Promoting Autonomy in EFL Learning in Tertiary Education in Oman by Fostering a Reading Culture

Abstract

This chapter discusses the weaknesses in learner autonomy among successive cohorts of students admitted to the premier university of Oman due to a common inability to read independently in English. It traces the problem to the existence of a sub-culture of indifference to English as a world language, an endemic lack of a reading culture and a traditionally unreceptive general environment. The solution is for the national authorities to make a concerted effort to reform the educational culture, to establish public libraries for all communities, and mount campaigns to promote a national reading culture. If there is no determined will at the national level, then Sultan Qaboos University can take its own remedial measures through the creation of a reading-biased independent learning centre. School curricula and EFL courses can also be adapted to make room for employing reading-enhancing strategies by EFL teachers.