Students’ beliefs about vocabulary learning a mixed methods study = Sử dụng phương pháp hỗn hợp nghiên cứu niềm tin của học sinh về việc học từ vựng

This study explores the beliefs about vocabulary learning held by the secondary school students specializing in English, their employed vocabulary learning strategies as well as the exte

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES



NGUYỄN THỊ MINH HIẾU

STUDENTS’ BELIEFS ABOUT VOCABULARY LEARNING: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

( Sử dụng phương pháp hỗn hợp nghiên cứu niềm tin của học sinh về việc học

từ vựng)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

HANOI, 2014

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES



NGUYỄN THỊ MINH HIẾU

STUDENTS’ BELIEFS ABOUT VOCABULARY LEARNING: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

( Sử dụng phương pháp hỗn hợp nghiên cứu niềm tin của học sinh về việc học

từ vựng)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Superisor: Dr Lê Văn Canh

HANOI, 2014

i

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and effort and that has not been submitted anywhere for any award Where other sources of information have been used, they have been acknowledged I cede copyright of the thesis in favor of Post-Graduate Department- Vietnam National University

Ha noi, 2014

Nguyễn Thi ̣ Minh Hiếu

And I am also indebted to my students from class 11A1, 11A4, 11A7 and my colleagues at Ha Long high school for their participation and assistance without which this study could not have been successful

Last but not least, I would like to express my special thanks to my family, my beloved parents, my younger brother and my dear younger for their love, encouragement, immeasurable support and concrete help for me to complete this research

Many thanks also go to all of you, to anyone I have forgotten to mention here

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ABSTRACT

The construct of learner beliefs is a topic that has gained much attention in education in recent years Nearly two decades of research has revealed that beliefs about second/foreign language learning are strong influential factors on learning achievements

This study explores the beliefs about vocabulary learning held by the secondary school students specializing in English, their employed vocabulary learning strategies as well

as the extent to which their beliefs influenced their use of vocabulary learning strategies The participants were 95 secondary school students of the English-specialization stream in one specialized secondary school in Quang Ninh province The study used a mixed-methods design with questionnaires and interviews being the instruments of data collection

The questionnaire was administered to identify the students‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning and their employed vocabulary learning strategies A small number of the questionnaire respondents were chosen for the follow-up interviews The interview questions were developed on the basis of the initial results of the analysis of the questionnaire responses The purpose of the interview was two-fold First, it was to elicit more information that the questionnaire responses failed to provide Second, it was to cross-check the responses the students gave to the questionnaire

The obtained results revealed that the students in general had positive beliefs about vocabulary learning They attached great importance to the role of vocabulary and lexical knowledge to their learning English at the school However, they had conflicting beliefs about how words should be learned In addition, there is consistence between their reported beliefs about vocabulary learning and their reported vocabulary learning strategies The findings of the study also indicated that most of the strategies the students reported that they employed were cognitive trategies Even in the interview, none of them mentioned any metacognitive or motivational strategies

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LIST OF ABBRIVIATIONS

VLB: Vocabulary Learning Beliefs

VLS: Vocabulary Learning Strategies

EFL: English as a Foreign Language

BALLI: Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language

US: The United States of America

L1: First Language

L2: Second Language

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1 Beliefs about the importance of vocabulary 20 Table 2.2 Beliefs about vocabulary learning 22 Table 2.3 Students‟ self-report of the vocabulary learning strategies they used 23 Table 2.4 Strategies preferences reported by the students in the interviews 26

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration ………i

Acknowledgements………ii

Abstract……… iii

List of abbriviations………iv

List of tables………v

Table of contents……….vi

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Statement of Problem 1

2 Aims of the Study 2

3 Research Questions 2

4 Methods of the Study 3

5 Significance of the Study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1.1 Definition of Learner Beliefs 4

1 2 Why Study Learner Beliefs 5

1 3 Research on Learner Beliefs 8

1 4 Beliefs and Learning Successes 9

1 5 Vocabulary Learning 11

1 6 What involves in knowing a word 12

1.7 Vocabulary Strategies 14

1.8 Beliefs and Strategy Use 15

1.9 Chapter Summary 16

CHAPTER II: THE STUDY 17

2 1 Research Methodology 17

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2.2 The questionnaire 18

2.3 Participants 20

2 4 Findings 20

2.4 1 Quantitative Data 20

2.4.2 Qualitative Data 24

2.5 Discussion 28

PART C: CONCLUSION 30

1 Summary of key findings 30

2 Implications for teaching 30

3 Suggestions for future research 31

REFENRENCES 33 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1 I APPENDIX 2 VI

