摘要：Owing to the cardinal and acknowledged importance of autonomy (AU) in learning, especially second-language learning, and influenced by the importance of inspecting its nature and the way it is associated with other psychological/cognitive/metacognitive factors, this research investigated the relationship among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ AU, creativity (CR), and critical thinking (CT). The population for this study comprised of undergraduate EFL learners, between the ages of 19 and 40 (Mage = 22 years), from which 182 male and female subjects were selected via random selection. These participants, who were receiving formal instruction mainly through English, filled out three questionnaires related to CR, CT, and AU. Pearson’s product–moment correlation coefficient was used to analyze the data obtained. The results indicated that there is a significant and positive relationship between EFL learners’ CR and AU, CR and CT, as well as their CT and AU. Considering AU as the predicted variable for this study, it was confirmed that CT makes the strongest unique contribution to explain AU. It is hoped that the results of this study will reveal the nature of AU more and will equip EFL teachers with a wider perspective on the characteristics of AU and the way CR and CT can predict and promote AU among EFL learners.
