Emotive Factors And English Language Learning

Emotive factors in foreign language learning have always aroused the researchers' concern. Many teaching methods, which appeared one after another in the past, such as Suggestopedia, Silent Way, Community Language Learning, Total Physical Response, have laid stress on the emotive factors in language learning in a very central manner. Since the 70s of the 20th century, the focal point of language teaching and research has shifted from an emphasis on how to teach to how to learn and one of the important research fields is the emotive factor, which would cause different results to the study of the learners. Much misunderstanding of emotive factors still exists in China nowadays. In other words, while paying much attention to the development of students' knowledge and intelligence, we usually overlook the development of their emotion. As a result, the learners will have poor interpersonal relationships and naturally they won't be physically and mentally healthy. What's more, all these will exercise an evil influence on their knowledge and intelligence. This is what can not be ignored.In English language teaching, the term "emotion" is used to imply learner's soul experience ---- feelings, perception, moods, and preferences. Generally speaking, the emotive factors can be classified into two categories. One is called individual factors which concerning with the learner's attitude, anxiety, inhibition, motivation, etc. The other refers to the interactive ones. They are the psychological influence such as empathy, classroom transactions, cross-cultural processes, etc, which are created in the course of interaction among the learners or between the learners and teachers. If we view emotion from the aspect of feeling and the degree of the emotional experience, emotive factors can also be classified into three types: positive, negative and neutral.In the course of English learning, the learner acquires the information by the sensory nerves. Neurologist considers the information as the result of all kinds of stimuli. The brain evaluates the stimuli it receives and soon makes a response to the result of assessment. Many researches have shown that the neuro-biological system of human being can dominate his stimulative assessment of learning in the course of second language acquisition. If the neuro-biological system feels that the stimulation accords with emotion and intention of learning, a positive assessment will be made. Otherwise the negative one will be. The neuro-biological system is the channel for transmitting the emotive factors.The theory of emotional psychology is the theoretical base of the study of emotion. The process of emotional psychology mainly includes the process of cognition and the process of psychological changes while approaching to a certain object. The former is the process of choice and information, and the latter refers to the feelings of human being caused by the change of psychology that can promote or impede the process of cognition. Thus in good condition of emotion, the cognitive process of human being shows the characteristics of smart thinking and quick response, while in passive or depressed emotion, one may be slow in thought and reacting.In order to get a handle on the effect of the emotive factors in student's English learning practice, we conduct a specialized survey among 238 English- majored students from the College of Foreign studies, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin Electronics Institute, and Guilin Technology Institute. The students are from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and other provinces alike, and they range from grade one tograde three. Therefore, the result of the survey can represent the universal significance. Based on the survey of questionnaire, the thesis specially analyzes by items the emotive factors that learners present in their English learning process, and we find that emotive factors such as the learners' learning motivation, intention, interests, are all closely related with the result of English learning. Thus, the study of emotive...