个体因素对英语学习的影响

个体因素对英语学习的影响PAGEPAGE1个体因素对英语学习的影响--学习者的情感因素英语教育摘要外语学习的最终效果除了涉及到一些客观方面的因素（如学校环境，个人的天赋，老师的水平等等）外，还涉及到学习者自身的一些个体因素如情感因素。在语言的学习过程中，情感因素对学习的促进或阻碍起着至关重要的作用。不仅如此，个体因素也具有两面性，积极的情感作用会推动英语的学习，相反，消极的情感作用则有碍于英语的学习。因此，除了学生应该提高自身素质，注重自己的一些情感方面的方法的培养外，老师也应该注重培养学生的积极的情感，注意采用好情感教学。为了让情感教学扮演好积极的角色来更有效地激发学生参与学习的热情与兴趣，促进学生认知活动的良好稳健的发展，老师应该找出学生之间的不同，然后“对症下药”，只有这样，我们的英语教学才会不断地向前发展。这篇文章，作者将从个体因素的定义，功能，对英语学习的影响方面进行阐述然后再从学生自身和老师两方面提出一些建议，希望教者与学者根据这些建议，把两者有机结合起来，对我们的英语教学起到一定意义上的理论指导作用。关键词：个体因素，情感因素，英语学习，影响，有效的方法TheInfluencesofIndividualFactorsonEnglishLearning——OnLearners’AffectiveFactorsHANMeiRongAbstracts:Theresultofforeignlanguagestudyinvolvessomeobjectivefactors(suchasacademicenvironment,one'sowntalent,theteacher'sleveletc.),stillinvolvelearners’one’sownindividualfactorssuchasaffectivefactors.Inlanguagelearning,theaffectivefactorsplayanimportantroleinpromotingorhindering,whatismore,theindividualfactorsarecritical,sobesidesthestudentsthemselvesshouldimproveself-qualities,theteacheralsomustpayattentiontotrainingstudents'positiveemotion,payattentiontoemotionteaching.Inordertoplaythepositiveroleofemotionteachingtoexcitestudent'senthusiasmandinterestofparticipatinginstudymoreeffectivelyandpromotethesounddevelopmentofstudent'scognitiveactivity,theteachershouldfindoutthedifferencesbetweenthestudentsandthengiveacorrectdiagnosistothestudents.[Keywords]:individualfactors;affectivefactors;Englishlearning;influences;motivate;effectiveways1.IntroductionInrecentyearsinChina,learningEnglishhasbeenaveryprevalenttendencyandithasbecomemorepopularandurgentasChinasucceededinbiddingtoholdthe2008OlympicGamesandenteringintotheWorldTradeOrganization.Masteryofaforeignlanguage,especiallyEnglish,isviewedasapassporttoone’sfuturesuccess,thus,moreandmorepeopleswarmintothetideofEnglishlearning.Inaddition,theEnglishlearnershavebecomeyoungerandyoungerthatEnglishcoursesaretaughtinGradeThreeorGradeOneofprimaryschoolsandeveninkindergartens.Furthermore,mostofparentssendtheirchildrentosomeafter-schoolEnglishclassesontheweekendsinthehopeofpromotingthechildren’sEnglishlearning,yetsomeoftheteachersandparentsareinfrustrationofrecognitionofthechildren’slowattitudeandgradesinEnglishlearning.Therefore,asteachers,theyshouldknowthepsychologicaltheoryintheteachersorthestudentsmustpaymoreattentiontoitssignificancetolanguagelearningsuchasEnglishlearningbecauseaffectionitselfisthedrivingforcewhichthestudentsbehave,whichhasitsduality:positiveaffectioncanimprovethestudents’interestsinlearning,itbelongstoeffectivemotivation;however,negativeaffectionmayleadtotherebelliousbehavior,anditwillhaveanegativeinfluenceonlearning.Whatismore,affectionexiststhewholeprocessofthestudents’learningbehavior;itwillaffectthestudents’learningmotivation,enthusiasm,andtheresultsoflearningandeventhecharacteristicsofstudents’inthefuture.Atpresent,thereformofthefundamentaleducationalcurriculumhasfullyrecognizedtheeffectsofaffectiveeducation,TheNewCurriculumhasreferredthatthecontentandthetargetofEnglishcurriculumshouldbebasedonlanguageskills,languageknowledge,affectionandattitude,learningstrategies,culturalconsciousnessinordertomakethestudentsachievetheabilityoflanguageintegratedskills.ItisclearthataffectionplaysavitalroleinEnglishlearning.Tolstoysaid:“Successinteachingisnotcompulsorybuttostimulatestudent’sinterest.”ThenhowdoesaffectioninfluenceonEnglishlearning?WhichwayscanwemotivatestudentsinEnglishlearning?5.TheWaystoMotivateinEnglishLearningGoodwayscanhelpthestudentslearnEnglisheffectively,sointhissection,theauthorwillgivesomeadvicetothestudentsandtheteachers.5.1AsfortheStudentsFirstofall,intheteachingprocess,thestudentsarecentered,thustheauthorwantstodiscussthequestionsfromthestudents’pointofview.Onlythestudentsthemselvesrealizetheimportanceoflearning,theteacherscanplaytheleaderroleeffectively.Therefore,theauthorhopesthatthestudentscandotheseasfollowsbeforetheybeginlearningaforeignlanguagesuchasEnglish:5.1.1HavingaclearrecognitionabouttheenvironmentofEnglishlearningOurmothertongueisChinese,inreality,welackofakindofsituationaboutEnglish;moreover,ourmothertongueitselfhassomeinfluenceonforeignlanguagelearningespeciallyEnglish.Consideringthat,whenthestudentsfacethedifficultiesinthefuturestudyinglikeoralEnglish,listeningskillsorgrammarquestions,theywilltakeeffectivemeasurestodealwiththemactively.5.1.2CorrectingtheattitudetowardsEnglishlearningItisso-called“Theattitudedecideseverything”.Havingacorrectattitudeishelpfultolearnwell.Infact,theattitudetowardsstudyinghasaninfluenceonlearningeffect.Therewasacase:intheexperiment,therewasalearnerwhodidnotunderstandtherequirementsabouttheexperiment,afterhereadeightsyllableswhichhavenomeaningforforty-sixtimes,theteacheraskedhimwhetherhecouldmemorizethemornot,heevencannotsayoutasyllable.However,whenheattainedthewholerequirements,hehadapositiveattitudetomemorizethemagain,justforawhile,herecitedallthesyllables.AnAmericanfamousprofessoreversaid,“Creatinghumanbeing’saccomplishment,besidesthecapability,thereisakindofcatalyst,whichisattitude.Whenwehaveacorrectattitude,wecanmakefulluseofourowncapability,andthenthegoodresultswillappearnaturally.”Therefore,agoodattitudecanpromotethelearners’study.5.1.3GettingintoagoodstudyhabitAgoodhabitcanincreasethechancetosuccess.Ofcourse,asanEnglishlearner,thatisthesame.Thus,thestudentsshouldgetintoagoodstudyhabit.Forexample,theycanpreviewthewordsandthereadingmaterialsbeforetheteacherbegintohavealecture.Atthatmoment,theyshouldmarkwheretheycannotunderstand.Next,theyshouldlistentotheteacherinclasscarefullyandtakesomenecessarynotesinordertohelpthemreviewafterclass;andthentheyoughttospendenoughtimememorizingthewords,phrasesandusefulexpressions.Whatismore,theyneedapplythesetolifeintimesuchasspeakingEnglishtocommunicatewiththeothersorreadingnewspapersormagazinesinEnglish.Likethat,learningEnglishisnotadifficultjobanymore.Besides,wecanhavefunstudyingEnglish.5.1.4Sometimes,wemaymeetsuchaproblem:StudentAisaveryhard-workingstudent,hecanalwayscompletethetaskcarefullyontimewhetherinclassorafterclass,however,theresultsarenotsosatisfyingthathecannotbecomethetopstudentinclass.Onthecontrary,StudentBisaplayfulstudent,healwaystakesanactivepartinallkindsofactivitiesifhelikesasifhedidnothaveenoughtimetostudy,tooursurprise,heisthetopstudentinclassorinschool.Wemayaskwhyinsurprise.Atthemoment,wehavetosayusefulandsuitablelearningstrategiesarenecessarytostudyeffectively.Thestudentswhodonothaveeffectivestudyshouldcommunicatewithotherexcellentstudentsmoreoftensoastofindmoreeffectivelearningstrategies.5.2AbouttheTeachersNext,astheleadingrole,howshouldtheteachermotivatethestudentsinlearningEnglisheffectively?Therearesomewaysasfollows:“Youcanleadahorsetowater,butyoucan’tmakehimdrink.”Motivatingstudentsisalittlelikethat.ItnotonlyinvolvesleadingthemtolearningEnglish,butalsomakingthemhaveathirstyforknowledge.Asakindoflanguagelearning,Englishlearninghasitsowncharacteristicsthatneedthelearnersremembermore,practicemoreandcommunicatemorethanothersubjects.Students’motivationiscriticalforEnglishlearning.Englishteachersareorganizersorleadersinteaching.Theyhaveresponsibilitytoincreasetheirstudents’inclinationtoperformwillinglyandactivelyonEnglishlearning.5.2.1UsingvariousandinterestingactivitiesItiseffectiveandfunctionaltoapplyvariousandinterestingactivitieswithmoderatechallengetoattractstudentstoarousetheircuriosityinEnglishlearninginviewofintrinsicmotivation,arousalandthecharacteristicsoflanguagelearning.Languagelearningisalittledifferentfromothersubjectsthatneedstudentstodeveloproundlyinfourskillsoflistening,speaking,readingandwritingbyrememberingplentyofvocabulary,sentencesandgrammar,practicingandspeakingmoreinclass.StudentsarewillingtoparticipateinEnglishlearningbycombiningEnglishwithrecreationandtorealizethatEnglishlearningcanbeinterestingandfunwiththeirinvolvementinwhichisthekeytomaintainingmotivationthroughoutalesson.GamesarewelcomedinEnglishteachingespeciallyinelementaryschools.AsAydanErsozexplains:Well-chosengamesareinvaluableastheygivestudentsabreakandallowstudentstopracticelanguageskills.Gamesarehighlymotivatingsincetheyareamusingandchallenging.Furthermore,theyemploymeaningfulandusefullanguageinrealcontexts.Theyalsoencourageandincreasecooperation.

