Learner autonomy, teacher authority and Confucianism in language education: A Chinese perspective

Learner autonomy is currently being stressed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in China to improve students‘ independent learning capability in language education. On the one hand, the MOE required fostering Chinese students‘ ability in order to develop their autonomous learning capability. On the other hand, the MOE issued the document based on Eastern research instead of considering the Chinese context; thus, there are possible conflictions and challenges occurring in the current Chinese educational system. This chapter introduces the framework of the Chinese educational system and then moves to review the development of learner autonomy in the West and in China. Furthermore, it discusses the significant influence of teacher authority and Confucian heritage. Lastly, suggestions relating to bridging the gap between top universities and regular universities regarding adopting self-access learning centers are provided from a Chinese perspective.