Teacher readiness and challenges in creating learner autonomy in ICT-based English learning activities

The significance of learner autonomy in today’s English Language Teaching (ELT) context has been well recognized and confirmed by many research findings; however, in some cases in which independent learning is not well established, the implementation may not be easy. Thus, this research is intended to provide data on teachers’ readiness and challenges in promoting learner autonomy during online learning activities. This research employed quantitative and qualitative data collection. The quantitative data were gained by a survey that has been conducted to 38 English teachers in 38 junior high schools in Bengkulu. In addition, the qualitative data were collected from an interview that has also been carried out to six teachers. The quantitative data obtained were then analysed through descriptive statistics analysis in the form of percentages and frequency. Meanwhile, the qualitative data were analysed by using thematic analysis. The results showed that in general most teachers were ready to build learner autonomy in ICT-based English learning. Most teachers used various methods in online teaching, gave freedom for the students to access different online resources according to their interest, found it easy to carry out online learning, yet most of them did not prefer to implement online learning activities. In the implementation, some challenges were faced by teachers, including poor internet connection, students’ different characteristics, and lack support from school policymakers.


INTRODUCTION
Research reports confirm that learner autonomy is significant in today's educational contexts (Alonazi, 2017;Little, 1995;Liu, 2015;Melvina & Suherdi, good learning environment, (5) dominate participation in the learning process. According to Printch (2000), there are four phases in learner autonomy. Those are planning, self-monitoring, control, and evaluation.
Learner autonomy is influenced by several factors. Little (2003) states that the factors that support learner autonomy are the teacher, the learner, the process of learning, and the learner training. First, the teacher is one of the factors that support the formation of learner autonomy because teachers are facilitators, teachers, educators, and a source of knowledge for learners. Teachers have an important role in increasing the autonomy of a learner. Teachers must be able to guide and provide guidance in directing a learner to become independent learners. However, teachers are also the cause of a learner's low autonomy if a teacher is not ready and able to be a good role model for a learner. Second, learners themselves are one of the factors that also support their autonomy. This is because learners must have sufficient knowledge about how to become autonomous learners, which must be able to learn independently from planning, monitoring, controlling, and evaluating. Besides, knowledge of cognition, affection, behavior, and context in learning must be known and implemented so that learners can achieve predetermined learning targets. The third factor is the learning process, where the learning process also determines whether learners can be categorized as autonomous learners or not because, in the learning process, there are learning activities that will support the development of autonomous learners. This is following previous researchers who stated that learner autonomy is formed through various teaching and learning process activities and directing these learning activities towards autonomy learning, such as independent activities, project-based assignments, independent assignments, and other learning activities so that learners feel independent and responsible for the assignments that have been given (Andriani et al., 2018;Anita 2016;Ardi, 2017;Darsih, 2018;Septianingrum et al., 2018;Sudinaji & Kumaidi, 2019). The fourth factor is learner training. This is included in the learner factor part, but Little (2003) separated that part. This learner training can also be one of the things that support the process of forming learner autonomy because, in this training, learners will be trained from the introduction of learner autonomy, characteristics, supporting activities, learner autonomy assessment indicators, to learner autonomy processes from planning to evaluation. The factors that support learner autonomy are not only stated by Little, but Han (2014) also suggests several factors that support learner autonomy in language learning, they are self-instruction, self-direction, self-access, distance learning, and out-of-class learning.
Copyright © 2022, authors, e-ISSN: 2502-6747, p-ISSN: 2301-9468 The world today is struggling for its freedom from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, learning that cannot be done in the classrooms, and consequently, be carried out online. Teachers are now required to take advantage of various learning applications that may be used for online learning.
