Int. j. econ. manag. soc. sci., Vol(3), No (10), October, 2014. pp.

644-653

TI Journals

International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences

www.tijournals.com

ISSN:
2306-7276

Copyright 2014. All rights reserved for TI Journals.

The Relationship between Field of Study and EFL Learners Beliefs

about Language Learning
Kamran Janfeshan *
English Department, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran.
*Corresponding author: dr.kjanfeshan@gmail.com

Keywords

Abstract

Iranian EFL Learners

BALLI
Beliefs

The notion of learners beliefs has garnered much attention in the field of foreign language learning.
Although different studies have been conducted to study learners beliefs about language learning, little
research has looked into the issue of the relationship between language learning beliefs and the learners fields
of study. This study investigated the relationship between learners field of study and their language learning
beliefs. The data for this study was collected from 590 Kermanshah Islamic Azad University students. They
were from 20 different fields of the study at three different colleges. The Beliefs about Language Learning
Inventory (BALLI) questionnaire was used. The results showed there were significant relationships between
the students fields of study and their beliefs about language learning. The findings of this study suggest that
teachers should be aware of the learners beliefs about language learning; moreover, students learning
achievement is closely related to their interest and beliefs.

1.

Introduction

In recent decades research interest in second or foreign language learning has shifted from teacher-directed instruction to student-centered
learning. Consequently, a great number of studies have been conducted from the learners perspectives. Among these perspectives are learners
beliefs about language learning. These beliefs are the result of a number of factors that shape ones thinking and belief formation, including past
experiences, culture, context and numerous personal factors. These beliefs have the potential to influence the learners attitudes to language and
learning, their motivation, and shape their experience and action in the classroom [1]. To gain better understanding of learners beliefs and their
role in language learning, researchers have investigated a number of variables in relation to these beliefs. Recent studies have examined learners
beliefs about language learning for their relationship to factors such as strategy use [2]; anxiety [3]; motivation [4]; achievement [5]; gender [6].
Beliefs about Language Learning
Horwitz [8] and Wenden [9] were the first ones to study beliefs about language learning. They claimed that it is important to understand
learners beliefs to better understand their approaches to language learning. Mantle-Bromley [10] suggested that learners who have positive
attitudes and realistic language-related beliefs are more likely to behave in a more productive way in learning than those who have negative
attitudes and mistaken beliefs. Similarly, Mori [11] claimed that positive beliefs can compensate for learners limited abilities. Liao and Chiang
[12] pointed out that the learning beliefs were often based on the previous learning experiences and cultural backgrounds, and would further
influence strategies people would use to enhance their English learning and teaching.
Definitions of Beliefs about Language Learning
Horwitz [13] refers to beliefs using the terms such as preconceptions, preconceived ideas, and preconceived notions without giving specific
descriptions about the construct. Along the same line of thought, beliefs have been defined as implicit theories [14], self-constructed
representational systems [15], and general assumptions that students hold about themselves as learners, about factors influencing learning, and
about the nature of learning and teaching [16].
Relationships between Beliefs and Language Learning
Samimy and Lee [17] found a relationship between some beliefs about language learning and Chinese proficiency in their study on beliefs about
language learning and language performance of American college students studying Chinese. Mori [11] found significant correlations between
American college students studying Japanese beliefs and achievement. Similarly, Peacock [18] found relationships between some beliefs and
English proficiency in an EFL context. He investigated beliefs about language learning of university EFL students and pre-service EFL teachers
in Hong Kong in two different studies and found significant relationships between English proficiency and beliefs about the role of grammar and
vocabulary. The data reveal that learners with high proficiency tended to disagree that English learning was a matter of learning vocabulary and
grammar while low proficiency students tended to agree.
In a similar study Bernat[19] used BALLI to explore 20 adult Vietnamese ESL learner beliefs about language learning. The findings indicated
that all respondents (100%) either strongly agreed or agreed the importance to repeat and practice the target language being acquired as well as
better English proficiency was likely to bring greater job opportunities. Most of them (80%) endorsed the importance of excellent
pronunciations. Only 55% learners agreed the statement it is necessary to know about English speaking cultures to speak English.

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The Relationship between Field of Study and EFL Learners Beliefs about Language Learning
International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (10), October, 2014.

