Important Affective Factors in SLAWord文件下载.docx
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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