ECONOMICS STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARDS LEARNING ENGLISH

The command of the English language represents a considerable trump card both for promotion in the work place and in every day life, but it is impossible to claim at the moment that English language teaching has reached its desired goal yet (Bagceci, 2005) and that students' attitudes are unconditionally favourable. The study conducted within Transilvania University of Brasov, the Faculty of Economic Sciences was aimed at investigating undergraduates' and graduates' attitudes towards learning English. The research was based on a questionnaire with open-ended questions devised by the authors, and it was repeated after three years. The analysis was conducted according to the following criteria: level of study, academic results, year of research. The findings show certain similarities between the subgroups, as well as significant differences. The results are useful for understanding the evolution of students' altitudes regarding the study of the English language and for adapting the teaching-learning process. In addition, challenges and opportunities for language educators are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research.