Bagherzadeh [20] investigated language learning beliefs of 125 (86 female and 39 male) Iranian non-English majors who were studying in
biology, geography, accounting and science with different levels of English language proficiency on language learning. The result revealed that
proficiency level had a significant effect on the motivation of students. The more proficient participants reported holding strong beliefs in the
category of ''motivation and expectations''. Also results indicate that there is a significant difference among the aptitude of the four groups of
participants. The results obtained in this study also demonstrate that no statistical significance was observed between male and female nonEnglish majors' beliefs in English language learning. The interaction between male and female students in these disciplines shows that these are
significantly different in the foreign language aptitude and the nature of language learning.
Siebert [21] studied the beliefs about language learning held by ESL students and teachers in an intensive English setting at institutions of higher
education in a US context. The findings reveal that students generally recognize the existence of foreign language aptitude, place strong
emphasis on pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary acquisition, and report being highly motivated. Siebert also noted that a number of student
beliefs, such as those related to language learning methods, differed from those held by their teachers, and that this had significant pedagogical
implications.
Diab [22] described learner beliefs about language learning, by using a modified version of the BALLI at three universities in Lebanon. The
factor analyses identified four categories of beliefs for each language group. Beliefs held by English language students were: integrative
motivation, difficulty of speaking and learning English, the importance of accuracy in speaking English, and the importance of English in
Lebanon. Tercanlioglu [23], on the other, hand, found no significant differences in beliefs about language learning of 45 male and 73, female
full-time undergraduate EFL teacher trainees at a large Turkish university. She concluded that it is possible that age, stage of life and contextual
differences in the language-learning situation may also be important sources of group variation in learner beliefs.
Bernat & Lloyd [7] investigated the relationship between beliefs about language learning and gender. Results indicate that overall males and
females held similar beliefs about language learning, with only one item being statistically significant and another one being marginally
significant.
Fatehi Rad [24] evaluated students beliefs about English learning in Kerman Azad University. The results showed that the students general
beliefs about learning English as a foreign language according to English language aptitude was slightly neutral, regarding difficulty of English
language and learning and communication strategy was slightly strong and for motivation and nature of English language aspect was strongly
agree. This study also found that gender influences students belief about learning language. The female students of Azad University believed
that learning English strategies and courses would be easy to them, and male student tendency to have and use superior and higher
communication technology and strategies to learn English.
Assessment of Beliefs about Language Learning
Three different approaches to investigate learners beliefs can be distinguished Barcelos [25]. According to the normative approach, beliefs are
seen as preconceived notions, myths or misconceptions, which can be studied by means of likert-style questionnaires such as the Beliefs about
Language Learning InventoryBALLI Horwitz [8]. The metacognitive approach views learners metacognitive knowledge about language
learning as theories in action Wenden, [9] ; these are examined by means of the content analysis of learner self-reports in semi-structured
interviews. Finally, the contextual approach views learner beliefs as varying according to context; it involves collecting a variety of data types
and diverse means of data analysis. One of the most popular instruments is an inventory developed by Horwitz called the Beliefs About
Language Learning Inventory (BALLI).
Purpose of the study
The primary purpose of this study is to explore relationship between learners beliefs about language learning and their fields of study. The
present study attempts to investigate beliefs about language learning of EFL learners in Kermanshah Islamic Azad University in order to find out
whether they possess any beliefs that might hinder their learning.
Research Question
The major objective of this study is to determine if there is any relationship between learners beliefs about English language learning and their
fields of study. Therefore the research question is as follows:
Is there any relationship between students field of the study and their beliefs about language learning?

2.

Methodology

Instrument
The instrument used in this study was the Beliefs about Learning inventory (BALLI) to identify the students beliefs about Language Learning.
The BALLI was developed by Horwitz [8] (1987) to elicit learners beliefs about Language learning. It contains thirty-four items relating to
beliefs within five major areas:
1. Foreign language aptitude
2. The difficulty of language learning

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646

International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (10), October, 2014.

3. The nature of language learning

4. Learning and communicative strategies, and
5. Motivations and expectations
The BALLI is scored on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1: Strongly agree to 5: strongly agree. In the present study, the ESL version
of BALLI is used. The BALLI was translated in to the Persian. A pilot test was administrated and some little changes were made on the
translation to eradicate any ambiguity, then it was given to the target population.
Participants
The participants surveyed in this study were 590 students enrolled at B.A courses at Kermanshah Islamic Azad University, during the 2013
spring semester. They were college students studying in 20 different fields of the study at three different colleges (Humanity, Science Faculty
and Technical College) in Kermanshah Islamic Azad University. The majority of respondents were Humanity students (44.7%, n=264); science
students (30 %, n= 177), and technical college (25. 3 %, n= 149). About 50.4% (n=296) of participants were female and 49.6% (n=294) were
males. The age of the respondents ranged from 19 to 42 years, with the majority (97.2%, n=104) between the ages of 19 to 22 years.
Procedure
The survey administrators reiterated the confidentiality of survey responses and reminded the respondents that there was no right or wrong
answers on BALLI. The subjects were asked to respond honestly.

3.

Results

Comparing BALLI Responses among the Different Fields of Study

To determine whether there is any relationship between the fields of study and the beliefs about language learning the means of BALLI score in
general and the means for each BALLI category were computed, then responses of participants from different fields of study to each BALLI
questions were investigated. Also, the percentage of responses to each category and each question was computed too.
Overall BALLI Scores by Different Fields of Study
As it can be seen in table 1, the highest mean among the 20 fields of study belongs to the English teaching (3.94).
Table 1: Overall BALLI Scores by Different Fields of Studies

English teaching
Electronic Engineering
Applied chemistry
Medical plants
Agriculture Engineering
Civil Engineering
Architecture
Physics
Mechanical Engineering
Computer Engineering
Accountancy
Elementary school teaching
Law
Food industry
Commercial management
Economical management
General psychology
Persian literature
Training science education
Agricultural Machinery

4.

