Using Student Beliefs About Language Learning and Teaching in the Foreign Language Methods Course

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Abstract
Prospective foreign language teachers enter the methods class with many preconceived ideas about how languages are learned and how they should be taught. These beliefs can directly interfere with their understanding of and receptivity to the information and techniques presented in the methods class. This paper describes two instruments for eliciting student beliefs about language learning and teaching, the Foreign Language Survey (FLAS) and the Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI), and reports on typical responses of methods students to the BALLI. The discussion of the instruments and the student responses illustrate the kinds of beliefs students may hold which can inhibit their learning. It is suggested that a systematic assessment of student beliefs would increase student learning and satisfaction in the foreign language methods class.

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