Reports results from two questionnaires given to third-year adult learners of Spanish, French, German on beliefs regarding idiomaticity. Analysis of data showed that learners want idioms to be part of their language learning; they can predict their performances on idiomatic tasks; and they have specific beliefs on the importance of learning…

Examines whether research into students' conceptualizations can contribute to an understanding of taking notes in lectures. Describes an illustrative investigation into student conceptualizations based on a series of structured interviews that examined how students think about the purposes of taking notes in lectures, the content of the notes,…

Reports evidence of the extent to which Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language learners seek to adopt second language communicative norms. Examines learners self reports on attitudes toward the target language, subjective reactions to second language pragmatic norms, and motivations toward accommodating to those norms. (Author/VWL)

Argues that before autonomous approaches to language learning are implemented, it is necessary to gauge learners' readiness for the behavioral change that autonomy implies. Data collected from a questionnaire on learner beliefs about language learning is presented. Factor analysis of subjects' responses indicated six underlying dimensions. (41…

A questionnaire was submitted to Iranian students of English to determine their attitudes toward language, learning, and language learning. Responses were subjected to statistical analysis. Attitudes were generally favorable to second language learning, but confusion on some points suggests teachers might consider concepts of language and language…

Discusses the attitudes students have towards English before and after their tertiary studies. Follows 35 students in their university studies and provides another avenue for examining the language situation in Hong Kong. Findings suggest that students were generally comfortable with the language environments and courses offered in secondary and…

Discusses learner autonomy in formal language learning contexts. The author considers how autonomy is to be fostered, focusing first on learning strategies and learner training and then on the pedagogical dialogue and role of the teacher. It is argued that learning arises from interaction, which is characterized by interdependence. (26 references)…

Examines reasons for Arab student use of a student resource center, and particularly the computers located there. A discussion focuses on the factors involved and the philosophy on which computer-assisted language learning (CALL) development was based, the programs used, and student attitudes toward using the computers for self-access learning.…

Studied beliefs about language learning of Japanese university learners of English. Sought to validate a questionnaire developed for the Japanese context on a variety of beliefs; investigate the value of interview data to complement and explain questionnaire data; and describe beliefs about language learning and determine how those beliefs are…

Examines English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) undergraduate students' experiences with communicative language teaching (CLT), supported by in-class tasks and after-class newsgroup discussion. Presents students' perceptions of and their feelings about their learning experiences with this teaching approach, as well the frames of reference within which…

Investigated the perceptions of the cooperative learning experience of a group of middle school learners who studied the rules and mechanics of English as a foreign language, according to the dynamic of the Student-Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD) cooperative strategy. Subjects were Lebanese EFL learners. Results indicated learners were…

Investigated what English-language-learning classroom activities tertiary-level learners liked, and then compared these preferences with the activity preferences that teachers thought the learners held. Results show teachers were able to gauge their learners' preferences with accuracy for 54% of the activities, and that there was no clear pattern…

Results obtained through the implementation of an innovative technique designed to investigate the relationship between classroom interaction and learning outcomes are reported. Topicalization by learners is shown to be influential in accounting for learners' claims about uptake, learners' perceptions about what they have learned, in one…

Clarifies the nature of second-language (L2) self-instruction involving the use of self-instructional broadcast materials, with particular reference to Japan, where such materials are widely used. Analysis of responses to an open-ended questionnaire administered to 138 university students reveals benefits and problems associated with this mode of…

Conducted a survey of college French as a foreign language students' reactions to narrow listening, the repeated listening of tape-recorded interviews of proficient speakers discussing a topic both familiar and interesting to the acquirers, and their assessment of its impact on their language development. Students found narrow listening to be…