International Journal of English Learning and Teaching Skills; Vol. 1, No.

1; ISSN : 2639-7412 (Print) ISSN : 2638-5546 (Online)

IMPLEMENTING LEARNER-CENTERED APPROACH: A SURVEY ON

ITS FEASIBILITY

Lubaba Sanjana
Lecturer, Department of English and Humanities,
BRAC University
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract:

Student-centered or learner-centered approach is widely used in language teaching and learning

pedagogy (O’Neill and McMahon 29). In this approach, the focus is mainly on students who share
responsibilities for activities and tasks. However, Balan et al. argues that learner-centeredness is
ensured with the “active participation” of a facilitator (652). This paper reviews ways through
which a teacher can ensure learner-centeredness in his/her class. Besides, why a teacher should
think of adopting this particular approach is also highlighted. This paper further sheds light on
the possible advantages learner-centered approach can have. How the pitfalls of this approach
have an effect on implementing learner-centered approach—is also one of the focuses of this
paper. Finally, as per the review of literature indicates, the researcher also gives certain
recommendations that can guide through the future studies, especially those working on English
language teaching in an EFL classroom.

Keywords: learner-centered approach, technology, advantages, disadvantages, feasibility.

Implementing Learner-Centered Approach: A Survey on Its Feasibility

In a language learning class, it is expected that learners will interact through several activities
which will facilitate their learning process. This phenomenon can be ensured by implementing
learner-centered approach. Learner-centered approach can be learners’ choice in education and
their role in the process of language teaching and learning (O’Neill and McMahon 30). This
particular paradigm takes learners at the centre of the learning process (Thamraksa 60).
Nonetheless, teachers only help learners to solve difficulties that the learners face while doing
any activities (Pedersen and Liu 58).
The purpose of this paper is to present a survey on the feasibility of implementing learner-centered
approach in a language classroom. This paper focuses on the facts that are identified in the
existing literature. The role that teachers and learners play in learner-centered environment is
discussed elaborately in this paper. This paper attempts to clarify the pros and cons of
implementing such approach. Finally, it concludes with the researcher’s recommendation
regarding the implementation of learner-centered approach, based on the existing studies.
LITERATURE REVIEWS
Essential Concepts of Learner-Centered Approach. It should not be thought that in learner-
centered approach, a teacher does not give lecture in class (Froyd and Simpson 5). It is to be noted
that in such approach learners, instructors and the learning process—all play significant roles and
are considered important factors (Wichadee 45).
O’Neill and McMahon mention that learner-centered and teacher-centered approaches are
not two completely separate approaches having contrasted aspects (28). They believe that the
situation is “less black and white” in case of regular practice (29). These two approaches are
rather two terms of a continuum. Table 1 can illustrate this particular concept.

Table 1
Learner-centered and Teacher-centered Continuum

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Learner-centered learning Teacher-centered learning