The use of technology in the learning process is not new. Along with the development of technology, technology has become part of the dimensions of human life (see, e.g. Davis & Tearle, 1999). Besides, Roblyer, Edwards, and Havriluk (2004) revealed the reasons for the importance of using technology in the learning process, which are as follows: i) improve motivation; ii) enable students to independently measure their abilities and solve problems they face independently; iii) supporting innovative learning processes in the form of collaborative learning processes and problembased learning processes and iv) helping to increase teacher productivity and student knowledge construction. It can be concluded indirectly that ICT or technology-based learning can stimulate student autonomy. In other words, students are expected to be independent with technology-based learning.
The use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) in learning English is very beneficial for teachers and students because the use of ICT in learning English can increase the motivation and learning outcomes of students. Also, the use of ICT becomes an attractive learning tool or media for teachers and students. Suherdi (2012) stated that ICT plays a very important role in improving the quality of a teacher and English learner in this millennium because the use of ICT can help teachers in teaching, thereby facilitating the process of transferring knowledge from teacher to student. In addition, the use of ICT in learning can encourage learner autonomy because the use of this technology can stimulate, motivate, and motivate learners to learn independently. Independent does not mean without monitoring and evaluation from teachers but teachers can be good facilitators for students.
Many researchers have previously conducted studies related to learner autonomy. First, Suherdi et al. (2018) conducted a study that aims to determine self-regulated learning has an impact on learning achievement. The results of the research show that self-regulated learning can improve student learning outcomes. Second, several researchers also conducted research related to teacher and student perceptions of learner autonomy. The results of the research showed that teachers and students were dominated by positive responses, but some had negative responses due to various factors such as teachers' unpreparedness in using technology and teachers who were still focused on teacher-centered learning (Budianto, 2014;Dwee & Anthony, 2017;Ozan et al., 2012;Lengkanawati, 2017;Simoes & Faustiono, 2019;Ramadhiyah & Lengkanawati, 2019;Rinekso & Kurniawan, 2020). Third, there were research related to how to improve learner autonomy through online learning. The results of the research showed that learner autonomy was built through learning activities such as using ICT, project-based assignments, and other learning activities (Andriani et al., 2018;Anita 2016;Ardi, 2017;Ariza & Sanchez, 2013;Codrat, 2014;Darsih, 2018;Gendroyono, 2013;Gurza, 2015;Septianingrum et al., 2018;Sudinaji & Kumaidi, 2019;Suherdi, 2021).
Many studies also use ICT as a driving force to create learner autonomy, such as research conducted by Andriani, et al. (2018), Anita (2016), Ardi (2017), Ariza and Sanchez (2013), Codrat (2014), Darsih (2018), Gendroyono (2013), Gurza (2015), Septianingrum et al. (2018), and Sudinaji and Kumaidi (2019). In their research, they used applications that can be accessed via computers and cellphones. Their research results indicate that online learning activities can increase the motivation and autonomy of learners in learning English. In short, various learning activities, whether it is projects or independent tasks that involve the use of ICT, can encourage autonomy in learning English. However, the use of ICT in learning can cause a problem if the teacher is not ready to use ICT. If this happens, it will have an impact on learning achievement and learner autonomy.
Based on relevant issues and previous research, current research has one topic in common with previous research, which is regarding learner autonomy and online learning activities. While previous research discussed how to increase student autonomy with an ICT-based learning process, how teachers and students perceive learner autonomy, and how is the use of ICT towards learning outcomes, this study tries to see how all those focuses work in Indonesian contexts which are considered to have different characteristics than those in the previous research projects. Therefore, the current research aims to find out how the teacher's readiness in managing the online learning process and how the challenges faced by the teacher in creating autonomous students in the online English learning process.