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PART A: INTRODUCTION LEARNERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT VOCABULARY LEARNING

1 Statement of Problem

In recent decades, researchers in the field of second language acquisition have shown great interest in learners‟ individual characteristics that can affect the learners‟ success in language learning The results of studies on second language learners‟ beliefs have revealed that beliefs about second/foreign language learning are strong influential factors on learning achievements, leading to a new wave of attention to beliefs about language learning (Heidari, Izadi, & Ahmadian, 2011) Researchers have found that second language learners come to the language class with some preconceived ideas or beliefs about language and language learning and that these beliefs can indicate what expectations the learners have and what actions in their language learning they will take (Abraham & Vann, 1987; Holec, 1987, Hortwitz, 1985; Wenden, 1987) Therefore, researchers have been investigating the beliefs that second language learners possess and the factors that affect learners‟ beliefs in order to find ways to help learners adjust their beliefs to facilitate their language learning

Vocabulary learning has been identified as their greatest problem in English learning (Si, 2005) Vocabulary learning beliefs, another learner variable that influences vocabulary learning (Moir & Nation, 2002; Gu, 2005), is an under-researched area Although the importance of learners‟ beliefs is now generally recognized in the field of English language education, few studies have been reported about learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning It is widely perceived that vocabulary learning is important and that vocabulary learning outcomes are not satisfactory for most learners As beliefs are factors influencing vocabulary learning strategies, it is necessary to investigate learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning so as

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appropriate pedagogical interventions can be decided to help learners to learn vocabulary more effectively and efficiently In other words, understanding learners‟ varied orientations toward vocabulary learning can provide teachers with information

to guide their teaching which is aimed at developing the students‟ vocabulary

As language learning beliefs can be shaped by culture and context (Horwitz, 1988), and language learning strategy choice is influenced by factors such as beliefs, cultural background and types of task (Oxford, 1994), the vocabulary learning beliefs may also differ among learners in different learning cultures and contexts

2 Aims of the Study

The study was designed to achieve the two following aims:

1 To explore the beliefs about English language vocabulary learning held by a group of students in a Vietnamese specialized secondary school

2 To find out the vocabulary learning strategies employed by this group of students

3 To examine the extent to which their beliefs affect their choice of vocabulary learning strategies

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4 Methods of the Study

In order to provide a more objective and comprehensive picture of learners‟ VLB and VLS in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context, the present study adopted a mixed methods approach The study was conducted among the students studying in one specialized secondary school in Quang Ninh province

5 Significance of the Study

Many researchers have suggested that knowledge of the students‟ beliefs about language learning should provide teachers with better understandings of their students‟

“expectation of, commitment to, success in, and satisfaction with their language classes” (Horwitz, 1988, p 283) Thus, findings of this study would help classroom teachers to find more effective ways of helping the students to learn English vocabulary better

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter reviews the literature on learners‟ beliefs about second language learning, particularly learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary The chapter begins with a definition of learner beliefs, the rationale for researching learner beliefs about second language learning, the research on language learners‟ beliefs, and the relationship between learners‟ beliefs and their success in learning the second language This is followed by a review of the literature on vocabulary learning This includes the vocabulary knowledge and vocabulary learning strategies

1.1 Definition of Learner Beliefs

While the significance of researching beliefs has been widely acknowledged, defining what belief is a big challenge because of the complexity of the concept Pajares (1992) refers to it as a “messy construct” Horwitz (1985), one of the pioneer researchers of the studies on beliefs about language learning, did not give any definition of beliefs about language learning in her articles She used the terms such as

“preconceptions”, “preconceived ideas”, and “preconceived notions” to refer to

„beliefs‟ without giving specific descriptions about the construct Huang (1997) viewed beliefs about language learning as “preconceptions language learners have about the task of learning the target language” (p 20)

Hosenfeld (1978) viewed learner beliefs as their „mini theories‟ of L2 learning which shape the way they set about the learning task These theories are made up of beliefs about language and language learning Clearly „beliefs‟ constitute an individual difference variable notably different from the other individual difference factors such

as language aptitude or motivation but, like these variables, beliefs influence both the

Despite the variety of terms, learners‟ beliefs can be broadly defined as opinions and ideas that learners have about the task of learning a second/foreign language (Kalaja & Barcelos, 2003) Borg (2001) sums up the common features of beliefs and develops the following definition:

A belief is a proposition which may be consciously or unconsciously

held, is evaluative in that it is accepted as true by the individual, and

is therefore imbued with emotive commitment; further, it serves as a

guide to thought and behaviour (Borg, 2001, p 186)

This definition is adopted for this study because the study was aimed at identifying the high school learners‟ vocabulary learning behaviours in learning English as a foreign language and what guides those behaviours

Horwitz (1987) concludes that some beliefs are probably shaped by students‟ previous experiences as language learners, and other beliefs are probably shaped by students‟ cultural background

1 2 Why Study Learner Beliefs

Learner belief is a central construct which deals with human behaviour and influence learners‟ consciousness, learning attitude, learning strategies (Horwitz, 1985) During the last two decades, second language learning researchers have spent a lot of effort on the cognitive aspects of language learning Research indicates that

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individual students differ considerably in their use of learning strategies (e.g Altan, 2003; O‟Malley Chamot, 1990; Oxford, 1992,1993) An important question is what causes students to approach a specific language task differently What accounts for the individual differences observed even among learners with similar language proficiency? A reasonable answer may be found in learner perception Since we are what we believe in, in recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on students‟ beliefs about the nature of language learning and the strategies they use

The literature on learner beliefs has been identified beliefs as an important individual difference variable in second language (L2) learning (Kalaja & Barcelos, 2003) The importance of learner beliefs lies in the fact that they underlie learner behavior to a large extent (Horwitz, 1988) Grotjahn (1991) argues that learner beliefs are “highly individual, relatively stable, and relatively enduring” (p 189) and that studying learner beliefs might help explain and predict behaviors that learners demonstrate when learning an L2 In addition, research indicates that L2 learner beliefs correlate with strategy use, motivation, proficiency (Mori, 1999; Yang, 1999), learner anxiety, and autonomous learning (Kalaja & Barcelos, 2003) Furthermore, learner beliefs may influence teachers‟ classroom activities (Borg, 2003; Burgess & Etherington, 2002), and unrealistic beliefs or misconceptions about language learning can impede the learning process (Sawir, 2002)

In cognitive psychology, learner beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning, or epistemological beliefs, have been investigated with the idea that they are part of the underlying mechanisms of metacognition (Flavell, 1987; Ryan, 1984), form the building blocks of epistemology (Goldman, 1986), and are a driving force in intellectual performance Psychologists have begun to acknowledge the pervasive influence of personal and social epistemologies on academic learning, thinking,

in their experience For example, is it the learners' belief that they do, or do not, have

an aptitude for learning another language or, that their particular type of personality will inhibit or facilitate language learning (Wenden, 2001)

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 (Breen, 2001) For example, second or foreign language students may hold strong beliefs about the nature of the language under study, its difficulty, the process of its acquisition, the success of certain learning strategies, the existence of aptitude, their own expectations about achievement and teaching methodologies Identification of these beliefs and reflection on their potential impact on language learning and teaching in general, as well as in more specific areas such as the learners' expectations and strategies used, can inform future syllabus design and teacher practice in the course Pedagogy has the capacity to provide the opportunities and conditions within which these learner contributions are found to have a positive effect upon learning and may be more fully engaged (Breen, 2001; Arnold, 1999)

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1 3 Research on Learner Beliefs

Research on the beliefs about language learning since Horwitz‟s pioneering study in 1985 has shown that some of these beliefs held by learners have damaging effects on their learning However, there is still a great shortage of research that investigates the beliefs of learners and especially on those who are foreign-language major students Recent research on the beliefs of second and foreign language learners‟ beliefs has examined different learning settings in different cultures( e.g Wenden,1986; Horwitz 1985, 1987, 1988) These research studies have collected and analyzed data on learners‟ beliefs in different ways and they were mainly done with those learning foreign languages However, very few empirical studies have researched Vietnamese high school learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary and vocabulary learning