High level of learner choice Low level of learner choice

Learner active Learner passive

Power primary with the learner Power primary with teacher

Table 1 The continuum of two learning approaches (adapted from O’Neill and McMahon 2005:
29)
From this table, it can be seen that a teacher could be in any point of this continuum. S/he also
can travel from one point to another depending on contextual needs. Besides, the position of the
teacher will depend on the teacher’s beliefs and perceptions. According to this continuum, if a
teacher moves towards left, s/he will eventually move towards a more learner-centered practice.
Why Implementing Learner-Centered Approach. In a traditional classroom, a teacher-centered
approach is practiced, as opposed to a learner-centered approach. Teacher-centered approach
cannot produce learners as “active recipients”, for which language learning becomes “fossilized”
(Wichadee 44). For this reason, teachers can think of creating an environment that can help
learners to actively participate in the language learning process.
Moreover, teaching becomes enjoyable in learner-centered environment as teachers who adopt
learner-centered approach, find teaching more enjoyable than in a teacher-centered pedagogy
(Froyd and Simpson 3). One of the reasons can be that in learner-centered approach “boredome
and stereotyped repetition” do not occur and therefore are excluded (Motsching-Pitrik and
Holzinger 163). This particular aspect makes this approach enjoyable and different from
traditional teaching paradigm.
Besides, study shows that in a learner-centered environment learners themselves identify critical
factors and vital aspects of learning which lead to their success (Balan et al. 639). Learners’ active
role helps them distinguish what features are important for their language development.
Moreover, learner-centered approach acknowledges the power of learners’ schemata. This
approach builds on schemata since it identifies the fact that the learners’ prior knowledge can
significantly influence their future learning process (Froyd and Simpson 1).
Apart from these, learner-centered approach also goes against one of the traditional teaching
beliefs. Many traditional teaching approaches consider a teacher a “righteous guru” who is in the
ultimate possession of all knowledge (Thamraksa 62). These teaching approaches completely
deny the creativity of prospective learners. On the contrary, learner-centered environment
involves learners in the learning process. Thamraksa mentioned that through learner-centered
approach, learners become less dependent on teachers; they recognize knowledge and therefore,
value learning (67). Learners also understand that they themselves have to be responsible for their
own learning. Considering these aspects, a teacher can implement learner-centered approach in
his/her class. Following are the ways to implement learner-centered approach in language
classrooms.
How to Implement Learner-Centered Approach. There can be several ways which can promote
learner-centeredness in a class. One example could be the addition of the latest technology along
with the existing classroom tools. Casey offers a framework where learner-centeredness can be
ensured by combining “online social and participatory media” along with “face-to-face teaching”
(159). In order to implement learner-centered approach, the roles that teachers and learners need
to play will be discussed in the following section.

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Role of the teachers

In a learner-centered classroom, students will involve in pair or group activities, where the teacher
will not participate as the central role (Garrett and Shortall 26). Rather, the teacher will play the
role of a facilitator where s/he reflects on his/her teaching (Haley 170). A teacher will only present
problems or issues but will not provide any solutions since the “nature of response” will be
decided by the learners (Pedersen and Liu 58).
The facilitator also needs to possess particular “personal attitudes” in order to ensure learner-
centeredness (Motsching-PitrikandHolzinger162). It should be the teacher who will make efforts
in creating a positive classroom environment. S/he must also consider learners’ various needs
including social, emotional and academic (Daniels and Perry 103). Besides, teachers will also
raise deeper questions regarding learners’ learning process and how learners will be able to
facilitate their learning by adjusting to such approach etc. (Froyd and Simpson 7).
In this respect, teachers’ “interpersonal values” come into play as being a facilitator, a teacher
should be supportive by creating an environment of “trust and openness” where s/he can
acknowledge every individual (Motsching-Pitrik and Holzinger 163). In a learner-centered
classroom, a teacher also needs to realize that listening to the learners’ voice is essential for
effective teaching (Garrett and Shortall 48). A teacher further can integrate multiple intelligences
or MI into the classroom pedagogy in order to make it more learner-centered (Haley 171).
As mentioned earlier, in case of learner-centered approach, teachers will help students finding
possible resources through helpful questions (Pedersen and Liu 58). Similarly, the teachers should
direct learners in such a way where they will first comprehend and then go beyond their
understanding (Hannafin et al. 767). It can be understandable that learner-centered approach
discourages teachers to provide direct correction to learners.
In terms of covering content of a course, studies show that different responses can be found from
teachers. By adopting learner-centered approach, some teachers are able to complete most
content; some teacher complete less content. However, the extent to which teachers will be able
to cover the content depends on an “individual teachers” (Froyd and Simpson 3, 4).
It is to be mentioned that one of the features of learner-centered teaching is that it allows a teacher
to understand how his/her teaching is being received by the learners (Garrett and Shortall 45).
Based on the learners’ feedback and their interest, if needed, the teacher can reconsider planning
and implementing the course, or designing and selecting activities. In this manner, a teacher plays
the role of a facilitator in a learner-centered environment.

