Beliefs and Practices of Filipino Bilingual Senior High School Students on Language Learner Autonomy

The concept of learner autonomy (LA) has been investigated mostly from the perspective of language teachers, whereas students’ views regarding this notion have received less attention in recent decades. In line with this, the present study aimed to examine the beliefs and practices of Filipino bilingual senior high school students enrolled in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HumSS) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strands. A total of 148 students from two Philippine public schools in Metro Manila participated in an adapted survey questionnaire containing Likert-scale items on beliefs, desirability, and feasibility of LA, along with an open-ended question on its role in second language learning. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed, where quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests, followed by thematic analysis of qualitative responses. Results show no significant differences between the two strands in their general beliefs (W = 2298, p = .109), and desirability of LA (W = 2354.5, p = .166), although HumSS students rated feasibility more positively than STEM students (W = 2030, p = .008). Thematic analysis further indicated that students viewed autonomy in the context of language learning as a way for them to apply language learning strategies, establish language learning goals, and manage learning pressures. These findings suggest that Filipino bilingual students are capable of understanding and articulating the value of autonomy, reflecting a readiness to engage in more self-directed forms of language learning. Although limited in scope, the study demonstrates that autonomy-supportive practices can be implemented even in resource-constrained language instruction, offering insights into fostering self-directed language learning.