The study aims to bring together theory, methodology and practice from the fields of programme evaluation, educational evaluation, English language learning and teaching, learner independence and self-access learning. These, together with research findings from the data collected in the study, have been used to develop a framework for the evaluation of self-access language learning centres. Such a framework is needed for the following reason. Evaluation is recognised as a central element in the development of any educational entity and there is at present no research-based construct designed for the evaluation of self-access language learning centres. This framework has been developed for the evaluation of Hong Kong self-access centres but it is intended that its construct should be sufficiently generative to be applied to other self-access language learning contexts, and sufficiently dynamic to develop in the light of on-going changes within the field. Research objectives & research questions The study has five main objectives. These are to: i) identify the defining pedagogical and systemic characteristics of a Hong Kong self-access language learning centre; ii) identify potential rationale, content and methodology for the evaluation of a Hong Kong self-access language learning centre; iii) examine existing evaluation constructs for elements that could contribute to the development of self-access language learning centre evaluation; iv) propose a framework for the evaluation of a Hong Kong self-access language learning centre; v) suggest areas for further research to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the evaluation of self-access language learning centres. Research approach & methodology The main emphasis is on qualitative research methodology based on naturalistic enquiry. Grounded Theory is the underpinning methodology. Grounded Theory is defined as "an initial, systematic discovery of the theory from the data" (Glaser & Strauss, 1967: 3) which "emerges