Role of the learners

Learner-centered approach differs in many ways from traditional approaches of English language
teaching as it considers “students’ evaluations of their language learning experience” an integral
part (Garrett and Shortall 27). This particular aspect was not present in other early approaches.
Here, learners are not merely given the chance to articulate their reactions; rather are allowed to
evaluate in a “reflective, reflexive, reasonably systematic and comprehensive way” (Garrett and
Shortall 48).
This approach also allows students to share responsibility since every member is held responsible
for the consequence of group or team work (Balan et al. 650). Besides, this approach can be
particularly helpful for learners since a student can seek for individualized help from teacher, as
needed, in a learner-centered environment (Daniels and Perry 102). In this respect, one of the
studies suggests learners to have a certain amount of sincerity in order to cope with the changes.
The learners themselves will select and elaborate problems in classes. In this case, teachers’
implicit predesigned structure is needed so that learners do not get misled due to excessive liberty
(Motsching-Pitrik and Holzinger 164).
Apart from these, along with the appropriate use of learner-centered methods, Smith emphasizes
on learners’ having the ability to properly measure their own learning. The advantage of this

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method will be visible if these two conditions are fulfilled—correctly applied methods and
learners’ ability to measure (Smith 2).
In order to measure which particular linguistic items can be learned effectively through learner-
centered approach, a study has been conducted by Dobinson. He points out that through classroom
interaction vocabulary learning can be strengthened. Students can certainly learn from teachers
but a simple exposure of language can help students’ learning. Nonetheless, in this case, learners’
involvement might not be a prerequisite since the learning process can be “idiosyncratic” in nature
(Dobinson 207).
Additionally, learners’ effective role can be certified if they are prepared beforehand. To
illustrate, in order to ensure the effectiveness of implementing learner-centered approach, learners
should be given some prior direction. A “domain-independent guidance” and an “advance
training” might become helpful in promoting “self-regulation skills” (Hannafin et al. 775). This
initiative will help learners to actively engage in a learner-centered pedagogy.
The Current Condition of Implementing Learner-Centered Approach. Since there lie several
differences in teacher-centered and learner-centered approaches, it is obvious that some changes
will be required to implement learner-centered approach. The implementation may not be
established only by the course or program designers; teachers have a major role to play. Pedersen
and Liu suggest that most teachers need to “make substantial changes” in order to practice such
approach (59). They believe that the educational beliefs of teachers will determine whether or not
teachers will implement a “technology-enhanced” learner-centered approach in class (Pedersen
and Liu 60).
Thus, in order to promote learner-centered approach a teacher might not need to completely
renovate his/her adopted curricula. Teachers can include “thematic and interdisciplinary units” as
well as varied activities designed around learners’ Multiple Intelligences or MI (Haley 166). By
incorporating MI in classroom practices, a teacher can make his/her classroom environment more
student-friendly and learner-centered.

Using internet and technology to implement learner-centered approach

It has been a common practice to use a range of social spaces, for example, “blogs, groups, and
discussion forums” for language teaching (Casey 184). It can be said that incorporating
technology might indicate learner-centeredness in a classroom, as researchers believe that
technologies complement learner-centered approach (Motsching-Pitrik and Holzinger 170). They
think that after consulting with facilitators, learners can explore learning materials freely through
technologies. They also propose two ways—as a “knowledge source” and as an “eLearning
platform”—of using the Internet (164). Besides, “audio, dynamic visual formats, computers and
the Internet” can be the tools that can develop learners’ learning as well as empower them
(Thamraksa 62).
Furthermore, in order to build a learner-centered environment, teachers can think of using social
networking sites as learning platforms. Learners can get the opportunity to create groups and
forums where they can “share and build knowledge” according to their interests (Casey 184). It
will allow them to obtain personalized feedback from both fellow learners and teachers through
online discussion platforms (Casey 160). Now the researcher will present some of the advantages
of learner-centered approach.
Advantages of Implementing Learner-Centered Approach. According to a study, teachers who
plan and organize instructions centering on learners’ needs and preferences might effectively
discover learners’ latent potential (Haley 172). This could be one of the vital advantages of this
approach. However, study shows that the advantage of students’ involvement might depend on
some contextual features, for example, cultural background, educational settings etc. (Dobinson
208).