Mean

Std. Deviation

Std. Error

Minimum

Maximum

30
30
30
30
30
29
30
28
30
30
29
30
29
30
30
29
30
29
28
28

3.9415
3.6838
3.6253
3.6099
3.6503
3.7092
3.6767
3.3888
3.5594
3.7425
3.3216
3.2165
3.4356
3.8646
3.8991
3.4573
3.2681
3.2964
3.1821
3.4853

.28824
.30520
.21245
.35087
.27339
.22846
.22797
.35537
.56972
.22727
.27228
.30160
.28488
.23906
.25822
.29117
.22754
.24801
.30098
.22046

.05884
.04887
.03756
.06515
.04991
.04171
.04162
.12564
.10402
.03182
.05677
.06430
.04959
.03984
.04083
.05407
.04154
.04528
.05688
.09000

2.91
2.84
2.93
2.05
3.28
3.06
3.10
2.82
2.12
3.10
2.92
2.83
2.83
3.01
2.94
2.88
2.81
3.00
2.73
3.17

4.20
4.19
3.90
4.02
4.45
3.81
4.10
3.83
4.39
3.95
3.92
3.88
4.14
4.13
4.09
4.06
3.87
4.07
3.89
3.69

ANOVA
Table 2: Overall BALLI Scores
Between Groups
Within Groups
Total

Sum of Squares
5.887
47.451
53.338

df
20
560
590

Mean Square
.294
.085

F
3.474

Sig.
.000

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The Relationship between Field of Study and EFL Learners Beliefs about Language Learning
International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (10), October, 2014.

After English teaching, the highest mean belongs to the commercial management (3.89). It is possible that students who are studying in this field
need English for their future job more than the others; they also work on English expressions in their books. Third group is food industry (3.86),
the forth group is computer engineering (3.74), and the fifth one is civil engineering (3.70). The other fields of study based on their means of
BALLI are
6. Electronic engineering (3.68)
7. Architecture (3.67)
8. Agriculture- engineering (3.65)
9. Applied- chemistry (3.62)
10. Medical plants (3.60)
11. Mechanical engineering (3.55)
12. Agriculture- Machinery (3.48)
13. Economical management (3.45)
14. Law (3.43)
15. Physics (3.38)
16. Accountancy (3.32)
17. Persian literature (3.29)
18. General-psychology (3.26)
19. Elementary school teaching (3.21)
20. Training science education (3.18)
The lowest mean belong to the Training science education, then to the Elementary school teaching then to the General psychology. Above, the
results of ANOVA for different fields of study regarding BALLI scores are shown. The results indicate meaningful differences among the
groups. (f=3.475 and sig= .000).
Comparing the means of different fields of study for the BALLI categories
The Difficulty of Language Learning (DFL)
Regarding the difficulty of language learning, the highest mean belong to the English teaching (3.17). After English teaching, Commercial
management has the highest mean (3.10) the third high mean belongs to the Computer engineering (3.00), fourth to food industry (2.98) and
sixth to Civil engineering (2.96). On the other hand the lowest mean belongs to the Training science education (2.65). Elementary school
teaching (2.67), General psychology (2.71) and Accountancy (2.79) have the lowest means for the DFL category.
The results of ANOVA (f=3.474 and sig=.000) show significant differences among the groups regarding DFL. By comparing the percentage of
participants responses to the questions, some languages are easier to learn than the others, the highest percentage of agreement belongs to the
English teaching students (79.6%).
Some languages are easier to learn than others.
76.9% of Electronic engineering, 73.8% of Commercial management, 73.3% of Architecture and 72.6% of Computer engineering students agree
with this statement. On the other hand, Training science education by 44.3% has the lowest percentage of agreement. Economical management
(46.3%), Agriculture-Machinery (50%), Physics (50), General psychology (53.3%) have the lowest percentage of agreement. The results of phi,
Cramers v and Kendalls tau- b and c show no significant differences among our groups regarding this question.
I believe that I will ultimately learn to speak English language very well.
About 78.4% of English teaching students agree with this statement. 70.9% of Commercial management, 63.4% of Architecture and 56.1% of
food industry also agreed with it. On the other hand, only 19.0% of Elementary school teaching students agree with this statement. 24.0% of
General psychology, 24.1% Training science education and 26.0% of Pearson Literature agree with it. The results of phi and Cramers v and
Kendalls tau-b and c that there exists a significant difference among the groups regarding this question (Sig=.000).
It is easier to read and write the English language than to speak and understand it.
79.3% of Civil engineering students agree with this statement. 70.0% of Commercial management, 66.8% of Computer engineering, 64.4% of
food industry, 63.9% of Electronic engineering agree with it. On the other hand, 33.5% of Training science education students, 40.8% of
Accountancy, 43.3% of Agriculture Machinery, 44.5% of Elementary school teaching and 46.5% of Persian literature agree with it.
If someone spent one hour a day learning the Persian language, how long would it take him/her to become fluent?
62% of English teaching, 59.0% of Commercial management, 56.0% of Computer engineering, 55.2% of Civil engineering, 54.4% of food
industry agrees with this statement.

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648

International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (10), October, 2014.

