Independent Learning Advisory Education and Related Applications

Many language teaching institutions have developed their own Self-Access Centres with a broader aim of fostering autonomous learning (McMurry et al., 2011). They help increase students’ opportunities to reach resources of various kinds and assist them on the road to taking responsibility for their own learning (Benson, 2011). Some of these centres offer their students trainings, learning advisory service and various extracurricular activities as well. Ankara Y？ld？r？m Beyaz？t University School of Foreign Languages (AYBU-SFL), aiming to improve the resources and services currently offered at its Independent Learning Centre (ILC) and develop a customized Learning Advisory Program (LAP), conducted a BAP (a funded scientific research study). Within the scope of this project, the participating instructors received a skills-based, independent learning advisory education, developed an independent learning advisory program with its materials and tools, and actively ran learning advisory sessions with voluntary students. In this specific study following the completion of the project, the participating instructors’ feelings and opinions as to their new experiences and gains as trained learning advisors transforming from their roles as language instructors and the students’ attitudes towards the learning advisory service they voluntarily received from their learning advisors were investigated using semi-structured interview questions. The findings indicate that instructors are aware of the requirements of their new roles as learning advisors and they are experiencing a positive and meaningful transformation with respect to providing this service having acquired the necessary skills. Similarly, the students report that they have positive attitudes towards the sessions and would like to continue benefitting from it seeing that they are being listened to, helped and supported in their development