Abstract:
The aim of this study is to investigate changes in 56 Japanese students' beliefs about language learning and English language proficiency in a context of study abroad in New Zealand over a period of 12 weeks and the relationship between their beliefs and English proficiency. This study is significant for both practical and theoretical points of view. That is because although an enormous number of Japanese nationals have been studying English at language schools overseas, little empirical research has explored what they actually thought and learned during the study abroad, how their beliefs
develop over time, and what relationship there is between their beliefs and learning outcomes. The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data obtained by multiple sources found two notable tendencies of changes in the Japanese students' beliefs about language learning during study abroad. First, they tended to become more balanced
learners. They rediscovered the importance of analytic learning (e.g., learning grammar and vocabulary) in order to improve their communicative competence in English, while they reinforced their beliefs about the importance of experiential learning (e.g., speaking
with others in English). Second, they tended to become more realistic learners. They realised that, unlike their initial expectations, living in an English-speaking country does not automatically lead to a miraculous gain in English proficiency in a short period of time. Thus, they understood the importance of their own efforts. A statistically significant gain in the Japanese students' general English proficiency, measured by a standardised test (the Oxford Placement Test), occurred during the study abroad. Also, a statistically significant gain in the Japanese students' oral fluency occurred during the study abroad, but almost no improvement in the grammatical accuracy and sentence complexity of their oral production was found. Multiple regression analysis revealed that a positive shift in the Japanese students'
responses to the predetermined belief statements relating to experiential learning could predict an increase in the total test scores to some extent. That is, the Japanese students who reinforced their beliefs about experiential learning during the study abroad tended
to advance more in general English proficiency.