This study investigated how student-centered learning affects first-year college students’ perceptions of and construction of investment in English learning. After finishing two reading assignments using a student-centered approach, 50 students completed open-ended written surveys, and 15 students participated in open-ended interviews. Thematic analysis of the data, which consisted primarily of the translated interview transcripts and secondarily of the survey responses, showed that initially the students recognized the importance of learning English but had ambivalent attitudes towards the language. However, after completing the student-centered reading assignments, they expressed self-confidence, a sense of accomplishment, and a will to learn, which helped them to concretely construct their investment in English learning. These findings indicate the positive impact of student-centered learning on students’ perceptions of English and their construction of investment in learning the language, highlighting its importance in helping students, particularly as an alternative to exam-driven instructional approaches common in Korea’s environment of English fever and similar contexts.