Rozwijanie autonomii ucznia za pomocą światów wirtualnych
Developing learner autonomy by means of virtual worlds

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents the results of a research project whose aim was to investigate the extent to which the use of virtual worlds affects the development of learner autonomy in foreign language learning. The sample consisted of 37 second-year students studying English at a Polish senior high school. They were randomly divided into two groups. The students in the virtual world group (N = 20) used virtual worlds inside and outside of the classroom in order to learn English, while the learners in the traditional group (N = 17) were taught in a conventional way by means of coursebook materials. The data were obtained by means of a language learner autonomy questionnaire (completed by the students before and after the study) and a questionnaire filled in by the subjects in the virtual world group after each session in virtual worlds. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results show that the students in the virtual world group demonstrated more autonomy in learning English after the study, while the level of autonomy in the traditional group did not change significantly.

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