The Effect of Iranian University Teaching EFL students’ Beliefs on English Language Learning

Beliefs are a central construct in every discipline that deals with human behavior and Learning. In the classroom context, the perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and metacognitive knowledge that students bring with them to the learning situation have been recognized as a significant contributory factor in the learning process and ultimate success. Although the influence of learner beliefs on performance and satisfaction in particular instructional contexts is undisputed, Iranian experiential studies have so far concentrated on students in various geographical rather than discipline-specific settings. Starting from the premise that tertiary sector ESP students may have more in common than their choice of discipline, this research uses a questionnaire to investigate 50 Iranian University teaching EFL students’ beliefs about effective language learning. The influence of students’ conceptions of learning on their use of strategies is explored, and then juxtaposed with their evaluation of the reality of the EFL classes. Results suggest that there are indeed their belief and behavior patterns that are not fairly consistent with learning environment. It was not suitable for university teaching EFL students because they were not ready to use English language for English specific purposes. It was found from some perceptions that students were aware of their weaknesses and university programmer could succeed to partially in changing students’ habits. Differences emerged between more and less successful students, indicating that the university educational authorities can not only use beneficial beliefs to improve their learning English, but also adjust some of students’ expectations and deploy autonomous strategies.

کلیدواژه ها:

General English ، Language learning beliefs ، Learning strategies ، Motivation