An Investigation Of Language Learning Beliefs And Strategy Use Of College Students Of Arts And Science

As the indispensable components of individual learner differences, language learning beliefs and learning strategies are proved to be most important factors affecting language learning outcomes. Learner beliefs have a great impact on learners'choice of language learning strategies, and conversely, use of learning strategy will reflect learner beliefs. These two factors combine to exert considerable influence on learners'achievement and learning efficiency.Studies of learning beliefs and learning strategies have been carried out by many scholars in both ESL and EFL contexts in the field of linguistics (O'Malley & Chamot, 1990; Oxford, 1990; Wen, 1996; Wen & Johnson, 1997). However, in China, research in this aspect is launched later and far from enough. Based on the previous study, the present study was designed to investigate language learning beliefs held by Chinese college students of arts and science and their use of learning strategies. Meanwhile, the issue of whether gender, major and grade have an effect on the two variables was addressed. Relationships between belief categories, relationships between strategy categories and relationships between the two big systems were investigated as well. Furthermore, this study was designed to provide practical pedagogical implications for foreign language teaching in China.The study consisted of both quantitative and qualitative methods by conducting a questionnaire with two open-ended questions. Based on Horwitz's Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI, 1987), and Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) invented by Oxford (1990), and other related research, the researcher devised a questionnaire consisting of three sections: students'background information, their learning beliefs and language learning strategy preferences. A total of 302 students from College of Arts and Science were administered to respond to the questionnaires. Among them, 293 samples'responses were tested as valid. The results were analyzed and processed with the SPSS statistical analysis system.Descriptive analysis of data from the second section of questionnaire indicated that students under study held strong beliefs about foreign language aptitude, followed by beliefs about the nature of language learning, and learning and communication strategies, while they objected to mother-tongue reliance beliefs. Data analysis of the third section of questionnaire revealed that students preferred to adopt compensation strategies and metacognitive strategies, cognitive strategies were least employed. Judged by Oxford's strategy use frequency criterion, the subjects employed medium use of learning strategies. They still lacked due strategy use awareness. Independent sample t-test and One-way ANOVA analysis results suggested that gender, major and grade exerted a great influence on students'beliefs and strategy use. Correlational data analysis results revealed that compared with relationships between belief categories, strategy categories manifested more close and significant relationships, and the two systems were also correlated to some degree. Finally, from Linear Regression analysis outcomes, the language learning beliefs were found to have stronger prediction power on English achievement, compared with learning strategies.The theoretical significance of the study lies in that it may enrich one's knowledge of individual learner differences. Pedagogically, the study will increase language teachers'concern about students'learning beliefs and learning strategy use awareness. It also promotes teachers to adopt flexible teaching approaches in order to improve teaching efficiency. Besides, it encourages students to initiatively foster facilitating language learning beliefs and employ corresponding strategies to build up their autonomous learning capability for more successful outcomes.