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Besides, learner-centered approach often offers authentic or realistic experiences that can help
learners’ learning through interaction. In this case, scaffolding can be an effective technique that
can facilitate the processes of learners’ learning and understanding (Hannafin et al. 776).
Consequently, learning becomes more collaborative in nature since it is “self-directed” and
“problem-based” in a learner-centered class (Wichadee 44).
Learner-centered approach is completely unique as this particular paradigm not only focuses on
learners but also aims at facilitators’ development in terms of his/her personal, social and
cognitive growth. Thus, teachers can interact with learners and, can acknowledge and admire
learners’ creativity in a learner-centered environment (Motsching-Pitrik and Holzinger 163, 170).
Learner-centered approach also promotes learner-autonomy where students are given the
opportunity to assess the benefits and weaknesses of their involvement in various activities
(Garrett and Shortall 27). Through learners’ active involvement, this approach allows learners to
make their own decisions to improve their language learning process.
Additionally, a study shows that in a learner-centered class all learners can find the opportunities
from in-class activities that “closely match” their own learning objectives (Smith 3). Nonetheless,
some researchers argue that a possible resistance may come due to changes in teaching and
learning process (Froyd and Simpson). They suggest that teachers discuss the advantages of
learner-centeredness, i.e. providing students opportunities to present ideas as input to which
teachers will respond (6). Similarly, Smith believes that learners will start to appreciate the
learner-centered instructions once they get to see the reflection of their goals in teaching methods
(4). Therefore, these studies indicate that for effective teaching, it would be a better idea to
explicitly introduce learners to the positive aspects of learner-centered approach in advance.
Apart from these, the benefits of learner-centered environment can be assisted by providing “pre-
learning arrangements” to learners (Balan et al. 650). Through these kinds of arrangements,
learners themselves can take prior preparation, be informed with assigned work and actively
engage in class discussion. For this reason, this approach can have significant impact on learners’
“academic performances, attitudes toward learning, and persistence in programs” (Froyd and
Simpson 3).

Disadvantages of Implementing Learner-Centered Approach. Just like every approach comes

along with some pitfalls, learner-centeredness is not flawless. Some researchers argue that a
teacher should not try to separate a learner-centered and a teacher-centered approach. Instead, for
a facilitator, it would be sensible to acknowledge learners’ perceptions and manage the learning
processes accordingly (Balan et al. 652).
Some researchers show their hesitation in promoting this approach since it does not seem to be
realistic (Motsching-Pitrik and Holzinger 169). One of the reasons can be that, in some cases,
teachers’ active role is considered more successful than students’ involvement. A study also
shows that teachers’ active teaching through repetition can help students retaining their learning
effectively (Dobinson 191).
One of the features of learner-centered approach is that a teacher will present varied instructional
tailor-made activities that are designed based on learners’ lives and fit to their developmental
level (Daniels and Perry 102). This can be one of the disadvantages since it will be extremely
time consuming for language teachers.
It is also to be mentioned that many teachers possess supreme and indisputable faith in their own
“professional judgment”, where they consider learners’ comments to be “inherently misguided”
(Garrett and Shortall 48). Therefore, it would be completely impossible to ensure learner-
centeredness in classes with teachers having such beliefs. On the other hand, if learners do not
have any prior knowledge, skills or experiences to involve effectively in students activities, like
group work, team work etc., it would certainly become difficult for implementing learner-
centered approach (Froyd and Simpson 1).

