University students' conceptions and language learning. (c2007)

Abstract

This paper presents a study that investigates university students' beliefs and perceptions about language learning. Specifically, it looks at student conceptions, motivation, and views on language leaming and its instructional means. The construct of beliefs encompasses aspects such as emotion, mood, perceptions and the like. Results of the study and data analyses are based on three means of research that include questionnaires where a total of 152 were given out to seven sections of an English I class at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, nonparticipant class observation, and interviews with instructors to learn about students' beliefs and views. The findings suggest that student motivation positively correlates with perceptions regarding language learning and that variation in teaching methods as well as the student teacher talk ratio playa significant role in ge3ling student conceptions. Results allow pertinent promotion of the English program along with language awareness strategies to be effective tools in changing students' perceptions from indecisiveness to the more positive and motivated side of the pendulum.