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1.2 Significance of the Thesis
The efficiency of foreign language learning does not only depend on learners’ cognitive ability, but also on whether they developed a positive or negative affect during the process of learning. According to recent researches, students’ positive affect can facilitate a success in learning while negative affect can be an obstacle in the process of learning. However, negative affect can be changed into positive ones and gear up positive results. This finding calls more attention to the status of students’ affect in language learning.
Having a positive affect is a good start for students, especially for those elementary students, in language learning. The influence of affective factors in language learning has attracted more attention and interests since the 1970s; however, numerous studies on affect in learning a second language focused on adults, and the empirical studies on children are very sparse. The beginning stage of language learning is an important period for elementary students. This present study is expected to provide an investigation of affect from learners in elementary schools. This study will clarify the affective factors influencing on elementary students’ affect.
Findings of this study will provide some practical suggestions about the cultivation of students’ positive affect in elementary English teaching. Based on the result of this study, both students and teachers can take some efficient strategies in language learning and teaching in order to boost the development of students’ positive affect, improve the performance of students and also raise the degree of satisfaction of students in language learning.
1.3 Structure of the Thesis
This thesis is composed of five chapters.
The first chapter functions as an introduction to the background information, significance of the thesis and arrangement of this thesis. The second chapter covers the fundamental theoretical framework of this thesis including the reviews of relevant literature, definition of key terms. The third chapter depicts the research methodology, including the participants, research questions, measuring instruments and data collection. The fourth chapter is supposed to be the core part of the study in which results of the collected data from the elementary school will be analyzed. Questionnaires and interviews conducted with some students will be brought in to further explore the findings. Next, research questions will be answered one by one in detail. The fifth chapter serves as the conclusion. This part presents major findings, offers pedagogical suggestions and points out the limitations of this thesis.
2 Literature Review
2.1 Theoretical Studies on Affect in Second Language Acquisition
In the 1960s, researchers and educators have been concerned about affect problems in language learning. The western humanistic psychologists, represented by Erikson, Maslow and Rogers (1951), pay much more attention to the learners as an inpidual. They respect the learners’ inpidual demand and personal feelings, accept the students’ understanding of the real world and encourage the students to have self selection and self responsibility. According to them, the learning itself should include two aspects, the cognition and affect. Based on the above, American psychologists Salovey and Mayer (1993) have proposed that emotional intelligence is a kind of intelligence which includes the ability of distinguishing ourselves and others emotion by monitoring and using emotional message to guide the inpidual’s thinking. Psychologist Goleman (2006) first put forward the concept or notion of Emotional Quotient according to the emotional intelligence theory. Goleman (2006) considers that EQ includes the ability of self-control, enthusiasm, perseverance and self encourage. He also points out that the importance of emphasizing EQ is in that reminds the inpidual to pay attention to the combination of affect, characteristic and moral. More and more evidence reveals that the fundamental theory of life rooted in the hidden affect ability. All of the above viewpoints stress the importance of affect.