An Exploratory Study of the University of Oxford Tutorial Method Regarding Its Relationship to Learner Autonomy

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the degree to which the tutorial method used with bachelor’s and master’s students at the University of Oxford promotes constructs (e.g., desire, resourcefulness, initiative, persistence, and self-efficacy) associated with learner autonomy. As learner autonomy—subsumed under the general field of self-directed learning—has been studied and posited as being an important goal of higher education that can support personally-chosen trajectories long after graduation, instructional methods that promote this psychological undergirding of human agency are needed. The findings reveal a development of actual learning and study skills; however, in support of learner autonomy, the findings reveal a development of self-efficacy in these same skills as well as in learner independence, which is critical to engaging in autonomous learning activities.