On the other hand, 0.0% of Agriculture Machinery, 18.2% of Elementary school teaching, 24.1% of Training science education, 27.3% of
Accountancy, 25.0% of Physics agrees with it. The results of phi, Cramers v and K Kendalls tau-b and c show that there exists a meaning
difference among our groups for this question (sig=.000 and sig=.057)
Foreign Language Aptitude (FLA)
Comparing the means among the different fields of study indicate that regarding FLA the highest mean belongs to the English teaching (3.84).
The commercial management by 3.81, food industry by 3.79, Electronic engineering by 3.75, architecture by 3.71 and computer engineering by
3.69 have the highest means among others. The lowest means belong to the training science education (3.25), elementary school teaching (3.39),
physics (3.31), and the Law (3.46). The results of ANOVA are: (f=3.288 and sig=.000). They indicate that there is a meaningful difference
among our 20 groups, regarding FLA.
It is easier for children than adults to learn a foreign language.
About 95.9% of English teaching students agree with statement. 92.8% of Commercial management, 92.2% of food industry, 92.0% of
Computer engineering, 89.1% of Civil engineering agrees with it. On the other hand, 63.3% of Training science education, 71.3% of
Accountancy, 74.9% of low, 76.6% of Persian literature and 76.6% of Agriculture Machinery agree with it. The results of phi and Cramers v
and Kendalls tau-b and c show that there is not such a great difference among our groups regarding this question (sig=.029 and sig=.777).
About 91.6% of English teaching students believe that: some people are born with a special ability which helps them learn a foreign language.
Some people are born with a special ability which helps them learn a foreign language.
90.9% of Commercial management, 90.3% of Civil engineering, 85.0% of food industry, 84.6% of Computer engineering agree with this
statement. On the other hand 46.6% of Persian literature, 47.7% of Law, 52.4% of Agriculture-Machinery, 59.3% of General psychology, 63.5%
of Elementary school teaching agrees with it. The results of phi, Cramers v and Kendalls tau-b and c show there is an important difference
among our groups.
I have foreign language aptitude.
About 82.0% of Computer engineering statements believe that they have a foreign language aptitude. 80.0% English teaching, 78.1% of Civil
engineering, 77.1% of Commercial management, 76.0% food industry and 74.1% of Electronic engineering agree with this opinion. On the other
hand 26.61 of General psychology and Persian literature, 30.4% of Accountancy, 31.0% of Training science education, 31.8% of Elementary
school teaching agrees with it. The results of phi, Cramers v and Kendalls tau-b and c show that there exists a significant difference among the
groups regarding this question. (Sig=.050, sig=.000)
Women are better than men at learning foreign languages.
64.1% of English teaching students agree with this sentence.57.2% of Computer engineering, 56.1% of food industry, 53.3% of Civil
engineering, 47.5% of applied chemistry, 43.7% of Medical plants agrees with it. On the other hand, only 17.2% of Elementary school teaching,
23.3% of General psychology, 25% of low, 29.1% of Accountancy and 30.5% of Training science education agree with that.
People who speak more than one language well are very intelligent.
89.2% of English teaching students agree with this opinion. 86.6% of Architecture, 82.5% of Commercial management, 79.4% of food industry,
80.0% of Civil engineering, 76.7% of Electronic engineering agrees with it. Only 20.0% of General psychology, 29.7% of elementary school,
30.7% of Training science education and 36.7% of Persian literature agree with this statement. This results of phi, Cramers v and Kendalls taub and c show that there exist some significant differences among the group (sig=.012 and sig=.o45).
Everyone can learn to speak a foreign language.
95.8% of English teaching student agree that everyone can learn to speak a foreign language. 96.0% of food industry, 95.0% of Commercial
management, 92.1% of Computer engineering, 86.0% of Electronic engineering, 87.1% of food industry agrees with that.
On the other hand, 47.9% of Training science education, 49.1% of General psychology, 51.7% of Persian literature, 54.9 of Accountancy, 57.7%
of elementary school agrees with it.
The results of phi, Cramers v and Kendalls tau- b and c (sig=.000 and sig=.009) indicate that there are meaningful differences among the
groups.
The Nature of Language Learning (NLL)
Comparing the means of our twenty fields of study shows that the highest mean belongs to the English teaching again (3.71) regarding NLL.
Food industry (3.68), Commercial management (3.66), Computer engineering (3.65), Architecture (3.57), Electronic engineering (3.55),
Agriculture Engineering (3.54) and applied chemistry (3.51) have the highest means. The lowest mean belongs to the General psychology (3.21).
Also, Training science education (3.23), Elementary school teaching (3.25), Persian literature (3.27), Physics (3.30) and Accountancy (3.35)
have the lowest means regarding NLL.

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The Relationship between Field of Study and EFL Learners Beliefs about Language Learning
International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (10), October, 2014.

