The Relationship Between Students’ Beliefs about Language Learning and TheirAttitudes towards Their TeachersA Study in English Language Classes at Azad University,. Shiraz, Iran

Abstract. In the 20th and 21st centuries English has become an indispensable part of educational curriculum in Iranian schools. Despite all the efforts and investments devoted to cultivate and popularize English among Iranian language learners, the outcome could not live up to the authorities’ expectations. Learning a language is influenced by a variety of factors. Two of the most important of which are the learner’s attitude and perception toward the target language. A great body of research has proved that learners’ attitude towards foreign language learning and success in learning a foreign language were highly related. This study investigated the interrelated relationship between students’ beliefs about language learning and their attitude towards their teachers in Iran, as well as the possible difference that existed between boys’ and girls’ attitude towards learning English as a foreign language. The findings indicated that there was a low, positive and significant relationship betweenthe participants’ beliefs about language learning and their attitudes towards their teacher. It was also observed that there was a significant difference between males and females in terms of their beliefs towards foreign language aptitude and difficulty of language learning. Based on the mean scores, it can be inferred that the females have the stronger beliefs in foreign language learning than males.