Sex Differences in Self-Reported Beliefs About Foreign-Language Learning and Authentic Oral and Written Input

This study examined differences in the self‐reports of men and women regarding their attitudes, beliefs, strategies, and experience in language learning. Nine hundred and thirtyeight students of Spanish at two large institutions responded to a questionnaire that had previously yielded 11 stable factors (Bacon & Finnemann, 1990). Through discriminant analysis, we could distinguish between the responses of men and women on two language‐learning factors (LL), two dealing with authentic input (AI), and two exposure variables. The discussion includes a justification for using discriminant analysis as a statistical tool in second‐language attitude and belief research.