Chinese netizens debating the best ways to learn English in China

Learning beliefs play an important role in English learners' learning process. This paper reports on an internet-based inquiry into a group of unidentified Chinese netizens' discussion on what constitute the best ways to learn English in China. In the discussion, the netizens had some shared beliefs in learning English as a task, including those concerning the time commitment, strategic efforts, and the importance of supportive learning environment. They also disagreed with each other over whether accuracy or fluency is more important and whether or not texts/vocabulary should be memorized in the learning process. The netizens draw on their learning experiences and other knowledge to convince each other of their learning beliefs, thus providing insights into how they came to adopt such beliefs. These findings are of interest to both researchers and teachers in the wake of the call for more autonomous learning among language learners. Similar discussions may also serve as pedagogical tools for learners to reflect upon and examine their learning beliefs.