Research design
Quantitative and qualitative methods were chosen as the method of the study (Cresswell, 2012;Ary et al., 2010). There are two research problems in this research. To explore English teachers' readiness in promoting students' learning autonomy in online learning activities, a quantitative survey was conducted. Qualitative data were also gained to explore teachers' challenges in promoting learning autonomy in ICT Based learning activity Copyright © 2022, authors, e-ISSN: 2502-6747, p-ISSN: 2301-9468

Research Site and Participants
To obtain the data required to get the picture of teachers' readiness in adopting learner autonomy in ICT-based English teaching. There are 48 junior high schools in Bengkulu. 38 teachers of English from 38 junior high schools in Bengkulu city have been selected to be the respondents and the rest of 10 teachers from 10 junior high schools were selected as the participants of the questionnaire try out. The sample was taken by using a convenient sampling technique based on the headmaster of each school's instruction. They were given a questionnaire between August to September 2020. After the questionnaire delivery, six teachers were selected based on their willingness for some interviews in October 2020.

Data Collection Techniques
The researchers used a set of Likert Scale questionnaires and interviews as the data collection instruments. The questionnaire was developed based on indicators on learner autonomy proposed by Little (2003), made systematically by considering the indicators on the readiness of the teachers in promoting autonomous learners in the ICT-based English learning process. There are 15 items in the questionnaire. The indicators were from the use of online media (item 1 to 5), the selection or use of teaching materials (item 6 to 10), the personal readiness of the teacher (item 11 to 13), and the teacher's attitude (item 14 and 15). From each indicator of the questionnaire, teachers' readiness in creating student's autonomous in learning in the ICT-based English learning process can be determined A pilot study was done to ensure the validity and reliability of the closed-ended questionnaire items. This is a critical step in the questionnaire development process. According to Cohen et al. (2007), the primary goal of the pilot research is to ensure that the questionnaire used to gather data is suitable for use on a wider scale. The piloting phase was then utilized to consult with other knowledgeable researchers or colleagues in the field regarding the data gathering tools to be employed. Thus, the researchers solicited the opinions and comments of two specialists in the field of English language instruction, as well as two more lecturers working in the field of English education. The design and presentation, the nature of the items involved, both in terms of content and type and the time required for completion were all discussed.
Then, the second piloting of the questionnaire was done by trying out the questionnaire to 10 teachers who do not belong to the sample of the study. They were asked to give a response to the set of the questionnaire to see whether the questions were suitable or not, how long the questionnaire takes to complete, and whether any concepts require further clarification.
In the meantime, the interview used in this study is a structured interview, where the researchers have arranged the questions properly and systematically to explore the challenges the teachers face during online learning activities. These interview questions were addressed to teachers who are involved in online learning activities using Information Communication and Teach technology (ICT) in the classroom.

Data Analysis Technique
The descriptive statistics were used to examine the quantitative data collected from survey responses to determine the frequency and mean score for each questionnaire item. The mean score on the Likert Scale was then categorized using the categorization technique developed by Joshi et al. (2015). Table 1 summarizes the categorization. The qualitative data were evaluated using Thematic Analysis or Coding Analysis (Creswell, 2012;Miles et al., 2014). Certain procedures must be followed when conducting thematic analysis. The data gained from the interview were required to be processed and classified before beginning the coding process. This includes both file naming and file and data grouping. The following stage entailed data reduction. The analytic data were selected to support the research aims. Following that, the selected data were assessed and analyzed. Then, open coding is used, which is a way of associating a code with a concept contained inside the data. Subsequent phases necessitated more data exchange iterations. Following the coding of data for a key idea, an emerging theme was constructed to acquire a better grasp of the concept's implications. The following stage involved delving into the patterns revealed by the codes. The final stage of qualitative analysis was to communicate the entire coding and conceptualization process about the study themes. The processes of data processing, coding, and conceptualization were explored in light of the research objectives.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
The findings are arranged based on the research questions; 1) the readiness of the teachers in creating learning autonomy in the ICT-based English learning process, and 2) the challenges faced by teachers in creating autonomous students Copyright © 2022, authors, e-ISSN: 2502-6747, p-ISSN: 2301-9468

What is the readiness of the teachers in creating learning autonomy in the ICT-based English learning process?
The teacher's responses on each item of the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of the analysis were in the form of frequency and they were converted to the scale using the categories suggested by Joshi et al. (2015). The results of the analysis are described in Tables 2 and 3.   Tables 2 and 3, it can be inferred that firstly, in the first indicator which includes several items in the questionnaire, as in items 1,2,3,4, and 5, on average, the teachers are not sure whether they have used an online application with the same method for every language skill (Speaking, writing, listening, dan reading). Some of the teachers (44.74 %) claimed that they did not use the same method of online teaching. Then, most of the teachers disagreed that they have used the online application to deliver English learning materials with lectures for all skills (Speaking, writing, listening, and reading). Next, The teachers on average were neutral in choosing certain skills, for example listening, reading, writing, or speaking only when they were required to provide learning with an online system. Moreover, the teachers mostly have prepared their students to be independent. It is proved from their responses that they mostly have implemented collaborative teaching methods, not just delivering the materials in such a lecture. Therefore, teachers' responses toward items 1 to 5 show that they take advantage of online learning for the language learning process with an ICT platform or a different application in learning English.
On the second indicator (item 6 to item 10) regarding the use of teaching materials, it can be said that teachers pay attention to the provision of teaching materials. Most of the teachers disagreed with only using 1 textbook for teaching material. The teachers also have given their students access to online learning resources for independent study. Moreover, most of the teachers have prepared for making their students autonomous in learning, it was proved from their responses to the questionnaire item that they have assigned tasks that are required to be carried out collaboratively and let their students freely access the online learning resources they want. Furthermore, the teachers also know how to determine the level of learning resources according to students' abilities.
The third indicator regarding teacher readiness can be seen in items 11,12 and 13. In this indicator, teachers generally feel that the online learning process is between easy and difficult to do. In addition, teachers generally receive training in online learning, although there are still some teachers who have not received training. In general, teachers have guidelines for implementing online English learning, although there are still some who do not have them.
The fourth indicator is the teacher's attitude or opinion on online learning can be seen in items 14 and 15. In this indicator, it can be concluded that the attitude shown by the teacher in the independence of children in online learning is dominated by disagreement statements followed by agreeing. This also happens to teachers' attitudes towards online learning, where most teachers do not like online learning. Indirectly, the teacher prefers direct learning in the classroom rather than online.
Based on the results of a questionnaire consisting of 4 indicators which have been divided into 15 items, broadly speaking, of the 15 items, there are 13 items which are dominated by positive responses to the readiness of teachers in promoting students' learning autonomy in the ICT-based English learning process, but it cannot be denied that there are still things that should be improved in ICT-based learning.

