Inquiring into the Nature of Beliefs: Implications for Learner Autonomy Reflection and Practice

Human brains are prolific producers of thoughts about the world. One category of such thoughts, known as beliefs, is seen to play a key role in guiding human behavior. There is much current debate, however, about what beliefs actually are, i.e., their ontological status, and how second language acquisition researchers should go about conceptualizing and studying them. This article is an attempt to address this debate and ask what its implications could be for teachers interested in learner autonomy.