The main objective of this study is to asses the practice of autonomous learningrnand identify the problems encountered in practicing it in grade 11 AtsernYohannes preparatory school students. The subjects of the study were 202rnstudents and 5 teachers in the academic year 2000 E.C. They were selectedrnusing random sampling. To get data from the sample group questionnaire,rninterview and focus group discussion were used. The data collected using theserninstruments were analyzed by frequency counting percentage, mean andrndescription of the qualitative data. The findings indicated that the majority ofrnstudents were aware of their roles and language learning strategies but they hadrnlittle awareness towards their teachersâ€™ role. In addition, the students were notrnexerting effort to improve their English skills, that is they were not responsiblernfor their own learning. The study also revealed some problems that hold backrnstudents effort to learn English: lack of Basic English skills, their exam basedrntechnique of study, inadequacy of English materials, and lack of confidence inrnusing English. In light of these findings, it is recommended that teachers havernto encourage a greater degree of autonomy by integrating language contentrnand learning process through learner strategy training, incorporating reflectivernlessons into their teaching, drawing up learning contracts and learner diariesrn.Besides, the school community have to look different mechanisms for fosteringrnlearner autonomy.