A Study Of Chinese EFL Learners' Motivation And Beliefs About Language Learning

Since the 1970s, western applied linguists and psychologists have paid more attention to the study of individual differences. Among the variables of learners' individual differences, motivation decides the direction, supplies drive and determines the intensity of their learning efforts. Learners' beliefs about language learning also contribute as one of the important inquiries in the field of individual differences. Wenden (1991) suggested that language learning beliefs often relate to past experience and contribute to learners' future behavior: supportive beliefs help to overcome problems and thus sustain motivation while negative beliefs lead to decreased motivation. That is, language learner beliefs have a significant impact on the development of learners' motivation. A quantitative study on the relations between motivation and different beliefs of Chinese students was conducted by Wen Qiufang (2001). She found that learners' deep motivation has significantly positive relations with management and form-focused beliefs while a distinctly negative relation is also identified between deep motivation and mother-tongue-avoidance beliefs.This study investigates learners' motivation and beliefs about language learning of university students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in China. And it also examines the relationship between learners' beliefs and motivation. A total of 245 university students in China participated in the study. Instruments used are the Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) and the Motivational Questionnaire. The data were computed and analyzed using two kinds of software: Statistics Package for the Social Science Version 14.0 (SPSS V. 14.0) and Statistics Analysis System Version 8.0 (SAS V. 8.0). The quantitative analysis of this study involves three statistical procedures: (1) descriptive statistics; (2) principal-component analysis and factor analysis; (3) canonical correlation analysis. Several conclusions are made based on the data analysis and findings of this study.First, the participants in this study report various beliefs about language learning. A majority of the participants recognize a hierarchy in learning difficulty among languages and consider English to be a difficult language. They are more likely to find reading and writing easier than speaking and listening. Many students in this study hold strong beliefs about formal structural studies of English. They support the importance of learning vocabulary, grammar and translation. Many students believe that they would learn to speak English very well. Most students feel positive about the importance and usefulness of learning English.Second, when compared with studies of other ESL (English as a second language) learners, this study found that these Chinese EFL (English as a foreign language) learners share many similar beliefs with those ESL students.Third, the students in this study are more instrumentally motivated, which confirms previous findings that Chinese people tend to be more instrumental in their motivation towards learning English as a foreign language.Finally, the canonical correlation analysis confirms that these students' perceptions of the value and nature of learning spoken English correlate with their integrative motivation, which provides further support to Wenden's (1996) study on language learners' explicit beliefs and their approaches to language learning.Although it has some limitations, the present study also provides some practical implications to learners and teachers. Generally speaking, learners should be aware of their own motivation and beliefs about language learning to enhance their learning. And Teachers also should know their students' motivation and beliefs about language learning in order to help them to establish positive learning beliefs and motivation. Then they can improve teaching methods to enhance the students' interest in learning.