| English has become the language of international communication,trade and commerce,science and technology,and education,so the important role of English in the present day world is undeniable.Many nations of the world have incorporated English into their educational system in order to enjoy the privileges that English language provides its users.Pakistan even before its creation in 1947 had to deal with English language as a result of the British colonialism.After independence,the status of English was retained as the official language of the country.In Pakistan,English is considered as a language of social prestige,a gate-way to white-collar jobs,and a means of both personal and national development.It is a sad fact,however,that in spite of the apparent importance attached to the learning and use of English language,few Pakistani graduates attain the desirable proficiency in English language.Besides external causes,learner internal variables are also responsible for the difficulty in uplifting the standard of English language in Pakistan.Research shows that L2 learner beliefs about language learning form an important psychological construct that can influence the outcome of L2 learning.Research has also proved that certain unrealistic and erroneous beliefs lead to frustration and failure in L2 learning process,whereas positive and realistic beliefs about L2 learning enhance the process of L2 learning.Another important psychological construct that affects L2 learning is language anxiety.L2 anxiety has been reported to be one of the most powerful predictors of L2 learning.A bulk of research has reported its debilitative influence on L2 learning outcome.Researchers have also found associations between L2 learning beliefs and L2 anxiety,but there are some inconsistencies in their findings.Moreover,to date there is no such study conducted in Pakistani context.Therefore,it is of great importance to conduct such a study in order to understand the L2 learning beliefs,L2 anxiety and their mutual relationship in a Pakistani EL2 setting.The current study intends to fill this research gap by investigating the relationship not only between L2 learning beliefs and L2 anxiety but also L2 learning achievement.Specifically,this study investigated the L2 learning beliefs and L2 anxiety of the Pakistani EL2 tertiary level students.Besides,it also examined the relationship of L2 learning beliefs with L2 anxiety and L2 learning achievement of the students.Moreover,the background factors such as gender,educational level,type of education,and major were also examined in relation to the L2 learning beliefs,L2 anxiety and L2 learning achievement in the study.Theoretically,this study employed Horwtiz,Horwitz and Cope's psychological constructs to examine the L2 learning beliefs and L2 anxiety of 404 EL2 undergraduates of a university of Pakistan.Methodologically,three questionnaires,namely,the beliefs about L2 learning inventory,the L2 classroom anxiety scale,and a background information questionnaire were used to collect quantitative data from the students.The data were analyzed via SPSS Version 22.Both the L2 learning beliefs and L2 anxiety questionnaires were analyzed descriptively.The L2 learning beliefs data were also analyzed through principal component analysis and exploratory factor analysis to extract factors and factor scores from them in order to determine the internal structure,its validity and reliability.Further analyses included Pearson correlation and standard multiple regression to explore relationship between L2 learning beliefs,L2 anxiety and L2 learning achievement.Multivariate analysis of variance(MANOVA)was used to study the influence of the background variables on the three main variables.Based upon the descriptive analysis of the L2 learning beliefs data,this study finds that Pakistani EL2 students had strongest L2 beliefs in the variables of L2 motivations and expectations,followed by the variables of nature of L2 learning,difficulty of L2 learning,L2 learning and communication strategies,and L2 aptitude.Specifically,Pakistani EL2 students were highly motivated to learn English as an L2.Their motivation was more instrumental than integrative as English language offered them lucrative career prospects.They were,nevertheless,more traditional in their views about the nature of L2 learning and learning strategies they used in learning English.Regarding the difficulty of L2 learning,majority of them believed English to be a language of medium difficulty and claimed that it would require them from one to two years or even less than a year to learn English language.They also believed in the importance of L2 aptitude for learning L2,but did not show confidence in their own L2 aptitude.Overall,they showed both differences and similarities in their L2 learning beliefs in comparison to the previous studies conducted in the BALLI framework.In terms of the two variables "learning motivations and expectations",Pakistani EL2 students differed from most of the subjects of the previous studies,showing that they were more highly,more instrumentally motivated to learn English.The reason for this difference may be attributed to the different learning contexts,that is,in other studies English was learned as a foreign language,but this study deals with English as the second and official language in Pakistan,which provides its users access to highly paid jobs,higher education and social prestige.The finding of this study is also markedly different from the previous studies in terms of the other variable,the nature of L2 learning.Most of the subjects in this study tended to believe that rote-learning and memorization were the preferred way of learning.This traditional view about the nature of L2 learning seemed to be shaped to a great extent by the kind of teaching materials and teacher-centered teaching methodologies,and they were exposed to these practices right from the beginning of their education,with virtually no emphasis on oral and communicative aspects of L2.In terms of the variables,such as L2 aptitude,difficulty of language learning,and communication strategies;the students in question held the similar beliefs with those of the previous relevant studies.This means that these variables of learning beliefs were least affected by the socio-cultural and educational settings.The Pakistani L2 learners tended to have a fairly high level L2 anxiety.When compared to those found in the previous studies,their L2 anxiety was found to be the highest.The students exhibited maximum anxiety level in fear of negative evaluation,followed by communication apprehension,test anxiety,and anxiety of English class.Their high level of L2 anxiety can be mainly attributed to the teacher-centered teaching practices in L2 context,which provide minimum opportunities for the students to engage in oral communication in classroom setting.Through principal component analysis and exploratory factor analysis,five belief factors were extracted from the data,three of which significantly correlated with L2 anxiety.Confidence in Learning and Speaking English(Factor 1),and Ease in Learning English and Potential for Language Learning(Factor 5)negatively correlated,while Formal Approach in Language Learning(Factor 4)positively correlated with L2 anxiety.L2 anxiety was also found to be negatively correlated with L2 learning achievement of the students.The Factors 1 and 5 were found to be positively correlated with L2 learning achievement,whereas Factor 2(L2 Aptitude)and Factor 4 showed negative correlations with L2 learning achievement.Standard multiple regression analyses revealed that L2 anxiety mediated the relationship between L2 learning beliefs and L2 learning achievement of the students.These results show that some variables of L2 beliefs were the predictors of both L2 anxiety and L2 learning achievement.Positive and realistic beliefs about L2 learning resulted in decrease in anxiety level and increase in learning achievement,while certain unrealistic and erroneous beliefs about L2 learning led to increase in anxiety levels of the students,which resulted in low L2 learning achievement.By employing MANOVA,the influence of the background factors on L2 learning beliefs,L2 anxiety and L2 learning achievement was investigated.The investigation revealed significant differences in the aforementioned variables based on major,gender,type of education(private versus public)and level of education.It shows that socio-contextual factors influenced L2 learning beliefs,L2 anxiety and L2 learning achievement of the Pakistani EL2 learners.Based upon these findings,this study can draw certain conclusions concerning L2 learning beliefs,L2 anxiety,L2 learning achievement and other influencing factors.On the theoretical side,it validates the hypothesis that there is a negative correlation between L2 anxiety and performance of the L2 learners.It also confirms the hypothesis that L2 learning beliefs can largely predict L2 learning anxiety.Most importantly,L2 learning anxiety can play a mediating role in the relationship between L2 learning beliefs and L2 learning achievement.On the pedagogical side,based on the findings,the study offers some measures to alleviate the L2 anxiety of the students.It also argues for the need to change certain unrealistic and erroneous beliefs nurtured by the students regarding L2 learning.The study also gives recommendations to the policy makers and the educationists of the country to take certain steps to improve the standard of L2 education in the public schools,and to ensure that female students receive equal opportunities at all levels of education. |
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