In an early attempt to identify the types of beliefs held by language learners, Horwitz (1987) administered the BALLI to groups of learners Five general areas of beliefs emerged from the analysis of the responses relating to (1) the difficulty of language learning, (2) aptitude for language learning, (3) the nature of language learning, (4) learning and communication strategies, and (5) motivation and expectations Wenden (1986, 1987) grouped the beliefs she identified in 25 adults enrolled in a part-time advanced-level class at an American university into three general categories: (1) use of the language (for example, the importance of „learning in

a natural way‟), (2) beliefs relating to learning about the language (for example, the importance of learning grammar and vocabulary), and (3) the importance of personal factors (i.e beliefs about the feelings that facilitate or inhibit learning, self-concept, and aptitude for learning) Both of these early studies, then, identified a very similar set

of learner beliefs For example, the learners in both Horwitz‟s and Wenden‟s studies demonstrated beliefs about the need to study grammar This dominant belief was also reported by Schulz (2001), who found that both Colombian learners of English in

1 4 Beliefs and Learning Successes

A number of studies have been conducted in the past few decades to examine the relationships between learners‟ beliefs about language learning and factors that can affect language learning success such as motivation, autonomy, language learning strategies, and anxiety Also some beliefs about language learning have been found to correlate with English proficiency These findings suggest that second language teachers, with an understanding of learners‟ beliefs about language learning, can help enhance learners‟ success in language learning in two ways: by promoting their students‟ beliefs that are facilitative to language learning and by refining those that are debilitative

Abraham and Vann (1987) found some evidence that beliefs might affect learning outcomes in a case study of two learners, Gerardo and Pedro Both learners believed that it was important to create situations for using English outside the classroom, to practise as much as possible, and to have errors corrected Both also believed it important to participate actively in class Gerardo, however, believed that

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paying conscious attention to grammar was important, while Pedro did not and expressed a strong dislike of meta-language Also, Gerardo thought that it was important to persevere in communicating or understanding an idea, while Pedro considered topic abandonment the best strategy in some cases Abraham and Vann characterized Gerardo‟s philosophy of language learning as „broad‟ and Pedro‟s as

„narrow‟ They suggested that this might have contributed to Gerardo‟s better TOEFL score (523 versus 473) at the end of a course of instruction Pedro, however, did better

on a test of spoken English, which might suggest that different views about language learning result in different kinds of success

Mori (1999) investigated the beliefs of 187 university students enrolled in Japanese at various proficiency levels in the US She examined the relationship between epistemological beliefs (i.e beliefs about learning in general) and beliefs about language learning and also the relationship between beliefs and L2 achievement She found that strong beliefs in innate ability (i.e the ability to learn is inherited and cannot be improved by effort) and in avoidance of ambiguity (i.e the need for single, clear-cut answers) were associated with lower achievement Learners who believed that L2 learning was easy manifested higher levels of achievement In addition, this study showed that there were belief differences between novices and advanced learners Advanced learners were less likely to believe in simple, unambiguous knowledge or the existence of absolute, single answers than novice learners This study also revealed that epistemological beliefs and beliefs about language learning were for the most part unrelated In other words, learner beliefs about language learning seemed to be task and domain specific

Peacock (1999) reported on a study that investigated the beliefs about language learning of 202 EFL students and 45 EFL teachers in the Department of English at the City University of Hong Kong The primary aim of the study was to determine if the

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differences between student and teacher beliefs about language learning affect proficiency Secondary aims were to develop hypotheses about the origins of Chinese learner beliefs about language learning, and to check the correlation between learner self-rated proficiency and tested proficiency Data were collected using a 34-item self-

report questionnaire (Horwitz's BALLI – Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory),

a comprehensive proficiency test, an interview, and a self-rated proficiency sheet Results indicated that four of the mismatched learner beliefs negatively affected EFL proficiency: additionally, learner answers on seven other BALLI items were considered

to have implications for the learning and teaching of EFL It was concluded that a number of different learner beliefs were detrimental to language learning, and also that they resulted in many dissatisfied and frustrated students who could not understand the rationale behind the tasks they carried out in class

Studies on learners‟ beliefs focusing on specific language components have mostly dealt with grammar The extent to which grammar instruction should be included in second language teaching and how it should be taught is a matter of continued debate among scholars, researchers and classroom teachers Recently, there have been studies which are aimed at examining learners‟ beliefs about the role of grammar instruction However, studies on students‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning are quite rare

Since the aim of the study is to address the English L2 vocabulary learning problems, this study will focus on learner‟s beliefs about learning vocabulary only

1 5 Vocabulary Learning

Since the mid 1980s vocabulary learning has been drawing growing attention from second language researchers, and vocabulary is now a current focus of second language pedagogy and research Vocabulary has been increasingly recognized as

