Beliefs About Language Learning: Gender Related Or Not?

Abstract

This study aimed at determining if there was a statistically significant difference between the male and female university prep class students‟ beliefs about language learning. The subjects participated in the study were 180 (90 male and 90 female) university prep class students from Foreign Language Education Center (YADYO) at Cukurova University. Data were collected using a 34-item Likert-Type scale (Horwitz‟s BALLI- Beliefs about Language learning Inventory), modified for the Turkish EFL learners. Data were analyzed descriptively. Beliefs of learners were classified under five subheadings as suggested by Horwitz (1988). The findings of the study indicated no significant differences among males and females except Item 30. The only statistically significant difference detected in this study concerned the relationship between speaking more than one language and being very intelligent. The female students gave a much greater support to the statement „people who speak more than one language are very intelligent‟.

Keywords

• Foreign Language learning,beliefs about language learning,gender

References

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