Dominique Vola Ambinintsoa, Kanda University of International Studies, Chiba, Japan. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5987-3242
Ambinintsoa, D. V. (2025). Introduction: Teacher education for self-access. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 16(3), 473–476. https://doi.org/10.37237/160301
Welcome to this special issue of SiSAL Journal! This issue, featuring five papers, focuses on teacher education for self-access and outside-class support. Since teachers’ beliefs are shaped by their experiences (Lamb, 2019), and teachers who have experienced autonomous and self-regulated learning are more likely to effectively foster these skills in their students (Little, 1995; Magno e Silva, 2018), this journal issue highlights how teacher training can provide that experience. As teacher education extends beyond formal training at teacher training colleges, this issue also includes papers discussing factors that are conducive to professional development and the promotion of learner autonomy, such as in-service teacher well-being and collaborative learning. The papers describe practices and research that were conducted in Hungary, Nigeria, Thailand, and Türkiye.
The first paper by Cemil Gökhan Karacan from Beykent University, Türkiye and Melike Bekereci-Şahin from Middle East Technical University, Türkiye, discusses a study exploring the experiences of 63 pre-service language teachers in a collaborative online course in Türkiye. The course was designed to develop their skills in using technology for teaching and self-access learning. Using reflections, surveys, and interviews, the study revealed that the course positively influenced the student teachers’ engagement, interaction, and professional growth. The findings, thus, suggest that collaborative online courses such as the one described in the paper can be a valuable tool in teacher education.
The second paper is written by Kiki Juli Anggoro from Walailak University, Thailand, and Annisa Laura Maretha from Deakin University, Australia. It reports on a study examining the perceptions of 65 EFL student teachers of the use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies while managing English clubs that they themselves created. Using open-ended surveys, the findings revealed that the student teachers perceived key SRL components, such as independent learning, time management, and problem solving, as crucial for the success of the English clubs. The study also identified three main useful SRL strategies—using technology, collaborative learning, and needs analysis—and pointed to challenges such as low confidence, difficulty in taking leadership, and scheduling conflicts.
The third paper is by Hamisu Hamisu Haruna from Al-Qalam University Katsina, Nigeria, Sehrish Iftikhar from the University of Southern Punjab, Pakistan, Sulaiman Muhammad Isa from Kampala International University, Uganda, and Md. Mahadhi Hasan from the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Bangladesh. Utilizing a quantitative approach, the researchers examined how professional development, collaborative learning, and technology integration influence teachers’ competence in supporting self-access learning in the Nigerian context. Using data from 364 Nigerian secondary school teachers, the researchers found that all three factors positively and significantly influenced teachers’ competence. Teaching experience was identified as a key mediating factor, indicating its vital role in how these influences affect competence. These findings provide practical insights for improving teacher professional development in educational settings with limited resources.
The fourth paper by Pınar Üstündağ-Algın, Hatice Karaaslan, and Nurseven Kılıç from Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Türkiye, reports on a research study exploring the link between language instructors’ workplace well-being (WWB) and their support for learner autonomy. Using the PRISM—Prospection, Resilience, Innovation, Social Support, and Mattering—framework, the researchers investigated how those five factors can influence teachers’ ability to support autonomous learning outside the classroom. The findings suggest that a strong sense of WWB enhances instructors’ job satisfaction and commitment to promoting learner autonomy. Ultimately, the study concludes that educational leaders should use frameworks like PRISM to create environments where both teachers and students can flourish.
The final paper is a reflection-on-practice paper by Mátyás Bánhegyi and Balázs Fajt from Budapest University of Economics and Business, Hungary. The paper describes how the use of portfolios can help student teachers take ownership of their English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learning. Detailing the structure and the implementation of the portfolio approach in a Hungarian teacher training program, the authors argue that the benefits of the approach include student teachers’ enhanced reflective skills and better engagement with their learning. They, thus, strongly recommend the integration of such an approach in teacher education, especially in the ESP context, not only to help student teachers with their learning but also to raise their awareness of the usefulness of portfolios so that they can utilize them in their own future classrooms.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Jo Mynard for the opportunity to solo-edit this special issue and for her invaluable support throughout the editing process and beyond. I would also like to thank the people who have reviewed all the papers submitted for this issue: Pierre Allec, Kiki Juli Anggoro, Elena Borsetto, Ariel Bosque, Anja Burkert, Eduardo Castro, Kerstin Dofs, Hatice Karaaslan, Dennis Koyama, and Marcella Menegale. I really appreciate the time and effort they put into helping authors improve their papers. Last but not least, a special thanks to Noriko Takasago for her precious help in expediting this issue.
Notes on the Editor
Dominique Vola Ambinintsoa is a senior learning advisor, lecturer, and graduate school instructor at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan. She holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) and a Master of Education in TESOL (State University of New York at Buffalo, US). Her research interests include learner autonomy, self-regulated learning, language teacher education, the psychology of language learning, and advising in language learning.
References
Lamb, M. (2019). Motivational teaching strategies. In M. Lamb, K. Csizér, A. Henry, & S. Ryan (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of motivation for language learning (pp. 285–305). Palgrave Macmillan.
Little, D. (1995). Learning as dialogue: The dependence of learner autonomy on teacher autonomy. System, 23(2), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/0346-251X(95)00006-6
Magno e Silva, W. (2018). Autonomous learning support base: Enhancing autonomy in a TEFL undergraduate program. In G. Murray & T. Lamb (Eds.), Space, place and autonomy in language learning (pp. 219–232). Routledge
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