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essential to language use; inadequate vocabulary can lead to learners‟ difficulties in language reception and production Thus, vocabulary learning is widely regarded as a crucial task for second language learners in their attempts to improve their linguistic competence (Brown & Perry, 1991; Fan, 2004, Gu, 2003, 2005) Horwitz (1999), using her “Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI)”, found that with respect to vocabulary learning, all groups of EFL students agreed that the important part of learning a language was learning vocabulary (agreement ranging from 42% to 79% of the subjects) According to Wilkins (1972), “Without grammar very little can be

conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” (p 111) For Rubin and

Thompson (1994),

One cannot speak, understand, read or write a foreign language

without knowing a lot of words Vocabulary learning is at the heart

of mastering a foreign language (p 79)

1 6 What involves in knowing a word

The complexity of knowing an L2 word involves not just the ability to recognize its form (pronunciation, spelling, and derivations), or knowing its dictionary meaning

It also entails knowledge of its specific grammatical properties, collocations and functions (frequency and appropriateness), and the ability to use the word appropriately for actual interaction (Nation, 1990; Oxford & Scarcella, 1994) According to Nation (1990),

Productive knowledge of a word includes receptive knowledge and extends it It involves knowing how to pronounce the word, how to write and spell it, how to use it in correct grammatical patterns along the words

it usually collocates with (p 32)

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Oxford and Scarcella (1994) categorise vocabulary learning activities into three types: decontextualize (e.g word grouping, word association/elaboration, physical response) and fully contextualized (i.e practicing the four language skills in authentic communication activities), which provides a more systematic and research-based approach to vocabulary instruction

Along the lines of the contextualized approach to vocabulary learning, the concept of „semantic field‟ challenged the word-by-word approach in vocabulary study Semantic field is a network of associations, each word of which can be the center of the network radiating in all directions (Crow & Quigley, 1985) Crow and Quigley (1985) claimed that information organized into some types of cognitive categories works better than randomly presented material in terms of the effect on long-term retention They based this claim on a comparison with the traditional approach to vocabulary instruction However, Tinkham (1993) warned that grouping new vocabulary in sets of semantically similar words might in fact impede the learning

of the word rather than facilitate it

Although grammar-translation approach to language learning is no longer a major trend in second language acquisition research, there has been an on-going discussion as to whether translation affects vocabulary learning negatively or positively Grace (2000) notes that L1 translation seems to have a positive effect on both short-term and long-term retention of words No conclusion has yet been drawn regarding using L1 for semantization

Long-term retention has received wide attention as one of the greatest problems

in learning new words (e.g Crow & Quigley, 1985; Leeke & Shaw, 2000) The inability to recall known words is experienced not only in the production of spoken or written discourse, but also in comprehension Laufer and Osimo (1991) grouped

In general, the communicative language teaching approach advocates a focus on meaning in context and the belief has emerged that the meaning of words can better be picked up incidentally than intentionally through explicit teaching and learning of new

words

1.7 Vocabulary Strategies

Vocabulary learning strategies are one part of language learning strategies which in turn are part of general learning strategies (Nation, 2001 cited in Lotfi, 2007) According to Schmitt (1997 cited in Lotfi, 2007) there are two groups of strategies: the ones to determine the meaning of new words when encountered for the first time, and the ones to consolidate meaning when encountered again The former contains determination and social strategies and the latter contains cognitive, meta-cognitive, memory and social strategies To Schmitt (1997), determination strategies are used when “learners are faced with discovering the meaning of new word without recourse

to another person‟s experience” (cited in Lofti, 2007)

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1.8 Beliefs and Strategy Use

Researchers (Abraham & Vann, 1987; Horwitz, 1987, 1988) have suggested connections between learners‟ metacognitive knowledge or beliefs about language learning and their choice of language learning strategies Based on her survey of university foreign language students, Horwitz (1988) argues that some preconceived beliefs are likely to restrict learners‟ range of strategy use In addition, Abraham and Vann (1987) have also suggested that learners‟ beliefs about how language operates and, consequently, how it is learned may affect the variety and flexibility of their strategy use Yang (1999) found that Taiwanese students‟ self-efficacy beliefs about learning English were strongly related to their use of all types of learning strategies Gu and Johnson (1996) used a vocabulary learning questionnaire to elicit 850 Chinese students‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning and their self-reported vocabulary learning strategies They found that, overall, these learners emphasized the belief that vocabulary should be memorized, put to use and acquired in context The result also indicated that the students employed a wide range of vocabulary learning strategies such as guessing, dictionary use, note-taking, etc in accordance with their beliefs

