A Critical History of Autonomous Language Learning: Exposing the Institutional and Structural Resistance Against Methodological Innovation in Language Education

In our current information societies, opportunities for innovative language teaching methodologies are plenty, yet we continue to teach languages as we did centuries ago. In this paper, I conduct a critical review of the history of language learning, the institutionalization of language education, a...

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Main Author: Santiago Betancor-Falcon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Kanda University of International Studies 2022-09-01
Series:Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://sisaljournal.org/archives/vol13/sep22/betancor-falcon/
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author Santiago Betancor-Falcon
author_facet Santiago Betancor-Falcon
author_sort Santiago Betancor-Falcon
collection DOAJ
description In our current information societies, opportunities for innovative language teaching methodologies are plenty, yet we continue to teach languages as we did centuries ago. In this paper, I conduct a critical review of the history of language learning, the institutionalization of language education, and the information revolution in order to unveil the structural and material factors that limit methodological innovation and hinder the development of learner autonomy, critical thinking, and life-long learning. Based on this review I further argue that scarcity and the system’s rational functionality are the root problem as well as the foundation of traditional language teaching. The conclusions of this paper offer a critical assessment of the possibilities as well as necessary conditions for the development of truly innovative methodologies and education reform.
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spelling doaj-art-88a29eccf9384b92a438acc0f76e1dbf2025-08-20T02:19:54ZengKanda University of International StudiesStudies in Self-Access Learning Journal2185-37622022-09-01133332346https://doi.org/10.37237/130303A Critical History of Autonomous Language Learning: Exposing the Institutional and Structural Resistance Against Methodological Innovation in Language EducationSantiago Betancor-Falcon0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8780-0654University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainIn our current information societies, opportunities for innovative language teaching methodologies are plenty, yet we continue to teach languages as we did centuries ago. In this paper, I conduct a critical review of the history of language learning, the institutionalization of language education, and the information revolution in order to unveil the structural and material factors that limit methodological innovation and hinder the development of learner autonomy, critical thinking, and life-long learning. Based on this review I further argue that scarcity and the system’s rational functionality are the root problem as well as the foundation of traditional language teaching. The conclusions of this paper offer a critical assessment of the possibilities as well as necessary conditions for the development of truly innovative methodologies and education reform.https://sisaljournal.org/archives/vol13/sep22/betancor-falcon/learner autonomyself-accesslanguage learningself-directed learninglife-long learning
spellingShingle Santiago Betancor-Falcon
A Critical History of Autonomous Language Learning: Exposing the Institutional and Structural Resistance Against Methodological Innovation in Language Education
Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal
learner autonomy
self-access
language learning
self-directed learning
life-long learning
title A Critical History of Autonomous Language Learning: Exposing the Institutional and Structural Resistance Against Methodological Innovation in Language Education
title_full A Critical History of Autonomous Language Learning: Exposing the Institutional and Structural Resistance Against Methodological Innovation in Language Education
title_fullStr A Critical History of Autonomous Language Learning: Exposing the Institutional and Structural Resistance Against Methodological Innovation in Language Education
title_full_unstemmed A Critical History of Autonomous Language Learning: Exposing the Institutional and Structural Resistance Against Methodological Innovation in Language Education
title_short A Critical History of Autonomous Language Learning: Exposing the Institutional and Structural Resistance Against Methodological Innovation in Language Education
title_sort critical history of autonomous language learning exposing the institutional and structural resistance against methodological innovation in language education
topic learner autonomy
self-access
language learning
self-directed learning
life-long learning
url https://sisaljournal.org/archives/vol13/sep22/betancor-falcon/
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