Important Affective Factors in SLA.docx

Important Affective Factors in SLA.docx

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ImportantAffectiveFactorsinSLA

4.1Attitude

AttitudehasanessentialbutindirectinfluenceonSLA.OfallthepossibleattitudeshavingthisindirectrelationshipwithSLA,learners'attitudetowardsthetargetlanguagehasbeenthefocusofmostextensivestudy.

4.1.1Definition

AccordingtoHowardGardner,theattitudeisthereadyforpsychologicalandneuralstateanditorganizedbyexperience.Theattitudehaseffectonpersonalgoals.Attitudeincludesthecognitivecomponent,affectivecomponent,conativecomponent.Inthesecondlanguageacquisition,attitudescanbeexplainedbythreeapproaches.Thatarethelearners’attitudetothetargetpopulationandculture;thelearningbehavioroftheirownviews.

4.1.2TheRoleofAttitudeinSLA

Stevickemphasizestheimportanceofself-security,animportantfacetoftheattitudetowardself.“AmIwhatIwouldliketobeanintellectualbeingandalsoasasocialbeing?

DoIhaveanadequatemind,andamIthekindofpersonthatotherpeoplearewillingtospendtimewith?

Iftheanswertoallthesequestionsisaffirmative,thentheindividualisbetterabletoengageintheoftenhumblingprocessofacquiringasecondlanguage.Theattitudesthatthelearnerhastowardthetargetlanguageandthesecondlanguagecommunityseemtohaveaverysignificanteffectonmotivationinparticular.AccordingtoGardnerandLambert:

Thelearner’sethnocentrictendenciesandhisattitudestowardthemembersoftheothergrouparebelievedtodeterminehowsuccessfulhewillbe,relatively,inlearningthenewlanguage.Herestereotypingoftenplaysalargerole.Thein-groupoftenvaluescharacteristicsthattheout-groupsupposedlylacks.Amajoreffectofstereotypingistocreateorperpetuatesocialdistanceandsocialboundaries.Saville-Troikearguesthatstereotypesbuild“asocialbarrierwhichinhibitscommunicationandlearningandtheyaffecttheself-imageofthosewhoaretyped.”

Spolsky（1969）arguesstronglythat‘Oneofthemostimportantattitudinalfactorsistheattitudeofthelearnertothelanguageandtoitsspeakers’.Inaninvestigationof315foreignstudentsfrom80differentcountrieslivingintheUSA,hefoundsignificantassociationsbetweentheperceptionofsimilaritybetweenselfandEnglishspeakersandgradesinEnglish.Itsuggeststhatitisaffectivereactionstowardtheothergroupratherthantowardone’sowncommunitywhichisthepertinentvariable.Itmakesabigdifferencewhetherthelearnerholdsapositiveornegativeattitudetowardlearningasecondlanguage.Ifthelearnerhasapositiveattitude,hewillspendmuchmoretimeonlearning;hewillbeinterestedinlearning;hewilllikethesecondlanguagematerials.Asaresult,hewilldowellinlearningasecondlanguage.Onthecountry,ifthelearnerhasanegativeattitude,hewillhatelearning,andhewillavoidlearning.Intheend,hewillbeverypoorinlearningasecondlanguage.Thusweshoulddevelopthelearner’sactiveattitudetowardlearningasecondlanguage,itwillbenefitthelearnersalotinsecondlanguagelearning.

4.2Motivation

Motivationisatermwhichoccursinthediscussionofsecondratherthanfirstlanguagelearning.Ithasbeenlargelyacceptedthatmotivationisoneofthemostimportantfactorswhichmaycontributetothesuccessinsecondlanguagelearning.Browndiscovereditissupportedbyman’sneedsafteraseriesofexperiments.

4.2.1Definition

Theconceptofmotivationisconcernedwiththequestion‘Whydoesanorganismbehaveasitdoes?

’Weinferthisonthebasisoftwoclassesofobservations.First,theindividualdisplayssomegoal-directedactivity,andsecond,thatpersonexpendssomeeffort.Moreover,questioningthepersonwouldshowadesireor‘want’forthegoalinquestionandfavorableattitudestowardtheactivityoflearningthelanguage.Inshort,motivationinvolvesfouraspects,agoal,effortfulbehavior,adesiretoattainthegoalandfavorableattitudestowardtheactivityinquestion.

GardnerdefinedL2motivationas“theextenttowhichtheindividualworksorstrivestolearnthelanguagebecauseofadesiretodosoandthesatisfactionexperiencedinthisactivity.”Thelearnerdecidestochoose,topayattention,toengageinoneactivitybutnotothers;thelearnerpersistsoveranextendedtime.Andthelearnermaintainshighactivitylevel.Recently,motivationis“aprocesswhereacertainamountofinstigationforcearises,initiatesaction,andpersistsaslongasnootherforcecomesintoplaytoweakenitandtherebyterminateactionoruntiltheplannedoutcomehasbeenreached”.Despitetheconceptualdifferences,however,mostresearchersagreethatmotivationisrelatedtopersons’choiceofapopularaction,persistencewithit,andeffortexpendedonit.

