Researches On An Emotional Framework For Cyber-Based English Instruction

The issue of emotion deficiency comes to the surface with the fact that web-based English learning has been gaining momentum in recent years with the currently rapid developments of internet. How to design effectively instruction to improve the deficiency has become a compelling and demanding work. The study introduces an emotional framework for cyber-based English instruction grounded on soft systematic method and instructional design theories from a combined perspective of emotion and e-learning, following the up-to-date trend of emotional design in the domain of instruction. The dissertation has three parts: review of literature, framework presentation and empirical study embedded with a diversity of research methods such as analysis of literature and cases, questionnaire and design-based research.Part One which is composed of the first two chapters is dedicated to the reflection on web-based English instructional design within which the topics are discussed from the perspectives of the history of instructional design, web-based practice of instructional design and along with emotional deficiency under the English e-learning circumstance. It is intended to address the issue that the value of cognition has long been overestimated and that the role and the necessity of emotion be overlooked. Then, it focuses on the study of emotion including the concept of emotion, the difference between emotional domain and emotional education and components of emotion. The part also provides an overview of the current researches on emotion under the web-based environment and its state-of-art development together with the increasing emotional orientation in instructional design. Thus, it is proved that there is much possibility to design an emotional framework for cyber-based English instruction.Part Two referring to Chapter Three presents the above-mentioned framework—an emotional framework for cyber-based English instruction (EFCEI) whose purpose is to strengthen the positive emotions and lessen the negative for the sake of better instruction on the basis of three theories: psychological perspective-emotional models and linguistics, designed-based perspective-cognitive affective schema and instructional perspective-Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis through soft system methodology. The framework which accounts for the integration of environment, English teaching theories, emotion and teaching strategies contains four towers -language perception, language understanding processing, emotions, instructional strategies and three levels-response processing, conscious management and meta-management as well as five most related emotional variants-anxiety, irritancy, confidence, excitement and joyfulness. The strategies employed in EFCEI are task-based activity strategies.Part Three concerned with empirical studies has the last two chapters which concentrate on two experiments implemented respectively guided by the method of design-based research(DBR) since it is a systematic and flexible methodology with five distinguished features-practicability, realisticality, repetition, integration and contextuality that can efficiently direct the experimental course from problem analysis, solution design, development to implementation. Chapter Four at first suggests a DBR framework for the experiments and then addresses the former three tasks of the research course. Chapter Five is intended to fulfill the fourth task through data collection and analysis from three aspects-collecting ways of data, results and discussion. The two experiments involved are those about emotional designs in English listening instruction via Frontpage and in English reading, listening, writing and translation instruction through the Moodle platform, whose aim is not to analyze the findings and reflect the principle of the suggested emotional framework but also to answer the questions the study is meant to examine. The findings of the study are shown as follows: 1. The emotional framework for cyber-based English instruction is acceptable and practical; 2. The framework is of much validity; 3.The degree of influence upon English learning is varied made by some other elements related with individual feelings, circumstance concerned, etc. 4.There are different distributions as to emotional variants when chosen while different learning tasks regarding reading, listening, writing and translation are carried out; 5. Emotional variants with stronger sense are less recognized.The dissertation ends with conclusions and some comments on future researches.