Abstract

VILLARREAL SUAREZ, Jessica; MUNOZ TABORDA, Jully Vanessa  and  PERDOMO SANTACRUZ, Jorge Mario. Students' Beliefs About Their English Class: Exploring New Voices in a National Discussion. profile [online]. 2016, vol.18, n.2, pp.139-150. ISSN 1657-0790.  https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v18n2.53388.

The main objective of this study was to identify 6th to 11th grade students' beliefs about their English class in a public institution in Armenia, Colombia. By means of interviews, drawings, and focus groups with 30 students, four beliefs were established. It was found that students' beliefs are attached to the experiences they have lived in their English class; the discipline, the monotony, the lack of interesting material, and the impact of foreign language learning are the main related aspects. Implications and recommendations for further research are proposed based on the necessity of giving students a voice in the development of current national policies of language learning and also in the debate about the effectiveness of these policies and their impact inside schools.

Keywords : Beliefs; classroom environment; English language learners; qualitative research.

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