| This study investigated the beliefs about language learning and foreign language anxiety of American university students learning Japanese. The relationships between students' language beliefs and levels of anxiety were also examined.; A total of 195 first and second year Japanese language students at The University of Texas at Austin participated in this study. The three questionnaires administered to the participants included a background questionnaire, the Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI, Horwitz, 1983a, 1987), and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS, Horwitz, 1983b).; Several conclusions were made based on the findings of this study. First, certain language beliefs were found to be commonly supported by language learners regardless of their target languages, while beliefs such as difficulty of language learning and motivations depended on specific languages, in this case Japanese. In general, perception of target language difficulty seems to influence language learners' confidence levels as well as whether students would underestimate or overestimate how long it will take them to become fluent in a foreign language.; Secondly, levels of anxiety were not found to be strongly related to or influenced by background factors or by language beliefs. No significant differences were found between the first and second year students on the levels of foreign language anxiety.; Thirdly, several background variables tested in this study were found to be significantly related to student beliefs about language learning, which indicates that certain background factors such as ethnicity and visiting Japan influence students' language beliefs.; Fourth, this study found inconclusive results at best regarding the relationship between beliefs about language learning and foreign language anxiety. Two belief factors were found to be significantly correlated with foreign language anxiety: "Motivation/Confidence in Speaking Japanese" (r =.3951) and "the Value of Knowing Kanji" (r = {dollar}-{dollar}.2106).; Fifth, an overall profile of Japanese language learners emerging from this study indicates that they were both very enthusiastic about learning Japanese and anxious about speaking Japanese in the classroom at the same time. Finally, suggestions for teaching Japanese are offered. |
