| The Standard of English Curriculum of the Full-time Compulsory Education and Ordinary High School (experimental draft) issued by our country's Ministry of Education affirm that "Affect is an important factor that influences the student's study and development". For the first time affect becomes one of the five English teaching goals, and the first task of English course at the basic educational stage. Affective factors in the course of English teaching and learning cannot therefore be overlooked and evaded any longer. At the time we are advocating quality-oriented education and executing the new standard of English curriculum, it has become especially important that much attention should be paid to affective factors in English teaching. Actually it has become one important task to carry out research on how to cultivate the students' positive affect in the present middle school English teaching.There are many affective factors that affect English learning. According to the requirement of the new standard of English curriculum as well as reality of middle school English teaching and learning in China, the thesis focuses on three important affect factors of motivation, interest and self-confidence from the individual factors that affect English learning, and the teacher-student relationship, a decisive factor in any teaching from the interpersonal affective factors. The research method includes referring to data, interviews, observation and the author's teaching experience. First, the thesis discusses importance to do research into affective factors from the following aspects: (i) Affect has various functions helpful for teaching; (ii) Language and affect are inseparable; (iii) Attention to affective aspects can lead to more effective English teaching and learning; (iv) It is considerably significant for people's all-around development; (v) Affect is helpful to solve some problems in the present English teaching; (vi) To cultivate positive affect is an important task of English teaching in middle schools.Secondly, having compared different definitions of affective factors in foreign language learning, the author agrees the definition from our country's new standard of English curriculum: Affect refers to interest, motivation, self-confidence, will and cooperative spirit that influence the course and effect of students' learning, broaden their horizon, and cultivate their patriotism. This definition emphasizes that teachers should attach great importance to training students' positive affect. And it also embodies the idea of "positive learning attitude is the key to success of English learning". Besides, the thesis argues that the relationship between teachers and students plays an important part in the shaping and training students' interest, motivation and self-confidence of learning, and that we English teachers can never ignore it. Therefore, the author believes that the most important affective factors in high school English study are interest, motivation, self-confidence and the teacher-student relationship.Having summarizing the present situation of domestic and international related research, this thesis concentrates on the strategies of cultivating students' positive affect in English teaching, which includes the following four aspects: (i) strategies for arousing and fostering students' interest in English learning; (ii) strategies for stimulating and strengthening students' motivation on English learning; (iii) strategies for helping students to set up and maintain their self-confidence in English learning; (iv) strategies for English teachers to establish good teacher-student relationship. For each of them, the paper provides not only theoretical bases such as pedagogy, psychology, sociology, linguistics and language pedagogy, but also specific, first-hand examples which are easy to understand and use. The purpose of this research is to offer middle school English teachers some materials of practical value in implementing the affect goals prescribed in the new standard of Engli...
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