Travelling among Languages – Comparing Language Learning Beliefs of Learners at Home Versus Migrant or Immigrant Workers

• Main Author: Biró Enikő
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 2015-12-01
• Series: Acta Universitatis Sapientiae: Philologica
• Subjects: language learning beliefs; interview; bilinguals; dominant bilingualism
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1515/ausp-2015-0044

The paper presents a qualitative approach to language learning beliefs while analysing case studies in detail to offer significant insight into these beliefs and language learning as well. A number of studies have shown that the belief system of language learners plays a decisive role in their success and failure in language learning (Bernat & Gvozdenko 2005; Horwitz 2008). The research presents the content analysis of interviews with bilingual participants. Interviews were carried out with migrant workers, other interviews with bilingual students in Romania, as well as online interviews with immigrant workers in the EU. The paper explores different beliefs learners hold regarding learning languages. By comparing migrant workers’ and students’ beliefs the complexity of positive and negative beliefs are presented. These may change due to previous and current language learning experiences, cultural-, social-, and educational background, personality traits, etc. The result of the qualitative analysis has shown that beliefs are linked to the particular language placed in a socialcultural dimension; the same beliefs may not be possible to be transferred to the next language being learnt, individual differences in beliefs regarding learning languages and their dynamic change in different language learning processes are investigated in details.