What are the challenges faced by teachers in creating autonomous students in the ICT-based English learning processes?
Based on the results of thematic analysis, three themes emerged as the challenges, the teachers faced during promoting autonomous students in ICT Based learning activity; 1. Poor internet connection; 2. Students' different characteristics; and 3. Lack support from school policymaker

Poor internet connection
Based on the results of the interview, I got the information that one of the challenges faced by teachers in the online learning process is a bad internet network. This poor internet network is owned by most students so most of them cannot follow the learning process well.

One of the teachers said:
Indeed the thing that hinders the learning process the most is the frequent disconnection of the internet network. Our internet network at school is always disconnected (Teacher 2) Another teacher clarified: Our students come from diverse family backgrounds, if their families are affluent, usually their children are provided with adequate facilities such as an internal wifi hotspot at home with a strong signal. while most of our students are mostly family backgrounds from underprivileged groups, so they are not equipped with good internet facilities, so they are often disconnected during the learning process (Teacher 1) Based on the results of the interview, the information was also obtained that the lack of an internet network signal hampers the learning process which makes students independent in the learning process. The poor internet network, it makes students limited in accessing various learning resources available online. The bad internet network also makes teachers limited to be creative in managing online learning where teachers should be able to get students to know various English learning applications that can make them exposed to English input.
This is following what one teacher said: Yes, it is indeed difficult if the internet network is bad, it will limit us to do something that makes our students accustomed to being independent in online learning (Teacher 3)

Another teacher said:
That's the difficulty, when we as teachers try our students to get used to independent learning, but in reality our students have limitations in terms of internet networks, so sometimes what we try is useless Teacher 4, personal communication, 2021)

Students' different characteristics
Based on the results of the interview, the information was also obtained that another challenge faced by teachers was the diversity of students. Even though they are in the same level/class, basically students have differences such as different levels of intelligence, motivation, attention span, and attitude towards learning English. These differences make it difficult for teachers to determine the right teaching methods to be implemented in the classroom and choose the right teaching materials to be given to students who have different variations as well as to encourage the students to be autonomous learners. This is in line with one of the teachers statements as follows I sometimes have difficulty in choosing the right teaching method especially the way to make my students independent in learning due to the heterogeneous background of my students. There are those who can focus continuously on all the things that I apply, but there are also those who sometimes do their own activities outside of the material presented. (Teacher 5)

Another teacher said
The motivation and attitude of the students in my class are different. this is enough to make it a little difficult for me to monitor each of my students in class, as well as trying to make my students actively involved in all the learning activities that I design to make them become independent. (Teacher 6)

Lack of support from school policymaker
Another challenge faced by teachers is the lack of support from policymakers in the schools where they teach. To improve the quality of teachers, which indirectly affects the quality of learning, of course, teachers must motivate themselves to upgrade themselves, for example by participating in training.
Participating in various training, especially online learning management training which also requires teachers to create independent students in learning to need financial support. However, unfortunately, most policymakers ignore this. As a result, teachers tend to be lazy to constantly upgrade themselves In addition, support from policymakers is also needed in improving learning facilities and infrastructure. but unfortunately, the supporting facilities for learning especially English in schools are very minimal. This creates limited access for students to learn independently from existing learning facilities This is following what was stated by several teachers as follows.
I am a teacher am often lazy to participate in online learning training because I need a lot of money in financing the training as well as purchasing learning applications needed in the online English learning process. (Teacher 4) Managing online learning and making my students independent in the learning process requires special strategies that I have to learn again. So sometimes I need to attend training, but to take part in the training I need sufficient financial support. (Teacher 1) It is necessary for policy makers to be able to increase the allocation of funds in updating English learning facilities. Such as English learning applications, and various other learning media that can encourage students' independence in learning. (Teacher 6)