It is necessary to know the foreign culture in order to speak the foreign language.
83.3% of English teaching students agree with this statement. 81.5% of food industry, 78.6% of Civil engineering, 74.7 of Computer
engineering, 73.8 of Electronic engineering and 71.3% of Architecture students agree with it too. On the other hand, Training science education
(37.1%) has the lowest percentage of agreement. General psychology (40.0%), Persian literature (43.3%), Elementary school teaching (45.6%)
and Accountancy (51.5%) have the lowest percentage of agreement among the others. The results of phi and Cramers v and Kendalls tau-b and
c show there are significant differences among our groups (sig=.003 and sig=.049).
Learning a foreign language is mostly a matter of learning a lot of new vocabulary words.
100% of Agriculture Machinery student believe that learning a foreign language is mostly a matter of learning new vocabulary words. 91.5% of
English teaching students agree with it. 89.7% of Electronic engineering 84.2 of Computer engineering, 83.3% of Architecture, 81.6% of food
industry and 80.4% of Applied chemistry agree with that statement. On the other side, 36.5% of Law agrees with it. Elementary school teaching
(49.5%), Accountancy (55.6%), Training science education (57.2%) and General psychology (63.4%) agree with that statement. The result of
phi, Cramers v and Kendalls tau-b and c show that there exists a significant difference among our groups regarding this statement. (Sig=.038
and sig=.012).
Learning a foreign language is different from learning other school subjects.
75.2% of Agriculture students agree with this statement. 72.0% of Electronic engineering, 69.3% of Computer engineering, 63.4% of
Architecture, 58.3% of English teaching and 57.8% of food industry agree with it. 26.4% of Training science education, 30.7% of Persian
literature, 34.3% of Physics, 36.7% of General psychology, 37.8% of Accountancy and 41.3% of Applied chemistry agree with it. The results of
Cramers v, phi and Kendalls tau-b and c indicate that there exists a meaningful difference among our groups regarding this statement (sig=.004
and sig=.000).
Learning a foreign language is mostly a matter of translating from Persian.
78.1% of electric engineering students believe that learning a foreign language is mostly a matter of translating from Persian. 72.6% of
Architecture, 67.0% of Agriculture-engineering, 65.3% of Civil engineering, 66.6% of Economical management, 63.0% of English teaching and
62.0% of applied chemistry have the highest percentage of agreement with this statement. 33.8% of low, 38.2% of General psychology, 37.8%
of Accountancy, 43.6% of Physics, 47.0% of Persian literature and 49.0% of Training science education students agree with this statement.
Learning and communication strategies (LCS)
Comparing the means of different groups of our study LCS category, the highest mean belongs to the English teaching students (3.89).
Economical management (3.83), food industry (3.80), Agriculture engineering (3.77), Civil engineering (3.75), Architecture (3.74), Applied
chemistry (3.69) and Medical plants (3.60) have the highest mean among others.
Training science education by 3.36 has the lowest mean, among the other groups. General psychology (3.39), Elementary school teaching (3.43),
Accountancy and Physics (3.48), Law (3.58), Agriculture machinery (3.57) and Mechanical engineering (3.59) have the lowest means among
our groups. The results of ANOVA indicate a meaningful difference among the groups. 95.6% of English teaching students agree that it is
important to speak English language with an excellent accent.
It is important to speak the English language with an excellent accent.
94.2% of computer-engineering, 89.6% of food industry, 88.3% of Electronic engineering, 85.2% of Civil engineering, 85% of Mechanical
engineering, and 83.3% of Agriculture-engineering agree with it. On the other side, 39% of Training science education students agree with this
statement. 42.4% of Accountancy, 44.5% of Physics, 51.3% of Elementary school teaching, 53.4% of Mechanical engineering, 59.8% of Persian
literature students agree with it. The results of phi, Cramers v and Kendalls tau-b and c show that there is no significant difference among the
groups. (Sig=.074, sig=.261).
You shouldnt say anything in the English language until you can say it correctly.
80.9% of Economical management believes in this statement. 78.0% of Computer engineering, 76.3% of English teaching, 74.3% of food
industry, 70.7% of Civil engineering, 69.3% of Architecture and 65.9% of Electronic engineering believe it. On the other hand, 25.4% of
Elementary school teaching agrees with this statement. 30.0% of General psychology, 36.6% of Persian literature, 38.0% of Training science
education, 41.5% of Law and 41.2% of Accountancy and 42.5% of Physics students agree with it. The results of phi, Cramers v and Kendalls
tau-b and c show that there is a significant difference among the groups regarding this statement (sig=.008 and sig=.006).
Its O.K. to guess if you dont know a word in the English language.
79.5% of food industry, 78.9% of Commercial management, 71.6% of Civil engineering, and 70.3% of Architecture students also agree with this
opinion. On the other hand, 30.0% of General psychology students agree with it. 36.3% of Elementary school teaching, 38.7% of Training
science education, 39.5% of Physics, 39.0% of Accountancy, 40.0% of Agriculture machinery students agree with guessing the word if they
dont know a word. The results of phi, Cramers v show there is a meaningful difference among our groups. (Sig=.050 and sig=.000)
It is important to practice in the language laboratory.
100% of English teaching students agree with this statement. 93.6% of food industry, 90.0% of Commercial management, 88.4% of Computer
engineering, 86.3% of Civil engineering, 86.0% of Architecture and 84.5% of Electronic engineering agree with it. On the other hand, 34.0% of

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International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (10), October, 2014.

