Adolescent and adult EFL learners? vocabulary learning and teaching beliefs

San Juan

Conferencia; 41st Faapi Conference; 2016

ASJPI y Faapi

In recent years, research within the fields of Cognitive Psychology and Applied Linguistics has focused considerable attention on the nature and effects of learner beliefs on language learning. According to White (2008), beliefs serve to guide the ways in which learners make sense of their experiences and behave. Although Barcelos (2003) contends that beliefs are rather elusive to explain, the researcher highlights the contextual nature of beliefs and defines them as a cognitive as well as social construct. Different data-collection strategies have been employed by researchers in order to elicit leaner beliefs such as questionnaires, interview and think-aloud protocols. The purpose of this paper is to report partials findings on a more comprehensive research study that investigated the perceptions, beliefs and learning strategies, regarding the learning and teaching of vocabulary. In this work we focus on beliefs and perceptions of students of two different age groups (adolescents and adults) enrolled in different educational institutions. A sample of ? adolescent and ?. adult respondents participated in the study. The data were collected by means of a structured closed-ended questionnaire responded by all the participants and open-ended interviews to a subset of the group. We will present first the theoretical framework on which the study is grounded and will next refer to the results by analyzing the similarities and differences found in the two age groups. Although reference will sometimes be made to quantitative data, the analysis will be mainly qualitative. To conclude, we will mention some of the pedagogical implications of the findings and make suggestions for further research. (258 words)