Teachers’ and learners’ beliefs in the acquisition of English as a foreign language

Abstract

In the context of the acquisition of English as a foreign language, the beliefs that teachers and students bring with them to the learning/teaching situation have been shown to be an important factor in the learning process. A number of studies have identified these beliefs and explored their potential impact on English language learning and teaching. The aim of my dissertation is to study how the teachers and learners beliefs and attitudes towards the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language can influence the process of acquisition of the English language and, therefore, the level of proficiency of the learners. In order to do so, I will first do a literature review on the matter to collect information, analyse what methods have been used in previous research to study this topic, and the conclusions of different authors, and hence have an external insight about the situation. Secondly, I will carry out my own empirical investigation, where I will gather my own data by means of a questionnaire what will be sent to secondary English teachers and students. I also intend, if possible, to complete the data collection by interviewing a small number of teachers. The interviews will help me look into some aspects that may not have been included in the questionnaire. I intend to use a questionnaire that has been used in previous studies, but I will add some questions that will allow me to explore the relationship between teachers' and students' beliefs and some other variables, for example, home background, cultural background, previous learning / teaching experiences among others