International Journal of Languages’ Education and Teaching ISSN: 2198 – 4999, Mannheim – GERMANY UDES 2015 p. 1185-1201 EXPLORING EFL LEARNERS’ BELIEFS ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING 1 Gülten Genç 2 & Emine Kuluşaklı 3 & Savaş Aydın 4 ABSTRACT Foreign language learners’ beliefs on English language learning are important in language education. Recent studies conducted in relation to the language learning have indicated that learners’ beliefs about foreign language learning show variations depending on some variables. Taking into consideration of these variables, this study aims to highlight the relationship between Turkish EFL learners’ beliefs about language learning according to gender, self-reported academic achievement, type of high school that they graduated from and year at the faculty. For this purpose, the students were questioned about their beliefs. The data collected through closed and open-ended questionnaires (BALLI) were analysed quantitatively. This study reports the beliefs about language learning of almost 180 Turkish undergraduate students studying at the departments of English Language and Literature and English Language Teaching at a state university in Turkey. The findings revealed a dynamic relationship between learners’ beliefs and the variables such as gender, self-reported academic achievement and type of high school. These results may be used in the future to inform pedagogy and as such the outcomes from this research are important for a country where the learning of English is an important educational requirement for academic career. Key Words: Beliefs, language learning, foreign language education. 1. INTRODUCTION There has been a growing interest into the learners’ individual characteristics which can influence the language learners’ success in learning a language in recent years. Beliefs about language learning have been one of the interests in the field of foreign language acquisition. Foreign language learners develop many beliefs, assumptions and preconceived ideas about language learning on the basis of their own experiences and what they have been exposed to in formal and informal teaching/learning environments (Ellis, 1995; Horwitz, 1987; Wenden, 1987). Beliefs about language learning have been described as complex related constructs that are relational and context specific. Wenden (1998) described beliefs about language learning as “a system of related ideas” that are “a part of a learner’s store of acquired knowledge”. Pajares (1992) provides an extensive list of words like attitude, values, judgments, opinions, ideology, perceptions, conceptual systems, preconceptions, dispositions, perspectives, repertories of understanding, and social strategy. Peacock’s (2001) operational definition of beliefs, is “psychologically held understandings, premises, or propositions about the world that are felt to be true”. 1 This study was presented as oral paper at the I. International Symposium on Language Education and Teaching. 2 Dr.,İnönü Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksek Okulu , e-posta: gulten.genc@inonu.edu.tr 3 İnönü Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksek Okulu, e-posta: emine.kulusakli@inonu.edu.tr 4 İnönü Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksek Okulu, e-posta: savas.aydin@inonu.edu.tr