On Non-English Major Postgraduates’ Epistemic Beliefs About English Learning In The Network Environment

With the development of science and technology,internet and multimedia are widely used in English teaching and learning to improve learning efficiency.Many researchers have found that language learners’ learning belief is the key to improve students’ learning efficiency.The study of learning beliefs at home is mostly about the correlation between learners’ language learning beliefs and their academic performance,and the subjects are mostly college students and high school students.However,there is paucity of researches on learners’ epistemic belief in the network-based autonomous English learning,especially on non-English major postgraduates.120 non-English major postgraduates in Henan University of Technology are selected as research subjects in this research to explore two questions:(1)What is the general situation of non-English major postgraduates’ epistemic beliefs about English leaning in the network environment?(2)What are factors influencing non-English major postgraduates’ epistemic beliefs about English learning in the network environment? By revising Horwitz’s Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory(BALLI),the questionnaire(Non-English Major Postgraduates’ Epistemic Beliefs About English Learning in the Network Environment)and interviews are adopted in this thesis to explore learners’ epistemic beliefs about English learning.After that the results of the questionnaire is analyzed by SPSS.There are findings after the statistical analysis and interviews.Firstly,there are four dimensions of the epistemic belief.They are self-efficacy in English learning,motivation of English learning,ability of English learning and strategies in English learning.Research subjects hold a positive belief in general but a negative belief on the strategies in English learning and the belief on ability of English learning.Secondly,their epistemic beliefs are influenced by six factors: gender,grade,macro-policy for independent English learning,teachers’ guidance,network environment,andself-regulation.All these factors are positively correlated with the epistemic belief of the network-based English learning of non-English major postgraduates,and the network environment is the biggest influential factor on learner’ epistemic beliefs.Based on the research,three suggestions are provided as follows: Firstly,learners should communicate and discuss each other to improve their self-efficacy of network-based autonomous English learning and explore some strategies to learn English well in the network environment.Secondly,teachers should strengthen the guidance of learners’ autonomous English learning in the network environment and help learners make clear puzzles in the learning process timely through the Internet.Finally,colleges and universities should enrich and perfect network learning resources as well as increase and optimize the construction of high-quality English curriculum website.