A Study on the Impact of Machine Translation on English Autonomous Learning among Students in Beijing Higher Education Institutions

本研究聚焦于机器翻译对北京高校学生英语自主学习的影响，采用量化与质性研究相结合的混合研究方法，探索机器翻译如何影响这一过程，并分析产生影响的原因。量化结果显示，机器翻译的了解程度与学习动机、策略和意识努力显著正相关，但过度使用可能削弱自主学习能力。质性研究发现机器翻译在提升效率、辅助学习方面存在的优势，能说明量化研究中在数据相关方面效果显著的原因；而翻译质量不稳定和易引发依赖的问题，则可解释过度使用产生负面效应的原因。研究建议学生合理使用机器翻译，教师将其融入教学，开发人员优化相关应用，以提升学习效果。This study investigates the impact of machine translation on English autonomous learning among university students in Beijing, employing a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative and qualitative research to explore how machine translation influences this process and analyze the underlying causes. Quantitative results reveal a significant positive correlation between students’ familiarity with machine translation and their learning motivation, strategy use, and conscious effort. However, excessive reliance on machine translation may undermine autonomous learning capabilities. Qualitative findings highlight the efficiency gains and pedagogical benefits of machine translation, which corroborate the statistically significant outcomes observed in the quantitative analysis. Conversely, issues such as inconsistent translation quality and over-dependency are identified as key factors contributing to its negative effects when overused. The study recommends that students adopt machine translation judiciously, educators integrate it into pedagogical practices, and developers optimize related applications to enhance learning outcomes.