learner autonomy has both affective∕motivational and metacognitive dimensions.
It presupposes a positive attitude to the purpose, content and process of learning
on the one hand and well-developed metacognitive skills on the other, (1996c, 204)
3.4.5.1 Autonomy and authority
The definition of autonomy implies a specific learner's role. In fact, I have already
mentioned the way Holec sees the learner as a manager. But, what is the role of the teacher
in a self-directed learning situation? For some people, the adoption of autonomy as a goal
leads to disappearance of the teacher. In fact, the learner's autonomy and teacher's authority
seem to be in clear opposition. The more learning elements the learners manages, the less
the teacher has control over the learning situation. I myself think that this is a misconception
and I will try to clarify it.
The concept teacher has been analysed under different perspectives. The roles that
the profession implies are several (Wright, 1990,). Moreover, there is the status factor
(Gremmo et al, 1985)39) that also adds subtle nuances to the profession, always responding
to particular cultural contexts. However, no matter what the context is, the teacher's role is
always related to the concept of authority.
According to Widdowson (1990,189) there are two kinds of authority the teacher can
exercise. One is interactional and the other is transactional authority. The interactional
element of the teacher's role focuses on the social relationship between her and her student.
Interactional authority, hence, refers to the authority the teacher deploys when she is aware
of the social role that the status of her profession confers to her and her authoritarian
position in relation to her student. Her attitude is:
'I am the teacher. By the authority vested in me I have the right to ask you to behave
in a certain way, whether you like it or not. And you have the obligation to obey'
(ibid, 188).
The best word for describing this asymmetrical relationship is power, a factor the
teacher is very aware of.
Transactional authority, on the other hand, refers to the transaction of information
that underlies any pedagogical situation. This type of authority is exercised by means of the
expertise the teacher deploys when teaching, so the transactional authority that a teacher
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