Research traditions in social science have usually been made a binary distinction between qualitative and quantitative research. However, though qualitative research focuses on definitions, meanings, and descriptions, refining and placing them in context, and frequently portraying them in words rather than numbers, it is not antiquantitative. In recent decades, there has been a gradual proliferation of research concerning the distinctive contribution of qualitative methods to educational research. The most common form of qualitative research in education seeks to discover and understand a phenomenon, a process, or the perspectives and worldviews of the people involved in various educational contexts.
Recent years have also seen increased attention being given to qualitative research in the TESOL/SLA literature. This essay is based on studies previously done in TESOL/SLA research and aims to provide educational researchers with a broad range of language learning issues, especially with examples from language learning strategies and learning beliefs from the qualitative perspective. This brief essay is structured as the following. The first section deals with qualitative methods used to study language learning strategies. In adopting psychological models for explaining how language learning strategies are acquired by learners, researchers tend to view strategy use as a mental process, that is, to believe that language learning strategies reside mostly in the mind. Qualitative methods are therefore very useful to identify learners’ mental processing. This is followed by a discussion of qualitative methods used to study language learning belief. Learners are usually aware of their own mental   processes in learning English. It would also seem advisable to make an effort to identify language learning beliefs through the qualitative methods. Then, the distinctive contribution of qualitative methods to clarify the relationship between learning beliefs and strategies are discussed.
Language teachers and researchers currently place much importance on the role of the learner; characteristics such as learning styles, beliefs, strategies, attitudes, and motivations are currently viewed as essential factors to be considered in the language learning process. Language learning strategies and learning beliefs are often identified through the qualitative methods. Qualitative methods are therefore very useful to identify learners’ mental processing, and they are still better ways available to us to develop some understanding of learners’ mental processing. Moreover, it appears important to obtain a current, in-depth understanding of how the learners learn English in terms of learning beliefs and strategies through qualitative methods.
 

qualitative methods, language learning beliefs, language learning strategies, second language acquisition research