Discussion of Affective Factors in Foreign Language Teaching And Learning

沈欣慧

Affect is peoples attitude or experience to the objective things after considering weather the things conforms to the individual needs.In other words，it is a kind of peoples special reflection forms to the objective.Affective factors relate to the learners emotional state and attitude toward the target language.The term “affect” is a synonym of emotion with an even broader range.In the present context，affect will be considered in aspects of emotions，feelings，moods，dispositions and preferences.Affect have qualities of volatility and infectiousness.Affect is not only the basic needs of human body，but also the condition and premise of other physical and psychological activities.Research on affect in language learning is still strongly influenced by Blooms taxonomy.“The affective levels are described of receiving，responding，valuing，organization，and self-characterization through ones value system.”

Of all the factors that determine studentsability to acquire foreign language-age，culture，circumvent，affect and etc，individual affect has a strong influence on the students.As we know，affect refers to peoples subjective feelings and sentimental reflections when they face these phenomena of happiness，anger，grief and joy.Affect can be divided into positive affect and negative affect.Positive affect plays an active role in foreign languages learning and can help learners gain more learning opportunities.It also plays an important role in facilitating foreign language teaching and learning.On the contrary，negative affect is not helpful to bring learners potential into full play as many language learners are afraid of communicating with their classmates and teachers.They often feel anxious due to over-anxiety.All of these can lead to influent language expression，losing learning interest and confidence.

What is affective education？It is that teachers make full use of positive effect by adequately considering cognitive factors in foreign language teaching to perfect the aim of teaching and improve teaching effect.In language teaching，affect will be broadly considered as aspects of emotion，feeling，mood or attitude which condition behavior（Arnold&Brown; 46）.Various affective factors that can influence foreign language learning are intertwined，and we can not separate the function of one from that of others.The common and main affective factors in foreign language learning are anxiety，motivation，attitude，self-confidence and so on.

Traditional foreign language teaching and learning unilaterally emphasize on knowledge and ignore affective factors.The American humanistic psychologist Carl R.Rogers thinks that peoples cognitive activities is always accompanied by certain emotional factors and their ego creating potential cannot receive development and implementation when the affective factors are repressed or even killed.In recent years，the Learner-centered and Individualized Teaching Model is developing rapidly.The studentsaffective factors in foreign language teaching and learning have attracted more and more attention.Affective factors related to foreign languages learning are a kind of function that human being owns and a kind of action that can reflect human beings inner world.Psychology research shows that the learners affect can directly affect their learning behaviors and learning results.Education is not only a process of teaching and learning，but also an affection communication between teachers and students at the same time.

Foreign language learning is difficult.It is very common to face difficulty and setback in foreign language learning with the influence of linguistic and non-linguistic factors.Students should correct study attitude，build confidence，overcome negative mental barriers，turn pressure into motive force and persevere in learning，and they will obtain fine results eventually.Furthermore，teachersteaching attitude plays a great important role in their studentsforeign language learning.Teachers should develop students intellectually as well as emotionally，help students build up positive self- concept，create a community learning environment，use multiple entries in language teaching and provide students with genuine and real challenge to cultivate the studentspositive affective factors in the process of foreign language learning.

At the time we are advocating quality-oriented education and executing the new standard of foreign language curriculum，it has become especially important that much attention should be paid to affective factors in foreign language teaching and learning.Actually it has become very important to find the methods to cultivate the studentspositive affect in the present foreign language learning.Education is not only a process of teaching and learning，but also an affect communication between teachers and students.