A Correlational Study On English Majors' Language Learning Belief, Foreign Language Anxiety And Language Learning Achievement

The present study aims at discovering the relationship of language learning belief, foreign language anxiety and language achievement. This study answered three questions: first, what kinds of language learning beliefs do the English majors hold and what is the general level of foreign language anxiety experienced by these English majors; second, what is the relationship between language learning beliefs and foreign language anxiety; and third, how do language learning beliefs and foreign language anxiety predict language achievement.The questionnaires, consisting of Horwitz's Belief about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), were administered to 222 junior and senior English majors from Hebei Normal University. When the data was collected, it was processed by SPSS 13.0. First, descriptive analysis was used to describe their beliefs about language learning and their general anxiety level. Then, factor analysis, the Pearson correlation and the multiple stepwise regression analysis were employed respectively to discern the underlying factors of BALLI, to check the correlation between language learning belief and foreign language anxiety and to discover the specific relationship between the BALLI factors and the anxiety level, that is, the extent to which language learning beliefs could predict anxiety. Finally, the path analysis was utilized to detect the exact relationship of language learning beliefs, foreign language anxiety and the language achievement.Based upon the study, altogether four findings were found:First, the English majors hold a variety of language learning beliefs. Regarding the beliefs about the difficulty of learning English, most of them thought that English was relatively easy and that the four English learning skills were of similar difficulty. However, a substantial number of students believed that English learning was very time consuming. Concerning the language aptitude, they evaluated their own language aptitude negatively. Regarding the beliefs about the nature of English learning, most of the English majors believed that the knowledge of the English culture and an immersion learning could enhance English learning and did not regard English learning only as a matter of learning the grammar, translation and vocabulary. Regarding the beliefs on English learning strategies, they were influenced both by the traditional and modern views. Finally the investigation also revealed that the English majors were highly motivated to learn English and were more instrumental motivation orientated.Second, compared with the Asian non-English majors, the English majors experience relatively lower level of anxiety. However, when compared with the non-language majors of western origins, little difference could be detected. Speaking English is a major source of their foreign language anxiety and taking English class is the least anxiety-provoking.Third, language learning beliefs and foreign language anxiety were correlated closely. Of the belief factors, motivational beliefs, beliefs about the importance of formal learning were strongly correlated with anxiety; self-efficacy beliefs are correlated with anxiety moderately; and oral English beliefs are correlated with anxiety very weakly. The correlations between motivational beliefs and anxiety and between the importance of formal learning and anxiety were positive, and the correlations between self-efficacy beliefs and anxiety and between oral English beliefs and anxiety were negative. Language learning beliefs can predict foreign language anxiety with motivational beliefs being the most powerful predictor. The belief factors can explain most variance of foreign language anxiety.Fourth, language learning beliefs could influence foreign language anxiety directly but only could influence language achievement indirectly, and foreign language anxiety could affect language achievement directly.In the end of the thesis, some pedagogical implications on English teaching were put forward: first, the teachers should investigate their students'language learning beliefs and check their anxiety level when they enter into the English class; second, the English teacher in China should focus on students'language leaning beliefs to reduce their anxiety level; and finally, the teacher should employ the student-centered teaching methods.