Training science education, 35.5% of Elementary school teaching, 40.0% Persian literature, 43.9% of Accountancy, 43.0% of General
psychology, 45.7% of Law students agree with it. The result of phi, Cramers v and Kendalls tau-b and c show there is an important difference
among our groups regarding this opinion (Sig=.001 and sig=.041).
Motivation and expectations (ME)
The highest mean again belong to English teaching students (4.33) regarding this category. After English teaching the highest means belong to
the Commercial management (4.17), Electronic engineering (4.00), Architecture (3.99), and food industry (3.96), and Civil engineering (3.93),
Computer engineering (3.92) and Agriculture engineering (3.89). The lowest mean belongs to the Persian literature (3.64), then to the Training
science education (3.69), Accountancy (3.72), General psychology (3.74), Law (3.75) and the Economical management (3.78). The results of
ANOVA indicated that, there is a significant different among 20 fields of study regarding ME (Sig=.000 and f=2.838).
I believe that I will ultimately learn to speak the English language very well.
88.4% of English teaching students agree with this opinion. 85.2% of Electronic engineering, 83.4% of Architecture, 80.9% of Commercial
management, 76.1% of food industry, 75.4% of Civil engineering and 72.3% of Computer engineering students agree with it too. On the other
side, 24.1% of Training science education, 28.0% of Persian literature, 29% of Elementary school teaching, 30.1% of General psychology,
32.0% of Accountancy, 34.3% of Law students agrees that they will ultimately learn to speak English well. The results of phi, Cramers v and
Kendalls tau-b and c indicate a significant difference among our groups, regarding this statement (Sig=.000 and Sig=.000).
If I learn to speak the English language very well, it will help me get a good job.
Interestingly most of the participants in all groups believe that: if they get to speak English language very well, it will help them get a good job.
100% of Physics students, 92.7% of English teaching students, 98.1% of Computer engineering, 97.1% of food industry, 90.0% of Commercial
management, 90.0% of Architecture and 90.0% of Civil engineering students agree with it. On the other hand, 66.7% of Persian literature, 67.5%
of Training science education, 66.6% of Agriculture machinery, 69.9 of Elementary school teaching, 70.7% of General psychology, and 73.8%
of Law students agree with it. The results of phi, Cramers v and Kendalls tau-b and c show that there is not a significant difference among our
groups regarding this opinion. (Sig=.081 and sig=.175).
People from my culture think that it is important to speak a foreign language.
91.7% of English teaching students agree with this statement. 89.4% of Commercial management, 89.3% of Civil engineering, 88.2% of food
industry, 86.6% of Electronic engineering and 84.5% of Computer engineering, also agree with this opinion. On the other side, 33.3% of Persian
literature, 35.3% of Elementary school teaching, 36.6% of Training science education, 39.7% of General psychology, 43.9% of Accountancy and
45.8% of Economical management agree with this statement. The results of phi, Cramers v and Kendalls tau-b and c show that there exists a
significant difference among the groups regarding this sentence (Sig=.003 and sig=.008).
In summary, the comparison of the result among twenty different fields of study reveals that some reported beliefs about language learning differ
among groups. The responses of BALLI items in this study among the groups show some trends in beliefs about language learning. With regard
to language learning difficulty, the participants in all the groups reported beliefs that languages are varied in relative difficulty, and the majority
viewed English, a language of medium difficulty. However, some fields of study as Training science education and Elementary school teaching
assume English to be more difficult than the fields as English teaching, food industry, computer and Civil engineering. Almost 80% of the
General psychology believed that English is a difficult language to learn; however, the majority of the English teaching (79.6%) and the
Electronic engineering (79.9%) thought that English is an easy or a medium-difficulty language.
When the beliefs of learners were compared, a clear difference can be observed. About 78% of English teaching students believed that they will
ultimately learn to speak English, However only19% of Elementary school teaching agreed with it. The respondents estimations about the time
required for English learning varied. Learners of English teaching and Commercial management estimated the duration necessary to learn
English 3 to 5 years.
Learners also differed in terms of difficulty of speaking and understanding a foreign language. While 79% of learners in Civil engineering
agreed with item 24, 66% of Training science education showed disagreement. Despite these differences in their values, we also observed that all
groups showed agreement. They all believed that some languages are easier than others.
The second category examined was Foreign Language Aptitude. The majority of the participants agreed that language learning is easier for
children than for adults Learners were determined to have found similar beliefs in that people who are good at mathematics and science are not
good at languages. All groups reported believing that some people have a special ability for language learning, but the fields as Computer
engineering, English teaching, Architecture and Commercial management showed higher percentage of agreement than others.
Another big difference was determined in item 15, which indicated that they have foreign language aptitude. 80% of English teaching agreed
with it; however only 26% of General psychology believed in that.
Women are better language learners than men. Nearly half of the English teaching and Computer engineering believed that women are better
language learners; however, nearly 80% of the learners in Elementary school teaching and General psychology disagreed or strongly disagreed
with that item.

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International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (10), October, 2014.

