Prospective EFL Teachers: What Language Learning Beliefs Do They Hold?

Abstract

Beliefs, a complex web of multifaceted dimensions, have a tremendous impact on the expectations learners hold and the learning actions they take. Learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) hold different preconceptions and sometimes misconceptions about language and language learning that may influence their learning experience negatively. Despite the abundance of many studies that investigated EFL learners’ beliefs, there is a paucity of studies on discipline-specific learner beliefs. Therefore, this study investigates prospective EFL teachers’ beliefs about EFL learning using a 40-item revised version of the beliefs about language learning inventory on a sample of 200 (75 males and 125 females) who represent the four-year program they are enrolled in and three proficiency levels (low, intermediate, and advanced). Results indicate that the beliefs of motivation are the strongest, while those associated with the difficulty of language learning are the weakest. Additionally, the findings support differences associated with gender, proficiency level, and academic year.