EXPLORING AUTONOMOUS LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES AMONG EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN DIGITAL ERA
Authors
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Andreas Aris Eko Mulyono
andreas.aris98@gmail.comInstitut Teknologi dan Bisnis Kristen Bukit Pengharapan,
Indonesia
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Miku Fujita
University of Kyoto,
Japan
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Daiki Nishida
Chuo University, Japan
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Digital technologies have reshaped language learning by providing EFL university students with access to online resources, mobile applications, artificial intelligence tools, and interactive platforms. This study aimed to identify the autonomous language learning strategies employed by EFL university students in the digital era and examine the factors associated with their use. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 250 undergraduate students selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire covering cognitive, metacognitive, memory, compensation, affective, social, and digital-resource management strategies, then analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlation, t-tests, analysis of variance, and multiple regression. The findings showed that students used autonomous learning strategies at a high level, with metacognitive strategies receiving the highest mean score, followed by digital-resource management and cognitive strategies. Affective strategies were the least frequently employed. Digital literacy, motivation, and daily digital-learning duration were significantly related to strategy use, while digital literacy emerged as the strongest predictor. The study concludes that learner autonomy in digital contexts depends not only on technological access but also on students’ capacity to plan, evaluate, regulate, and ethically integrate digital resources. Universities should therefore provide explicit instruction in strategic learning, critical digital literacy, and responsible artificial intelligence use.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Andreas Aris Eko Mulyono, Miku Fujita, Daiki Nishida
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