【作者】 王晓峰；

【导师】 刘世铸；

【作者基本信息】 山东大学 ， 英语语言文学， 2008， 硕士

【摘要】 二十世纪七十年代以来,第二语言学习研究的方向已经从对最佳教学法的研究转移到学习中所涉及的各种学习者因素的研究,也就是个体差异的研究。作为学习者因素的一部分,学习者的语言学习观念直接影响学习者的学习行为,进而影响学习的最终结果。因此有必要帮助学习者反思自己的语言学习观念。作者根据Horwitz的相关研究,借用她编制的《语言学习观念调查问卷》设计了一个包括32个问题的问卷,使用李可特量表,从语言学习的难度、语言学习能力、语言学习的性质、学习策略和交际策略、以及学习动机和学习期望五个方面对来自福建省龙岩高级中学和龙岩小池中学的188名初中学生的英语学习观念进行了调查。本文采用定量研究法讨论了以下三个问题:(1)中国初中学生的英语学习观念有什么特点?(2)男生与女生的英语学习观念是否存在显著差异?有显著差异的话,表现在哪些方面?(3)来自农村的学生与来自城市的学生在英语学习观念上是否存在显著差异?有显著差异的话,表现在哪些方面?笔者使用了SPSS(10.0)统计软件对所收集的数据进行了描述性统计、相关分析和T值检验,本研究得出了以下结论:(1)我国初中生在英语学习中持有许多教育家和研究者提出并讨论过的五种语言学习观念。这些观念中有积极的也有消极的。尽管有些学生对英语学习缺乏自信心,但是他们有较强的英语学习动机和期望。调查中也发现有部分学生对问题的回答为“我对这个问题无明确看法”,这表明了这些学生的语言观念是不明确的。(2)中国初中生的英语学习观念还深受中国传统文化的影响,导致他们在英语学习过程中对传统教学方法的偏爱。例如有的学生片面地强调语法、词汇等语言规则形式的学习。(3)研究结果表明了学生的“工具性动机”强于“融合性动机”。例如有许多学生认为学习英语的主要目的就是应付考试。(4)越来越多的初中生对自己的语言能力更加自信、在学习策略的选择上更加灵活、更加重视语言的功能和交际性。(5)独立样本T值检验显示男生与女生在英语学习观念上存在一些差异。调查结果表明,认为英语难学的人中,男生比女生多;更多的女生认为在语言学习方面儿童与女性更有优势;通过交际策略学习英语方面,女生持更积极的态度;更多的男生认为在英语学习中翻译是最重要的。(6)调查结果还显示城市学生与乡下学生之间也存在着英语学习观念差异。城市学生对自己的英语学习潜能更有信心,他们对学习策略和交际策略持有比较积极的观念,而乡下学生更倾向于工具型学习动机,他们更加重视翻译在英语学习中的重要性。虽然本次研究尚存在着如调查规模较小等局限性,但是对学习者个体差异研究与初中英语教学有一定的指导意义。有助于教师和学生充分认识到学习观念的重要性。文中还针对教师和学生如何形成更为有利于英语学习的观念提出了一些建议。更多还原

【Abstract】 Since the 1970s’, the trend in second language learning research has been shifted from the exploration of optimal teaching method to the investigation of multiple individual learner variables involved in language learning. This is known as individual differences (IDs) research. Among learner variables, learners’ beliefs have a profound influence on learning behaviors and then learning outcomes. So it is necessary for learners to reflect on their own language learning beliefs.A total of 188 junior middle-school students from two schools (Longyan Senior Middle School and Longyan Xiaochi Middle School) participated in the study. Mainly based on Horwitz’s study on language learning beliefs and her BALLI (The Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory), the author designed an inventory of 32 items and by using the Likert five-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) during class time assessed the students’ beliefs about English learning in five major aspects: the difficulty of language learning, foreign language aptitude, the nature of language learning, learning and communication strategies, and motivations and expectations.The present study was designed to address three questions as follows: (1) What beliefs do the junior middle-school students hold? (2) Do the male and female students have different beliefs concerning English language learning? If the answer is "Yes", what are those beliefs? (3) Do the students from the city and those from the countryside have different beliefs concerning English language learning? If the answer is "Yes", what are those beliefs?After the data analysis entailing descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis and T-test, several substantial findings came to light. (1) Chinese junior middle-school students hold positive as well as negative language learning beliefs. That some subjects’ responses to the items were neutral indicates that their beliefs are not so definite. They have quite strong motivation and expectation to learn English though some of them have not enough confidence in their foreign language competence. (2) Chinese junior middle-school students are influenced heavily by the Chinese culture, which resulted in their preferring to traditional teaching approaches. Most of the subjects stressed the importance of grammar rules, and vocabulary. (3) The students tend to have stronger instrumental motivation than integrative motivation. For example, many students want to perform well in the exams. (4) More and more junior middle-school students are confident about their foreign language aptitude, their choice of learning strategies are more flexible, and they pay more attention to the function and communication of the language. (5) With respect to the comparison of the males and females’ beliefs, Independent-sample T test demonstrates the beliefs variations between the two groups. The results indicate that English are more difficult for males than for females to learn; females are much more optimistic about children’, females’ and the Chinese abilities for learning English; females hold a significantly stronger belief in strategy beliefs than males; females are more motivated than males to learn English; more males endorse the belief that the most important part of learning English is translation. (6) The results reveal that certain belief differences also exist between the students from the city and rural students. Students from the city demonstrate stronger confidence about their English learning aptitude, and their attitudes towards beliefs about learning and communication strategies tend to be positive. Rural students tend to have instrumental motivation, and they are more likely to endorse the importance of translation.In spite of the limitations, for instance, the sample group is not big enough, the survey will shed light on individual learner differences research and English teaching as well. It will help to sensitize both teachers and learners to the importance of language learning beliefs. Moreover, the author also put forth some tentative suggestions for teachers and learners alike in relevance to developing beliefs more conducive to language learning.更多还原