Park (1995) investigated 332 Korean university EFL students‟ beliefs about language learning, their use of language learning strategies and the relationship among their beliefs, strategy use, and L2 proficiency The findings of this study showed a strong correlation between the students‟ beliefs about language learning and their use

of learning strategies

Li (2004) used the questionnaire and interviews to explore Chinese EFL learners‟ beliefs about the role of rote learning in vocabulary learning strategies The study showed that the Chinese students held positive beliefs about rote learning and rote learning including repetition, memorization, practice, and reviewing were the main vocabulary learning strategies these students reported they used frequently

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Heidari, Izadi, & Ahmadian (2011) reported the results of their survey on 50 junior EFL students studying English at an Iranian university Most of these students used memory strategies frequently while the metacognitive strategies were the least frequently used Also, the study showed a strong relationship between students‟ beliefs and their use of vocabulary learning strategies

1 9 Chapter Summary

This chapter presents the literature on language learners‟ beliefs with a focus on learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning As indicated in this literature review, learner beliefs have a great influence on the students‟ choice of second language learning strategies, including vocabulary learning strategies In other words, learners‟ beliefs shape the way they learn the second language in general and the way they learn second language vocabulary in particular This implies that research on learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning plays an important role in understanding learners‟ success or failures in second language learning and in vocabulary learning The literature review also shows that vocabulary is so important in second language learning, therefore we need to investigate the students‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning in an attempt to make decisions on how to help the learners learn vocabulary better However, as the chapter shows that there is little research on learner beliefs about vocabulary learning, and this is really a research gap that needs to be filled Next chapter presents the study

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CHAPTER II: THE STUDY

This chapter presents the study First, the rationale for choosing the research methodology is presented Then, information about the participants instruments that were employed in this study were presented before the findings were presented and discussed

2 1 Research Methodology

“Different methods are appropriate for different situations” (Patton, 1990, p 39) Therefore, the methodological design should be based on the purpose of the study, the research questions, and the resources and time available Moreover, “social phenomena are so complex and social problems are so intractable, all of our methodological tools are needed for understanding and for action” (Greene, 2001, p 252) Thus, a methodological issue is raised: To what extent can the research design freely combine elements of different approaches (Seliger & Shohamy, 1989) Most of the studies on learners‟ beliefs about second language learning used Likert-style questionnaires such as the Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory – BALLI (Horwitz, 1987) Very few studies have used mixed-methods design to examine learners‟ beliefs and the relationship between their beliefs and the use of learning strategies Mixed-method design arguably functions to overcome the deficiencies of a single method, while capitalizing on the strengths of each (Johnson & Christensen, 2004) According to Greene (2001), mixed methodologies can serve for triangulation, complementarities, development, expansion, and initiation In this study, mixed methodology is adopted for the purposes of triangulation

This study is a descriptive study, because as Best (2000: 118) stated it is concerned with conditions or relationships that exist, opinions that are held, processes that are going on, effects that are evident or trends which are developing In fact, the

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researcher cannot control that condition; he just can monitor it and its probable results

on the environment Similarly, in this study, there is no control on learners‟ beliefs; the researcher can just monitor its probable effect on learning There is no treatment here and it is just an observation of the environment Due to the complexity of learners‟ beliefs, a mixed-method design is adopted to strengthen the quality of the study

Triangulation refers to the adoption of mixed methods to seek convergence, corroboration and correspondence of results across different methods (Greene, 2001)

It can be achieved from three aspects: source of data, data collection and analysis method (Freeman, 1998) In this study, two latter types of triangulation are adopted The triangulation of data collection method in the present study is achieved by the adoption of both quantitative method (the questionnaire) and the qualitative method (interview) As a result of triangulation of data collection method, triangulation of data analysis methods in the present study is achieved by the quantitative analysis of the quantitative data, and qualitative analysis of the qualitative data The quantitative approach (the questionnaire survey) is triangulated by the qualitative approach (interviews), and the results of the survey inform the implementation of the interviews

2.2 The questionnaire

The use of Likert- scale questionaires is very common in researching second language learners‟ beliefs Horwitz (1985, 1987) is generally credited with initiating significant research into beliefs with the development of the BALLI- Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory Horwitz (1985, 1987) used this 34- item questionaire to explore students‟, teachers‟, and pre- service teachers‟ beliefs Due to its high popularity, BALLI was consequently used in a number of small and large- scale research studies ( see Horwitz (1999) for a review of BALLI studies)