DISCUSSION
Referring to the research questions or research objectives, this section will be devoted to discussing two key findings, that is the readiness of the teacher in promoting learning autonomy in ICT-based English learning activities and the challenges faced by the teacher in realizing autonomous students in the ICT-based English learning process. First, based on the results of the research that has been conducted, most English teachers feel ready for the ICT-based English learning process. This is mainly based on questionnaire indicators and interviews that have been conducted by researchers consisting of the use of online media, the selection or use of teaching materials, the personal readiness of the teacher, and the teacher's attitude. Of course, this ICT readiness will provide benefits to teachers and Copyright © 2022, authors, e-ISSN: 2502-6747, p-ISSN: 2301-9468 students. In this case, students will get to know ICTbased learning. The usefulness of ICT is certainly in line with Suherdi (2012) stated that ICT plays a very important role in improving the quality of a teacher and English learner in this millennium because the use of ICT can help teachers in teaching, making the process of transferring knowledge easier.
Furthermore, in the first indicator regarding the use of online media, teachers use several online media to teach English. The media used include google classroom, WhatsApp group, email, and other online media. They use different media to teach each skill, but some use the same media. With the variation in the use of online media in learning English, teachers have references to online media sources and increase knowledge so that they are ready for the online learning process which will lead students to study independently. This finding is following Septianingrum et al. (2018), and Sudinaji and Kumaidi (2019) who revealed that the use of various online media or ICT in English learning can provide new insights for teachers and students. In the second indicator regarding the use of teaching materials, the results show that teachers are more likely to instruct students to look for online learning resources that match the material through teacher supervision. This is done so that students can find suitable material. In addition, the teachers also know the material needs according to the student's ability level. Tomlinson and Matsuhara (2018) and Azarnoosh (2016) stated that the teaching materials provided to learners must be following the abilities and needs of students. Of course, the findings on this second indicator are very following this theory, where during the COVID-19 pandemic, learners must look for online material suggested by their teachers. The third indicator concerns the readiness of teachers in terms of self-development. In this case, most teachers have attended training that will equip them in ICT-based English learning, but unfortunately, there are still teachers who have not attended. Training on online learning, it will provide benefits for teachers to be able to apply online English learning. As stated by Syafryadin et al. (2020) and Syafryadin et al. (2017), training is one way to improve the abilities of the participants according to the specified objectives, where for the context of this research, teachers take training to be able to implement the results of the training on learning English online. The last indicator is about teachers' attitudes towards online learning, where most teachers prefer face-to-face learning rather than online learning. The possible reason for the teachers is that they face many obstacles in the process of implementing online learning, and they are tired of using online learning continuously due to this pandemic. Teachers want to feel the interaction directly with students. This finding is in contrast to research conducted by Simoes and Faustiono (2019), where the results of their research show that teachers respond very positively and are happy to learn that is done online because it makes it easier for them to teach.
Then, the other results of this study indicate that teachers face several challenges in realizing autonomous students in the ICT-based English learning process. The first challenge faced is a poor internet connection. This poor internet network is owned by most students so most of them cannot follow the learning process well. The lack of an internet network signal also hampers the learning process which makes students independent in the learning process. Another challenge is facing students with different variations in learning. The last obstacle faced by teachers in creating learning autonomy is lack of support from policymakers at schools The results of this study have similarities with research conducted by Ramadhiyah and Lengkanawati (2019) where the problems faced in realizing autonomous learners are internet network problems, teachers, and students themselves.
In short, English teachers can be said to be ready for ICT-based learning, although there are still challenges or obstacles in building autonomous students in learning English. The use of ICT is one way to develop students who can learn independently. This is following several previous studies that state that learner autonomy can be built through online learning activities or the use of ICT because, during online learning, students will be given activities such as finding their resources, giving assignments, and other activities (Andriani, et al., 2018;Ardi, 2017;Darsih, 2018;Septianingrum et al., 2018;Sudinaji & Kumaidi, 2019).

CONCLUSION
Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that most teachers feel ready to undertake online-based English learning, which is one way to form students who are independent in learning. In addition, there are several obstacles in realizing learner autonomy, such as poor internet connection, student variations of characteristics, and lack of support from policymakers. These problems must be addressed immediately by teachers and the government so that they can provide solutions to the problems faced during the COVID pandemic. The next researchers can also conduct research that is almost the same as this research by conducting research that provides solutions to the problems at hand.