Guessinggame,gapfilling,chainstorygamesarepracticalandinterestingthatcanbeusedinEnglishlearning.Inrole-play,songsandsummerEnglishcampingtripsarealsoeffective.Somerealsituationdiscussionandcreativeactivitiessuchascreateanadvertisementareencouragedinhighergrade.Variousandinterestingactivitiesencouragestudentstoinvolveasmuchofthetimeandeffortaspossibleandaswellasenhancelearningmotivation.

5.2.2InvolvingnewandeffectivetechniquesAssometechniqueshavebeenemployedinteaching,therearemorechoicesandmoremethodsforteacherstostimulatestudents’intrinsicmotivationsuchasCALL(computerassistedlanguagelearning),multimedia,usingInternetandeducationalsoftware.Thesemethodsareinnovative,interesting,practicalandeffectivewithcolorfulpictures,vividvoices,plentifulinformationandeffectiveinteractionthatarousestudents’curiosityandinterestandaswellaspromotetheirintrinsicmotivation.Withintrinsicmotivation,manystudentscanstartself-studyinschoolsorathomestoeffectivelyimprovetheirlistening,readingandwritingthroughthismethod.

5.2.3Highexpectationandusingrewardappropriately

AnEducatoroncesaid:“Theteachingmethod,whichoncehitstudents’fieldofemotionandwill,aswellasthepsychologicalneedsofstudents,willbecomehighlyeffective.”HighexpectationandusingrewardappropriatelyareeffectivemethodsasoutwardpowertostimulatestudentsinEnglishlearningonthebasisofextrinsicmotivationtheory.Sometimesourexpectationsaboutpeoplecauseustotreattheminwaysthatmakethemrespondjustasweexpectedtheywould(Good&Brophy,1991:114).Extrinsic-motivatedstudentsneedtoberefueledbyoutwardenergysuchasteachers’highexpectations,praiseandsomerewards.Researchdemonstratesthatteacherexpectationsinfluencestudentachievementhigherexpectationcanyieldbetterperformancefromstudents.“Iknowthatyoucanallsolvetheseproblemsifyouworkatit.NowgetstartedandI’llhelpyouifyourunintosomeproblems.”Thesewordsshowtheteacher’semotionalsupportandconfidenceinthestudent’sabilitiesandasresultthestudentwhoisespeciallyintrovertedandshytospeakinclasstrieshisorherbesttoovercometheproblemswithexpectation.Moreover,duringclass,teacherscanaskstudentstoanswerquestionsmoreoften,whicharemorecompleteandaccurate,andallowmoretimetoanswerandgivemoreencouragementtostiruptheirarousal.Andafterexams,cooperativeactivitiesandhomeassignments,teacherscanoffermorecompleteandpositivefeedbackorevaluationstostudentsabouttheirperformance.Meanwhile,asteachers,donotforgettogivemoreeffectiveandappropriaterewards,whichmustbeexplainedwhythestudentdeservesit;avoidgivingseverecriticismwhichwilllowerstudentmotivationandrewardsexcessivelythatstudentsmayrelyonrewardsasthereasonforlearningnotfortheknowledgeitself.