Asbecomesobvious,intheabovedefinitions,（a）motivationisaprocess,（b）itinvolvesgoalswhichindividualshaveinmindandtrytoattain,（c）itrequiresactivityonthepartoftheindividuals;theactivitiesthatstudentsengageinaregearedtowardattainingtheirgoal,and（d）motivatedactivityisbothinstigatedandsustained.

4.2.2TheRoleofMotivationinSLA

MuchoftheresearchconductedbyGardnerandhisco-researcherssuggestedthatinteractivelymotivatedstudentsaremoresuccessfullanguagelearnersthanthosewhoareinstrumentallymotivated.Intheiropinions,thesecondlanguagelearner’smotivationisarelativestatictrait.However,integrativeorientationprovedfarlessimportantinforeignlanguagesettingswheresuchintegrationisvirtuallyimpossibleand,insomecases,highlyethnocentricindividualswhodonotevenliketheculturesofthelanguagearestudyinghaveachievedveryhighlevelsofforeignlanguageproficiency.Americanlanguagestudentswouldseemtohavelittleinstrumental,integrativeorassimilativeimperativeforlanguagelearning.FormostEnglish-speakingAmericans,knowingasecondlanguageisnotanessentiallifeskill,andfewcareerpathsrequireforeignlanguageproficiency.Thislackofmotivationforlanguagelearningcannotbeattributedsolelytothelanguagelearnersthemselves.Forexample,inourChina,thelearnersperhapsshowveryhighinstrumentalandintegrativeorassimilativemotivationsinlearningsecondlanguage.

Intrinsicandextrinsicmotivationshavedifferentinfluenceonlearners.Thelearnersareintrinsicallymotivatedwhenlearningisagoalinitself.Theyfindintrinsicallymotivatedtasksinterestingandchallenging;therewardisenjoymentoftheactivityitselforafeelingofcompetenceindoingthetask.Incontrast,studentsareextrinsicallymotivatedwhenlearningisdoneforthesakeofrewards.Anumberofresearchersandtheoristshavecontendedthatintrinsicmotivationcorrelatesmorecloselywithlanguagelearningsuccessthanextrinsicmotivation,butastudent’stotalmotivationismostfrequentlyacombinationofextrinsicandintrinsicmotivation.

Generallyspeaking,highlymotivated,successfullearnerspossessthefollowingnatures:

self-efficacy;aninternallocusofcontrol;positiveattitudestowardlearning,aneedforachievementandintrinsicmotivation;bothsocialrelatednessandself-directionorautonomy.

4.3Anxiety

Whileallhumansexperienceanxietyatonetime,itisbelievedthatsomepeoplemightbeanxiousmoreoftenthanothers,orhaveamoreseverereactiontoanxiety-producingsituationssothatlanguagelearningcouldbehampered.

4.3.1Definition

Anxietyisaveryimportantaffectivefactorforthesecondlanguagelearning.Anxietyhasbeenstudiedinthepsychologicaldomainanditisassociatedwithfeelingsofuneasiness,frustration,self-doubt,apprehensionorworry.Fromtheperspectiveofdefinition,anxietyisviewednegativelyanditisalsoregardedasaffectivedisorderandacommonaffectiveproblem.Anxietyis,perhaps,themostpervasivelyobstructivefactorinlearningprocess.

4.3.2TheRoleofAnxietyinSLA

Thoughexactanxietycanhelpthelearnersinlanguagelearning,anxietyindeedmakeslearnersnervousandafraidandthuscontributestopoorperformance;this,inturn,createsmoreanxietyandevenworseperformance.Consistentnegativecorrelationshavebeenfoundbetweenforeignlanguageanxietyandvariousmeasuresofforeignlanguageachievement.Muchoftheanxietyisassociatedwithunderstandingandspeakingtheforeignlanguage.Speakingpubliclyinthetargetlanguagehasbeenfoundtobeparticularlyanxietyprovokingformanylearners,eventhosewhofeellittlestressinotheraspectsoflanguagelearning.Withrespecttounderstandingtheforeignlanguage,somelearnersreportanindecipherablebuzzwhenevertheyareaskedtolistentotheforeignlanguage.Mostlanguageresearchesshowanegativerelationshipbetweenanxietyandperformance.Thenegativekindofanxietyissometimescalled‘debilitatinganxiety’,becauseitharmslearners’performanceinmanyways,bothindirectlythroughworryandself-doubtanddirectlybyreducingparticipationandcreatingovertavoidanceofthelanguage.Harmfulanxietycanberelatedtoplummetingmotivation,negativeattitudesandbeliefs,andlanguageperformancedifficulties.

Languageresearchersholddifferentviewsabouttheexistenceorsignificanceofhelpanxiety.Horwitz（1990）statedthatanxietyisonlyhelpfulforverysimplelearningtasks,butnotwithmorecomplicatedlearningsuchaslanguagelearning.Scovel（1978）suggestedthataclear-cutresultismademoredifficultbecauseanxietycanhavetwoeffectsthatcanceleachotherout,leadingtofacilitationinsomecasesandinterferencesinothers.Brown（1994）commentedthatitcouldwellbethatalittlenervoustenseintheprocessisagoodthing.Theconstructofanxietyhasanoptionalpointalongits