Gender differences in autonomous learning: a study of non-English majors in a Chinese university discourse

Fostering learners to be autonomous has become one of the aims in New English College Curriculum in mainland China since 2007 (Ministry of Education). However, Chinese university students feel difficult to adapt to this new learning environment designed for this purpose and the teaching method used. Particularly, the different perceptions on autonomous learning between the two genders will result in significant difference of the behaviours in classrooms. This paper attempts to find out the relationship between the gender differences and learning autonomy using data collected with a mixed research method. Also, pedagogical implications are discussed based on the research findings, and suggestions are provided for future researchers and educators in China.