Predominance of Lecture Method as a Barrier to Learners’ Autonomy: A Survey of Pakistani Universities in the Punjab Province

The world is rapidly changing in the age of Artificial Intelligence, so are the methods of teaching and learning; however, in developing countries such as Pakistan, where English is a second language, the methods of English language teaching persist to be outdated due to various factors. The study argues that the lecture method is one of the most applied and favorite methods of language teaching across the universities of the Punjab province in Pakistan. The study investigates, using mixed-method research, the opinions and perceptions of the English language teachers and students about the effectiveness of the lecture method and its negative impact on learners' autonomy. The study also uses unstructured interviews with the sample to gain in-depth insight into the research problem. The results and findings of the study suggest that the lecture method is a widely used and accepted method in the face of many interactive methods of language teaching. It hinders interaction between teachers and learners; hence, it is a barrier to learners’ autonomy. The study suggests that the stakeholders and policy makers should learn that language teaching is not like teaching other subjects in a university, therefore, they should pave the path for new and evolving methods. The learners’ autonomy could be ensured only when the environment in the English language classroom is interactive.