The number of students in Law who disagreed with the item stating, Learning a foreign language is mostly a matter of translating to English,
nearly doubled the number of students in Electronic engineering who disagreed with this statement. Similarly, most of the learners in all groups
believed that learning a foreign language is mostly a matter of learning a lot of new words. About 72% of Agriculture students agreed that
learning a foreign language is different from learning other school subjects. Learning about the culture of English-speaking countries is valued
and majority of English teaching students and food industry, Computer engineering and Electronic engineering students believe that it is best to
learn English in an English-speaking country. All groups showed a tendency of self-confidence in speaking English. Majority of English
teaching, Commercial management, food industry, Computer engineering and Civil engineering believe that its important to speak English with
an excellent accent.80% of English teaching students accepted guessing as a solution when they didnt know a word. 100% 0f English teaching
students and only 34% of Training science education students agree that it is important to practice English in a laboratory. The majority of
participants in all groups reported high motivation for learning English. The highest means among the categories of BALLI belongs to ME
category. English teaching, Computer engineering, Architecture, Civil engineering, Commercial management and food industry students
strongly believe that English is important for people in their country, and they want to learn English for both instrumental and integrative reasons
such as good job, English speaking friends, knowing about English speakers.
Based on the participants responses on BALLI, some fields of study reported different beliefs about language learning. As it has been reported,
some fields of study such as English teaching, Electronic engineering, architecture, agriculture engineering and applied chemistry reported
higher means for BALLI responses than the fields such as training science education, elementary school teaching and general psychology. These
differences could be seen in most of the categories and most of the BALLI questions.
Regarding the difficulty of language learning there were significant differences among the groups, as the results of ANOVA test approved it.
The students from different fields of the study such as English teaching, Electronic engineering, commercial management and Architecture
reported higher means than others. These fields of the study were more optimistic to learn English than others. The results of phi, Cramers v and
Kendalls tau-b and c also indicated significant differences among the groups regarding different BALLI questions.
With regard to foreign language aptitude, again most of the pervious fields of studies that had gotten highest means got the highest mean again
(English teaching, commercial management, food industry, Electronic engineering and architecture). The results of ANOVA showed that there
were important differences among the groups in relation to this category. Participants responses to each question of this category also indicated
differences among different fields of study. For example, 91.6% of English teaching students believed that some people born with special ability
which helps them learn foreign languages, 65% of Training science education agrees with it. The result of phi, Cramers v and Kendalls tau-b
and c indicated there were important differences among the groups.
Regarding the nature of language learning, there were significant differences among different fields of study. The highest means belonged to the
English teaching, food industry, commercial management and computer engineering and lowest means belonged to the general psychology,
training science education, elementary school teaching and Persian literature. While 83.3% of English teaching students believed that it is
necessary to know foreign culture in order to speak the foreign language, 37.1% of Training science education student agreed with it.
Regarding learning and communication strategies again there were some differences among the groups. The highest mean belonged to English
teaching and lowest to the Training science education. The results of ANOVA approved this. While 95.6% of English teaching agreed that it is
important to speak English with an excellent accent, only 39% of Training science education students agreed with it. The results of phi, Cramers
v and Kendalls tau-b and c approved these differences.
Regarding motivation and expectation, the highest means belonged to the Commercial management, English teaching, Electronic engineering
and food industry and lowest mean belonged to Persian literature, Training science education, Elementary school and Accountancy. The results
of ANOVA indicated that there were important differences among the groups in regard to MOE. For example, while 88.4% of English teaching
students believed that they will ultimately learn to speak English well, only 24.1% of Training science education believes in it. The results of
phi, Cramers v and Kendalls tau-b and Kendals tau-c approved these differences for most of the BALLI questions.
Consequently, because of these differences among different fields of the study, there is a relationship between field of study and language
learning beliefs. If there wasnt such a relationship, there isnt such a meaningful difference among the groups regarding BALLI scores. The
results of MANOVA (table 4.37) showed that the fields of the study and language learning beliefs of the students have meaningful effects on
each other.

5.

Discussion and Conclusions

This study investigated the relationship between language learning beliefs and students fields of study. By means of descriptive analyses of
BALLI, this study found that there were meaningful relationships between them. The results of different kinds of analyses indicated that the 20
different fields of study held different beliefs about language learning.
The highest mean in most of the cases belonged to English teaching students and lowest to the Training science education students. English
teaching students reported more reliable beliefs about language learning because of their fields of study. They were more familiar with English
language, its difficulty level, its nature, the strategies which are used for learning English and they were much more motivated for learning
English than a field such as Elementary school teaching or Persian literature.

Kamran Janfeshan *

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International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (10), October, 2014.

