Investigating EFL Iraqi learners' beliefs about learning English as a foreign language

Abstract EN

Language learners bring a variety of beliefs to the classroom.

The study of learner's perceptions and beliefs of language learning thus constitutes an important area of inquiry.

The present study explores the beliefs about language learning of EFL Iraqi learners at the university level.

A total of (101) undergraduate students, majoring in English as a foreign language, participated in the study.

The Horwitz BALLI questionnaire (1983, 1987, and 1988) was administered to the participants.

When surveying the subjects' beliefs about the four language skills, findings revealed that despite the fact that they regarded reading and writing in English easier than speaking and listening, speaking for them is easier than listening comprehension.

Other results expose erroneous beliefs held by those learners concerning depending on translation as a learning strategy and the importance of saying everything with correct pronunciation and grammar otherwise they would be embarrassed.