WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE AND ITS INFLUENCING FACTORS AMONG INDONESIAN PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS

Willingness to communicate (WTC) can be defined as the readiness of a language learner to enter communication situation. This study aims to identify factors affecting pre-service teachers’ WTC and to explore their perspective on the importance of WTC in relation to the study program. The study implemented both quantitative and qualitative method in order to gain deeper understanding from questionnaires and interview data. Questionnaires were used to explain interrelated relationship between variables affecting WTC among pre-service teachers. Interview data were used to report their perspective on the significance of WTC in relation to their study program. The result inferred that pre-service teachers have relatively high WTC. Motivation variable scale indicated direct positive relation to pre-service teachers’ WTC while anxiety showed a negative relationship. Language learning beliefs items were reported to be moderately agreed upon among pre-service teachers influencing their WTC. Interview result inferred that pre-service teachers mostly agreed upon the significance of enhancing WTC among learners. Implications for learning as a result from this study suggested that teachers and curriculum makers to improve teaching techniques and approaches in order to enhance learners’ WTC.

EXPLORING UNDERGRADUATE EFL LEARNERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT WCF AND THEIR IMPACT ON IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS IN PAKISTANI UNIVERSITIES

Purpose of the study: This study aims to explore students’ beliefs, which play a vital role in learning a foreign language. The present study investigated this important factor on undergraduate EFL students at Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering & IT, Rhaimyar Khan, Pakistan. Methodology: The study is quasi-experimental and used questionnaires and interviews. Students were divided into two groups: treatment and control groups. Writing accuracy for the pre and two post-delayed tests were checked and statistically analyzed on SPSS. Different repeated measures ANOVA tests were used. Main Findings: Main findings of this study revealed that there were marginal differences in the beliefs of the students from urban and rural areas. Findings also showed that types of the written CF which are the most effective were different according to their beliefs. Besides, beliefs about written CF were also found to impact students' writing accuracy significantly. Students in the control group showed significant accuracy in writing compared to the students in the control group. Applications of this study: The present study will be useful for constructing university students’ existing beliefs about written CF and practices with respect to learning English as a foreign language. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study's most significant research contribution regarding language learning beliefs is that it probes the extent to which differences of beliefs may impact students' development of writing accuracy after they received written CF. As no earlier studies could investigate this issue; hence, this study has attempted to fill an important research gap.

Investigating education students’ language learning beliefs and motivation for learning English

Institutions responsible for the training of educators have a duty to ensure that students develop adequate mastery of subject content and pedagogy. This paper investigates the language learning beliefs (LLBs) of pre-service Foundation and Intermediate Phase educators and their alignment with language learning principles from applied linguistics research on second language acquisition (SLA). The study also examines the students’ motives for learning English since motivation plays a part in sustaining language learning. Gardner’s socio-educational model and Dörnyei’s L2 motivational self system are used as theoretical frameworks in addition to the work of scholars such as Horwitz, Griffiths, and Weideman and Lepota on language learning strategies and beliefs. The results of a cross-sectional survey using the Beliefs About Language Learning and Motivation Inventory Modified (BALLMI-M) are analysed. The findings show that students are highly motivated to master English but do not wish to integrate with the English speech community. Furthermore, they lack understanding about the nature of language skills and have conflicting LLBs that should be addressed in futureamendments to the language curriculum. Keywords: language learning motivation, additional language teaching, literacy levels of Education students, language learning beliefs, language learning strategies

The impact of collaborative instruction of language learning strategies on language learning beliefs and learner autonomy

Research on the relationship among language learning strategy, language learning beliefs and autonomy abounds in the literature. However, few studies have explored the possibility of promoting learners’ autonomy and changing their beliefs through instructing language learning strategies in a collaborative manner. In addition, most of the earlier investigations have been carried out through purely cognitive or sociocultural perspectives employing solely quantitative or qualitative methods. Using a socio-cognitive framework, the present study aimed at first, identifying the relationships among language learning beliefs, language learning strategies, and learner autonomy; and second, investigating the role of collaboration in using language learning strategies that would eventually lead to autonomy and change of beliefs. To collect data, a mixed-method design was applied. An autonomy questionnaire, Horwitz's BALLI (Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory, 1987) and Oxford's SILL (Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, 1990) were given to177 EFL learners at the University of Mazandaran in Iran. To supplement the quantitative data with qualitative data, negotiated interviews and the learners' selfreflection notes were used. The analysis was done using paired sample T-tests, SEM and also content analysis. The findings revealed that language learning beliefs affected the learners' autonomy through the mediation of language learning strategies. However, the instruction of the strategies did not have any effects on the learners' autonomy but it helped in changing their language learning beliefs. The qualitative analysis also led to identifying some categories, subcategories and their relationships to and effects on each other.

Language Learning Beliefs of Second Language Learners at Graduate Level in Pakistan

The current research aimed at examining the beliefs of Pakistani graduate students towards English language learning and assessing the stability of their beliefs after six weeks. In the process of language learning beliefs play a pivotal role. Students beliefs about second language acquisition need to be studied so that appropriate approach can be adopted. To collect data, sixty graduate students were selected by purposive sampling. BALLI (Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory, Horwitz, 1987) tool was adopted and administered twice to collect the data. The results showed that the learners are motivated and keen to acquire English language. The respondents were apprised of the significance of foreign language acquisition and highlighted the importance of pronouncing the words correctly, meanings of new words, and the benefits of drills. The results also depicted that there is stability in most of students beliefs after six weeks.

Exploring the relationship between language learning beliefs and foreign language classroom anxiety

Language learning beliefs and foreign language classroom anxiety present two extremely important factors in language learning. This paper explores these two factors and their complex relationship in students at the Preschool Teacher Training College in Vršac and Teacher Training Faculty in Belgrade (Vršac campus). Both quantitative and qualitative research models were implemented in the study. The quantitative analysis used BALLI (Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory) and FLCAS (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale) as instruments, and latter implemented a correlational analysis to see which language learning beliefs had a strong connection with anxiety levels. Ten language learning beliefs showed a significant correlation with foreign language classroom anxiety levels. These beliefs were placed into five belief categories which were used as a starting point in the qualitative analysis. For the qualitative analysis language learning histories were used. The process produced two additional language belief categories which showed a strong connection with foreign language classroom anxiety. The research proposes which language learning beliefs teachers should first promote in order to establish a positive attitude towards language learning without high levels of anxiety along with other suggestions for the change and promotion of language learning beliefs and the lowering of classroom anxiety.

The relationship between lexical complexity measures and language learning beliefs

Although the relationship between language proficiency and learner beliefs is generally viewed as weak, indirect, and distant, there are empirical findings which show that the relationship between syntactic complexity measures and language learning beliefs is statistically tangible. Since syntactic complexity is only one constituent of the linguistic complexity system, it seems plausible to question whether other constituents of the system are also in statistically measurable relationships with language learning beliefs. This research project explores the relationship between 25 lexical complexity measures (Lu 2012; 2014) and four subscales of language learning beliefs that are suggested for Horwitz’s (2013) Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory—BALLI 2.0 (Kovačević 2017). For three semesters (Fall 2014, Spring and Fall 2015), 152 freshman students at the International University of Sarajevo responded to BALLI 2.0 and wrote in-class exam essays which were converted into an electronic format. The results show 15 statistically significant correlation coefficients between 14 lexical complexity measures and three BALLI 2.0 subscales. Overall, it may be concluded that the relationship between lexical complexity measures and language learning beliefs is statistically detectable. The findings imply that the lexical complexity framework offers valuable opportunities for exploring how and to what extent particular individual differences manifest in foreign language production.