Problems Encountered by EFL Students in their Self-Study Process

Self-study is believed to play a significant role in the learning process for students in general, for those who learn English as a foreign language in particular, making a great contribution to their educational outcomes. The study aimed to analyze the problems of self-study faced by Vietnamese students in their English learning process, and identify the causes, then inform some implications of pedagogy to improve the situation. To this end, 168 Vietnamese students from three educational institutions namely Vung Cao Viet Bac High School, Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and Hung Vuong University, participated in the study. Quantitative and qualitative research design including data collection tools of questionnaire and interview were utilized to work out the problems encountered by students. Findings showed that lack of self-study related skills and independent thinking skill in students and the knowledge-based teaching process were the major problems that hindered students from enhancing the role of self-study in English learning result improvement. Causes of the problems could be attributed to the current approach applied in English teaching and the students’ perception towards the learning process. Results were discussed and some implications for the enhancement of self-study effectiveness and recommendations for future research were presented.