Lebanese students' beliefs about learning English and French

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the beliefs about language learning of Lebanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university students, to investigate within group variation in these students'' beliefs, and to compare their beliefs about language learning with those revealed in previous studies of EFL students from other cultures. The present study was also the first research attempt to compare learner beliefs about different target languages, namely, English and French.

A total of 284 Lebanese undergraduate students enrolled in English language courses at the American University of Beirut, the Lebanese American University, and the University of Balamand participated in the study. A modified version of Horwitz''s Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) and a background questionnaire were administered to the students during the Spring 2000 semester.

Four main conclusions were made based on the findings. First, the Lebanese students in this study hold a variety of beliefs about learning foreign languages in general, learning English, and learning French, many of which seem to be related to the political and socio-cultural context of foreign language education in Lebanon.

Secondly, several similarities as well as some differences were observed in a comparison of the students'' beliefs about learning English and their beliefs about learning French, suggesting that there are obviously possibilities for variation in a particular group''s beliefs about learning different target languages.

Thirdly, significant differences in students'' beliefs were found related to variables such as gender, level of proficiency in English, language-medium background, and languages spoken at home, indicating that background variables may be important sources of within group variation in learner beliefs about language learning.

Finally, several similarities as well as some striking differences in the responses to the BALLI were found between the beliefs about language learning of Lebanese students in this study and those of Taiwanese university students (Yang, 1992), Korean university students (Park, 1995; Truitt, 1995), and Turkish and Turkish-Cypriot university students (Kurt, 1997). This finding supports the contention that cultural background may be one factor influencing learner beliefs about language learning (Horwitz, 1987); however, the learning environment may also play an important role