5.2.4Createarelaxedandpositivelearningclimate

Climateisimportantbecauseitcreatesanenvironmentthatencouragesbothachievementandmotivation(Raviv,Ravivi,&Reisel,1990:457).FromtheviewofMaslow’shierarchytheory,motivationandneedandthecharacterofEnglishlearning,arelaxedandpositivelearningclimateshouldbeprovidingforstudentslearningEnglish.Inafriendlyatmosphere,studentscanfeelsecureandtheirsenseofunderstandingandchallengeaswellaslearningmotivationcanbepromoted.InEnglishlearning,studentsneedagreatdealofpracticetospeakinclass,thusimplementingsomerulestoensurethemmakesufficientuseofthepracticetimeandatthesametimetomakethemfeelsafeandcomfortableandareawayfromcriticismandlaughingbymakingmistakes.Meanwhile,teachersshouldallowstudentstodiscussbroadlywithoutthefearofexpressingtheirownthoughtsdifferentfromothers.Whenstudentsmakesomemistakes,teachersdescribethemasopportunitiesforimprovementwithwarmcomments,suchas”Thisisagoodexperienceforyou.Whenyoufinallygetit,youwillhaveimprovedalot.”withmoresmilesandencourages,teacherscanhavemoreinteractionsandstandclosertostudents.Afterwards,beforestartingclassandactivity,teachers’explanationofwhatstudentssupposedtobelearningandwhytheyarelearningitpromoteasenseofvalueandmakestudentsmoreclearandpositiveinlearningEnglish.Thenteachersshouldpresenttaskswithchallengingintheprincipleofneithertooeasynortoodifficultthatbeyondthestudents’capacity,becausetasksthataretoodifficultdiscouragethemfromtrying;tasksthataretooeasyproduceboredomanddecreasedfeelingsofcompetenceandself-efficacy(Farrell,1990:460).Andwhenstudentsaredealingwiththetasks,teachersshouldpreparetogivesupportiveaidsatanymoment.

5.2.5Cooperativeactivities

Cooperativeactivitiesareatoptimalleveltokeepstudentsfeelsafeandcanstimulatetheirarousal.Thus,moreandmoreteachersusecooperativeactivitiesinEnglishteachingratherthancompetition,whichisalsorelativelyeffective.Incooperativeactivities,studentscandecreasefearoffailurewhilecommunicateandexchangeinformationeffectivelyandinvolvewithhighemotionandeffortstosolveproblems.Inthiscase,studentswhoarereluctantandfearfultoperformaredrawntoparticipatetosharetheirideas.ThismethodissuitableforhigherlevelofstudentstocommunicateinEnglish.Forexample,groupdiscussinganddoingproject,whicharecomplexandchallenging,areagoodwaytoenablestudentstoworkcooperativelywithpeers.Andasteachers,itismoreeffectivetoprovidehelpsandcommentfairlyontheirworkintimeoraskstudentstomakeaself-evaluationabouttheirprojects.Thisenablesstudentstofocusontheirlearningprocessandallowsthemtoseetheirprogress.Andself-evaluationgivesstudentsasenseofaccomplishmentandresponsibilityforlearning.5.2.6ThemostimportantuseoflearningEnglishistocommunicatewithpeoplebyusingthetargetlanguage,butnotallofthelearnersareactivetouseEnglishespeciallywhentheyarefrustratedbyfailureinEnglishlearning.ThemorewayswecangiveourstudentstouseEnglish,havefunwithEnglishandexperiencesuccessinEnglishlearning,themorelikelywearetokeepallourstudentsmotivatedandsuccessfulbasedonthetheoryofneedsandbeliefs.AndHamachekhasdoneagooddealofresearchontheeffectsoffailureonschoolachievement,andalmostwithoutexceptionconcludedthatsuccesstendstoencouragestudentstoraisetheirlevelofaspiration,whereasfailuregenerallycausesthemtolowerit(1972).Thispointcanbereachedbyprovidingmorechancestojoinactivitiesforstudentstoexperiencesuccesswithmorefreedomandself-determination.Forinstance,teacherscantakefiveminutesoutofeveryclasstimeforstudentstodothe“Iamateachertoday”activityinwhichprovidesstudentsanopportunitytochangetheirroleintoteachertoteachotherstudentsEnglishonclassasasenseofsuccess.Duringthesefiveminutes,studentsc