Faraj M Sawani

Motivation, Language Learning Strategies, Autonomy and EFL Proficiency Faraj M Sawani

This work was meant to be a PhD thesis to acquire the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics from the University of Essex in England. However, due to situations beyond my control, I was unable to complete it at the university of Essex. Unfortunately, I was in Libya during the uprising against Qaddafi in 2011 to renew my UK visa, but the UK embassy in Tripoli refused my visa application. I could have applied for an administrative review of this decision, but what made things worse, the war intensified and foreign embassies left the country. At that time the first draft of my dissertation was ready and needs the implementation of my supervisors'' comments. I revised the first draft but I had no way of defending it in the UK even via video conferencing as the internet connection was intentionally cut by the regime. After the claimed liberation of Libya at the end of 2011, I contacted several universities in other countries, but they required that I start all over again (even those delivering distance learning). I was disappointed, and I had to abandon my four year work on a dusty shelf (and in a USB, of course). Fortunately, In 2016, while I was surfing the net, I found the self-publishing service on the createspace.com website. I have almost completed my first book on applied linguistics then. So I completed it and immediately got it published via their service. I published a second one in 2017 and began redrafting my PhD work so that I can publish it as book, and here it is published and has seen life after nearly six years of neglect. Thanks to Technology and those advancing it.