English in Brazil: functions and attitudes

The present survey project aims at investigating and describing the attitudes of Brazilian EFL learners towards the target language. The focus is on their perception of the importance of English as a language for international communication, the role of English within Brazil and the learners' expectaitons of time and energy to be consumed in the learning of the language. The participants are 190 adult learners attending a private institute in the metropolitan area of Sa˜o Paulo who answered a survey questionnaire. The answers are discussed and the results analyzed vis‐a`‐vis the importance of creating a curriculum which addresses not only the formal features of the language but also the cultural and attitudinal elements which are brought into the classroom.