The Affective Filter Theory in Chinese Education

Xiaolu Fan

【Abstract】With the increasingly emphasizing on psychology and the thriving of second language acquisition，there is a growing understanding of the importance of affective factors in second language learning. As a fundamental role in human life， emotion play a significant role in second language learning. It has been thoroughly clarified by theories that language teaching should focus on students all round development， which means to integrate their cognitive and affective elements. In fact， however， there are increasing number of students and teachers who focus on the effect of cognition instead of that of affect， which might contribute partly to passable English teaching and learning effect. Based on Krashens affective filter theory， this paper attempts to analyse the current situational problems of Chinses language teaching so as to enhance the foreign language teaching level.

【Key word】second language learning； language teaching； affective elements Krashens； affective filter theory

【作者簡介】Xiaolu Fan（1995-）， Female， now is studying for a masters degree in International Education at the University of Bath， UK. Research direction： international education and globalization.

1. The definition and importance of affective filter theory

To establish the importance of affective factors in second language learning， it is necessary to introduce definition of affective filter theory. For the purpose of reducing learners negative emotion and fear of difficulties， Stephen Krashen （1982）， an excellent professor at University of Southern California indicates that， language teachers should create a more relaxing and effective teaching environment， where students can correct mentalities and build self-confidence for language learning. In the affective filter theory， Krashen regards the negative emotion as a filter which impedes the input that learners can understand between the teachers and learners.

It is thought that， the affective filter may have been an important factor in second language acquisition. Many researchers has stressed the importance of affective filter thesis. For example， Arag?o （2011） explains the significance of affective filter thesis with two reasons. Firstly， the emotion statement is one part of normal activities that cannot be ignored. Secondly， affective factors may contribute to both language learning and language teaching， which seem to decide the comprehensive development of students. The next chapter described Chinese current educational situation and reasons why that happened.

2. The current Chinese educational situation

As increasing attention attached to education of next generation， the Chinese educational situation improved in an certain degree. However， the excessive emphasis on students academic record and the pursuit of speed-up educational programs， have led to both ignorance of students mental state and backwardness of language teaching. The foreign language teaching in China is mainly based on classroom teaching， which means the teacher play a relatively important role in classrooms who shoulder responsibility of imparting facts and theories as well as solving puzzles， while the students are just passive receivers. Therefore， students rarely have opportunities to put it into practice， even if they do， they almost imitate to make sentences mechanically. Such teaching philosophy and learning methods will inevitably lead to students high scores on exams and low abilities in practice. On the whole， the current situation of language education has problems related to both students psychological state and teachers teaching philosophy. Therefore， several factors are known to be partially responsible for this.

The most likely cause of that might be current Chinese educational system. For the past few decades， under the influence of the college entrance examination system， a system that means the chance of stepping into excellent universities for students measured by their college entrance examination achievement. Therefore， to help students embrace promising futures， most schools try their best to raise students level of learning achievements instead of their mental development， which is particular in language teaching. In one world， the current examination system has negative effect on foreign language learning to some extent.

Another reason which causes the present situation of language teaching is the defects of teaching philosophy. Teachers teaching philosophy is a foundation of class which has effect on students understanding （Betty， Lein & Dein， 2009）. For the past few years， the society has created an consensus that what we chase for language teaching should be fast rate of achievement instead of the quality of language learning. A classic example is that， the number of crash courses is increasing dramatically for the past few decades. In that way， both teachers and schools generate a kind of distorted teaching philosophy called cramming method of teaching， which is quite controversial in society. Cramming method of teaching means teachers only teach textbook knowledge rather than focusing on emotional guiding for students. In that case， although students appear to grasp a basic knowledge of language in a relatively short time， they might not acquire the essence of English learning， needless to say learning interest. In this section， it has been explained reasons related to less concern to foreign language studies in China， the chapter that follows will move on to consider the solution mitigating these problems.

3. The solutions to mitigate current problems

According to current Chinese educational situation for foreign language learning， there might be some solutions to create a better environment for students to grasp a second language and develop an excellent teacher-student relationship to deepen the understanding of English language.

For teachers， creating a relaxing and pleasant teaching environment seem to be essential. In general， a diverse learning environment attract student full attention into language learning along with different study methods， which is crucial for learners. If students have opportunities to learn language in an relaxing environment， they may not feel restraint， and their interest and curiosity of language are more likely to be inspired. Consequently， they tend to accept and digest knowledge more easily and eager to practice the language skills which they acquired in the classroom. In addition， teachers tolerance should be devoted into students minor mistakes during class， and they might have to focus on correction skills rather than trying to criticize and rebuke students. To clarify， for those students who lack confidence and are sensitive to others assessments， teachers have to pay attention to their tone of speaking and avoid sarcasm. Moreover， teachers are better to focus on learners emotional needs. It is important for them to help students to fully express themselves and exchange their practical ideas with each other on an equal level. Consequently， to achieve that， teachers have to develop a correct educational teaching concept， which regards students as an equal and mature group， and also respect their own personalities， interests and hobbies. Therefore， leaners are more likely to dispel their fears， which might help them to devote themselves to their language learning. In one word， to help students master a foreign language more efficiently and easily， teachers have to change their teaching style on teaching environment and teacher-student relationship.

4. Conclusion

This article has argued the concern with second language learning in China， which lack of focus on students affective factors. To conclude， the significance of this article is that， based on Krashens affective filter theory， it has presented current educational situation of China together with some solutions that teachers might pay attention to. An implication of this is the possibility that there are more use of affective factors put into effect in second language learning， raising the level of foreign language teaching. In the future， what educators emphasize on may not be only pure knowledge， but the importance of affective factors. In that way， both teachers and parents are willing to create a less stressful study environment for students， which is helpful for students overall development both mentally and physically. A limitation of this study might be that mental state is hard to measure， therefore， it could be difficult for researchers to observe students mental state when they learn a second language. Hence， the future research could be usefully to explore how the affective factors can be influenced in second language learning， and how to monitor the change of students mental condition.

References：

[1]Arag?o，R..Beliefs and emotions in foreign language learning. System，2011，39（3）：302-313.

[2]Beatty，J.E.，Leigh，J.S.and Dean，K.L..Philosophy rediscovered：Exploring the connections between teaching philosophies educational philosophies，and philosophy[J].Journal of Management Education，2009，33（1）：99-114.

[3]Krashen，S.D.，Child-Adult Differences in Second Language Acquisition.Series on Issues in Second Language Research[J].Newbury House Publishers，Inc.，Rowley，1982MA01969.