ESP and Learners' Beliefs

概要

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The Action Plan to Cultivate "Japanese with English Abilities" encouraged Japanese universities to shift focus to more practical and communicative aspects. Also, not only the Ministry of Education but also future students, with a broader selection of universities, called upon the accountability of university curriculums. With no required course of study or standards set by the Ministry for universities, curriculum development based on the needs analysis of students and the society is inevitable. Our business administration department was established with a minimum standard of TOEIC scores, and the TOEIC committee was formed with representatives of the language education center and faculty of business administration and pursued various unique curriculum development strategies. For further expansion, they decided to develop listening-teaching materials based on ESP for the management administration department. However, not all students are confident of success in learning English. Unsuccessful learning experiences can lead students to conclude that special abilities are required to learn a foreign language. This article reports two empirical studies on the beliefs that influence students' behaviors in selecting learning strategies and on their expectations toward English education at the university.