Difficulty of Language Learning

The results above showed that most respondents from English teaching, Electronic engineering, Commercial management and Architecture
agree with the statement of some languages being easier than others, and most of these fields of the studies find the English language of medium
difficulty. Only a very few students of all different groups believed that spending less than one hour per week learning a foreign language will
take them less than one year to speak the language very well. Most believe it takes longer. 78% of English teaching,70% of Commercial
management and 63% of Architecture students believed that they will ultimately learn to speak English well, however only 19% of Elementary
school teaching, 24% of General psychology and 24.1% of Training science education students agreed with it.
Foreign Language Aptitude
Responses to the items of Foreign Language Aptitude show that participants agreed that some people are born with a special ability to learn
language. An overwhelming majority of English teaching, Commercial management, Civil engineering and Food industry believed that it is
easier for children than adults to learn a foreign language, however Persian literature, Law and Agriculture machinery also agree with it, but they
reported lower amounts of percentages. 98% of English teaching students believed that everyone can learn to speak a foreign language.
However, a majority of all groups disagreed with the statement that people who are good at math or science are not good at learning foreign
languages. The results of ANOVA indicated significant differences among the groups in this category.
Nature of Language Learning
The results for the statements about the nature of language learning showed that the vast majority of respondents in English teaching, Food
industry and Civil engineering agreed with the statements that it is necessary to learn about English speaking cultures in order to speak English,
that it is best to learn English in an English speaking country, that learning a foreign language is different than learning other academic subjects,
but disagreed with the statement that The most important part of learning English is learning how to translate from own language. 100% of
Agriculture machinery, 91% of English teaching, 89%of Architecture students believed that the most important part of learning a new language
is learning new words, while 36% of Law and 49% of Elementary school teaching students agreed with it.
Learning and Communication Strategies
A large majority of respondents believe that it is important to speak English with an excellent pronunciation (94% of English teaching, 89% of
Food industry and 85% of Civil engineering), on the other hand,39% of Training science education and 42% of Accountancy students agreed
with this statement. Majority of students in English teaching, Food industry, Commercial management, Architecture and Civil engineering
agreed that they enjoy practicing English with English speakers they meet, find it acceptable to guess the meaning of an unknown word in
English, repeat and practice a lot in general, and to practice with audio equipment in a laboratory. However, these respondents disagreed with the
statement that one should not say anything in English until one can say it correctly. A smaller percentage but still the largest proportion of these
groups, disagreed that they felt shy speaking English with other people.
Motivations and Expectations
Responses on items for motivations and expectations indicate that an overwhelming majority of respondents agreed with the statements and only
very few were neutral or disagreed as is indicated by the results. Again English teaching students had the highest mean in this category. 91% of
English teaching, 89% of Commercial management, 89% of Civil engineering and 88% of Electronic engineering agreed that people of their
country think that it is important to speak English, however Persian literature, Elementary school teaching and Training science education
students agreed with that opinion but they reported lower percentages. The participants in all the groups reported high motivation to learn
English for both instrumental and integrative purposes.

6.

Implications and Recommendation for Further Research

The finding of this study has both theoretical and pedagogical implications for research on EFL teaching and learning and practice of English
instruction in Iran. 1f teachers can know more about what students think and need, for example, what can motivate students to learn English, and
how do students assess the difficulties of learning English, they can pay more attention to their daily teaching in terms of preparing suitable
teaching and learning materials, carrying out appropriate pedagogy, and using relevant assessments. In other words, the insights gained by
investigating students' beliefs about language learning can lead to more effective instructional planning and implementation. It is believed that
students' language proficiency will also be improved accordingly. Teachers should be aware that due to the complexity of English for learners
whose their field isnt English, it is not enough for them only to initiate students interest, and it is also very important for them to enhance and
sustain students' interest. It is very common to see that students are highly interested when started to learn a foreign language, but soon give up
learning because they cannot sustain their interest. Therefore, it seems more important to protect students interest than initiate students' interest.
Moreover, understanding of learners beliefs can enhance the language learning process.
Theoretically, this study explored language learning beliefs of Azad university students in Kermanshah. It has been argued that learners
perspective beliefs about how to best learn a foreign language represent their awareness of language learning and have potential for developing
self-regulation. Such beliefs indicate that learners have begun to reflect on what they are doing in line with their goals and this awareness lead to
self-regulation.

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The Relationship between Field of Study and EFL Learners Beliefs about Language Learning
International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (10), October, 2014.

Pedagogically, the findings of this study suggest that English book developers can use the finding of this research to select appropriate and
related material for general English books based on the students beliefs and fields of the study. Participants of this study believed that learning a
foreign language is not just learning the grammar rules and translation. Therefore, instead of using grammar-translation method, instructors
should use a communicative language teaching method which is more learner-centered, more practice-oriented and emphasizes social interaction
for development of students proficiency more than other methods.
Students in different fields of studies explored different beliefs about language learning. The highest means belonged to English teaching,
Electronic engineering, Architecture and Agriculture engineering. By investigating the context, text books and other factors that may influence
language learning, in those fields of study, we can gain important and useful information for developing other fields of study beliefs and
proficiency. Fields of study like General psychology, Elementary school teaching and Training science education had the lowest means,
regarding language learning beliefs. By exploring the reasons of these shortages, we can help them develop their beliefs about language learning.
The resulted of this study are limited to a sample population of volunteer students in Kermanshah Islamic Azad University who were studying at
three different collages. Whether the same findings would be found at other universities remain unknown. In this study, students beliefs about
language learning were identified through BALLI. Thus, to control for self-report biases in these measures, the identification of these beliefs
need to be verified using other types of data collection, such as interviews and observation. a replication of this study with different collages and
different fields of study such as medical collage would be interesting.

Acknowledgement
This paper was supported by a grant from the Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah Branch.

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