and their commitment to communicative language teaching practices. As a result, the following conclusions were reached: 1) the degree of freedom given to individual teachers for discretion in five areas of English language education differs from school to school, 2) teaching freedom and teaching autonomy should be conceptually distinguished, 3) teachers' autonomous discretion should be treated not in the individual sense but the collective or departmental sense, and 4) English language education should be considered as departmental activities where teachers of the English language department in individual schools autonomously work together on their school-based problems in order to deliver English language education and develop its quality.