STUDENT LEARNING AUTONOMY IN THE DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT: PEDAGOGICAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHING IN ENGLISH

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of this article is to provide a theoretical substantiation of the problem of developingstudents’ learning autonomy in a digital educational environment and to identify the pedagogical potentialof teaching in English as a factor in fostering independent learning among higher education students. Withinthe study, learning autonomy is viewed as an integrative personal characteristic that combines the ability forself-regulation, responsibility, reflection, and conscious management of one’s own learning process underconditions of educational digitalization.The research methods are theoretical in nature and include the analysis, comparison, and generalizationof scholarly sources in pedagogy, psychology, linguodidactics, and digital education theory, as well asthe methods of theoretical modeling and abstraction. The application of these methods made it possibleto systematize scientific approaches to the interpretation of learning autonomy, to identify its structuralcomponents, and to outline the specific features of its development in a digital educational environment withEnglish used as the language of instruction. The results of the study indicate that the digital educational environment creates favorable conditions forthe development of students’ learning autonomy due to its flexibility, openness, and accessibility of educationalresources. It has been established that teaching in English increases students’ need for independent organizationof learning activities, promotes the development of self-regulation, critical thinking, and learning motivation,and facilitates integration into the international educational space.The conclusions emphasize that the development of students’ learning autonomy is a necessary conditionfor improving the quality of higher education in the digital era. Teaching in English is considered an effectivepedagogical resource which, when supported by appropriate methodological guidance, contributes tothe preparation of competitive professionals capable of lifelong learning and professional mobility.