Abstract:
A large body of research has been conducted in the area of language learning beliefs, across the
world. Beliefs inevitably matters in the pragmatic aspect of language learning. If learners are
driven by misconceptions of language learning, the performance in class might be really low.
Teachers’ consciousness about English language teaching is also reflected in the methods
utilized in class. Research indicates that individual students differ considerably in their use of
learning strategies. Elaine Horwit, who developed the Beliefs About Language Learning
Inventory (BALLI) was the first to conduct a systematic research into the nature of language
learning beliefs. The theoretical framework of BALLI is based on five major components
pertaining to language learning; foreign language aptitude, the difficulty in language learning,
nature of (English) language learning, learning and communication strategies and motivation.
In order to collect data, a questionnaire survey was conducted with a group of 30 ESL learners
in the University of the Visual and Performing Arts. The sample group is little exposed to
English since their medium of instruction is Sinhala and most of them come from rural
backgrounds. The gathered data was statistically analyzed and several significant findings were
revealed. According to the survey, it was found out the subjects believe that it is easy to learn a
foreign language at a young age. The majority agreed that they have the ability to achieve
proficiency in English. All the female participants believe that women are better than men at
learning. Most of the subjects maintain a neutral opinion on learning English grammar. All the
participants agreed that they want to learn English and believe that they will have better job
opportunities if they learn English well. However, all the participants agreed that it is not
necessary to be able to speak in English to live in Sri Lanka. It appears that this questionnaire
is a valid instrument that can be applied to the Sri Lankan context to a great extent, despite its
limitations. In order to make it more applicable to the Sri Lankan context, slight modifications
should be done to make sure that the questions mirror the role played by culture, social
background, discipline of study and field of work, in shaping beliefs of English language
learners in Sri Lanka.
