Key variables in language learning: what do learners believe about them?

Abstract

This paper reports on a study which investigated the language learning beliefs of a group of students enrolled in an English for Academic Purposes course. The study drew on the results of an earlier study of language learning beliefs (Cotterall, 1995. Readiness for autonomy: investigating learner beliefs. System 23 (2), 195–205) which used factor analysis to identify six dimensions underlying learner responses to a questionnaire, and explored the relationship between each factor and autonomous language learning behaviour. This study extends the earlier work in three ways, Firstly, it adds new items based on the factor structure previously identified. Secondly, it incorporates items designed as a result of a survey of current research in second language acquisition (SLA). This survey identified factors which the literature suggests are important in successful language learning, particularly in autonomous language learning. Thirdly, it provides a learner perspective on topics in the SLA literature which researchers and teachers often claim as their domain. The paper discusses the beliefs reported by the subjects, and considers the implications of these beliefs for future research and for interventions in the learning process.