A Study On Higher Vocational College Students’ Language Learning Beliefs

Language learning beliefs are different from person to person and they have immeasurable influences on language learning. Researches at home and abroad have illustrated that language learning beliefs have vital importance on understanding students’ learning motivations, learning strategies, learning autonomy and learning anxiety. Reviewing previous studies, we can know that there are many studies on language learning beliefs held by postgraduate students, university students and senior middle school students, but language learning beliefs for higher vocational college students are scant. However, English is quite important for higher vocational college students because it can provide students with sustainable development. Hence, it is the responsibility for higher vocational college English teachers to help students discover their general language learning beliefs, develop positive language learning beliefs and finally gain effective learning motivations, learning strategies and higher learning autonomy and lower learning anxiety.Based on the related literature from Horwitz, Richards and Lockhart, the author conducted survey about learning beliefs about SLA to the students in Sichuan Engineering and Technical College. The subjects are406freshmen and sophomores from Mechanical and Engineering Department. And it hopes to discover the general picture of language learning beliefs held by the students and whether there are significant differences between freshmen and sophomores. The instruments applied in this study include a main questionnaire and a subsidiary interview. The questionnaire used in this study is an adapted one on the basis of Horwitz’s Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI). It contains six parts of language learning beliefs, namely beliefs about language learning aptitude, beliefs about the nature of language, beliefs about language learning difficulties, beliefs about learning and communicating strategies, beliefs about expectations and motivations and beliefs about college and teachers’ influence in and out classroom. As for the interview, it mainly deals with teaching and learning related contents such as teachers, textbooks, tests and extracurricular activities related to English learning. The data of the questionnaire were put into SPSS19for quantitative analysis and the data of interview was given qualitative analysis. Descriptive statistics in this study involve frequencies, means and independent samples T-test.Investigation and statistic analysis reveal the general picture of language learning beliefs held by higher vocational college students. In terms of language learning aptitude, most of them admit that some people have special talent in language learning but deny the possession of them. And they doubt that they can learn English well. As for the nature of language learning, most of them equal English learning as memorizing new words and phrases so they spend most of their time enlarging vocabulary. Speaking of difficulties of language learning, they overwhelmingly agree that English at least is a medium difficulty language and feel less confident on learning English well. In terms of learning and communicative strategies, they prefer traditional learning strategies such as reading and practicing but show dislike on recitation. And the results on expectations and motivations obviously show that they lack clear motivations. In terms of college and teachers influences in and outside classroom, they attach much importance to teachers and eager to learn through English related activities.And the results of independent sample T-test show that freshmen and sophomores have significant differences on9items of the questionnaire. The sophomores hold more negative attitudes towards their English learning in terms of learning aptitude, expectations and motivations.From the results of the study, we can know that the status of higher vocational college students’ language learning beliefs is unsatisfactory. Based on the results of the study, the author put forward some suggestions on teaching, hoping to make contribution to higher vocational college English teaching and learning.