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Again, implementing learner-centered environment through online social spaces is complex and
problematic (Casey 165). One of the drawbacks of using the World Wide Web for implementing
learner-centered approach is the abundance of resources. From the ample resources available in
the Internet, learners need to evaluate and select particular source according to their needs
(Motsching-Pitrik and Holzinger 164). This might become overwhelming for the young learners.
Nevertheless, researchers advocate for specially designed self-checking procedures which can
guide learners while they web navigate (Hannafin et al. 778).
Measuring the Feasibility of Learner-Centered Approach. After highlighting some of the
advantages and disadvantages of learner-centered approach, the researcher would like to measure
its feasibility. First of all, the strongest argument against such approach might be the fact that
learners, having experiences with more teacher-centered approaches, may reject it on the very
outset of practice. However, this approach could be feasible prior to the fact that it is well-
designed based on learners’ need. In this case, however, to what extent learners are aware of their
needs must be taken into consideration. Besides, it does not seem to be rational to believe that
learners should be given the opportunity to determine several aspects of curriculum design where
teachers only act according to learners’ shown direction (Auerbach 154).
Moreover, some researchers have questioned the authenticity of the claims of learner-centered
approach. Garrett and Shortall pose question regarding the fact that whether student activities will
increase learning along with increased student-interaction or not. They believe that the success of
learner-centered activities will largely depend upon learners’ beliefs and preferences (Garrett and
Shortall 28). If learner-centered approach can provide effective learning for students, it might be
considered a helpful teaching paradigm.
Apart from these, one of the studies also shows that “all classrooms are ‘teacher-centered’” and
learner-centeredness is a “false construct” (Auerbach 145). No matter what amount of
involvement learners are allowed to have; it is the teacher who “shapes how the learning
community develops” (Auerbach 145). Auerbach strongly opines that only teachers will guide
the learning process since they have the power to exercise. In addition, it is to be noted that
teachers are even given the authority to completely deny taking the findings of learners’ needs
analysis into consideration (Brown). It can be understood that whether one agree or disagree; a
teacher will have the prime authority and s/he will be the assigned person in a classroom who is
allowed to apply his/her power accordingly. Therefore, learner-centeredness cannot be
established without the supreme involvement of teachers, where the learners will participate
according to teachers’ guided path.

Conclusion:
Since it is beyond the scope of this paper to address all relevant elements related to learner-
centered approach; it mainly focuses on the studies that address the implementation of such
approach. Learner-centered approach claims some potential outcomes which did not seem evident
in actual classroom practices, to some extent. Besides, some English language teachers strongly
believe that learner-centered approach can be helpful, but in fact they do not adopt such approach.
Therefore, much of the existing studies demonstrate the discrepancies between teachers’ beliefs
and their classroom application.
Recommendation. This paper neither advocates for nor denies the value of implementing learner-
centered approach. The researcher has tried to present how several studies over time have shown
the feasibility of implementing learner-centered pedagogy. This paper finds that even though
there can be some advantages of promoting learner-centeredness in classroom pedagogy; there
might lie some problems. The manner in which this approach dictates and the way it is manifested
in classrooms, vary significantly. It is true that for the presence of the World Wide Web, the

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Internet offers uncountable resources which address variety of needs. Nevertheless, it might
become harder for a learner to identify and manage the appropriate resource which will be
beneficial for his/her learning (Hannafin et al. 777). In this case, technology can even play an
adverse role in promoting learner-centered approach. Therefore, the incorporation of technology
and the Internet might not be a clear solution for the potential problems.
The problems that come along with learner-centered approach will remain unaddressed if teachers
themselves do not adapt and customize such approach. They need to balance between learner-
centered approach and direct-instruction/teacher-centered approach. Based on the particular
pedagogical context, a teacher can prefer to have an eclectic view, where s/he can choose any of
the approaches that suit the best in a given context.

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