A Survey And Study Of Affective Filter In Chinese Learning

Krashen's "Monitor Model of the Second Language Development" consists of five hypotheses:the Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis,the Natural Order Hypothesis,the Monitor Hypothesis,the Input Hypothesis and the Affective Filter Hypothesis.Affective filter refers that besides comprehensible input,the process and effectiveness in second language acquisition is to be affected by affective filter.The emotional factors in Affective Filter in SLA are motivation,confidence and anxiety.Clear and strong motivation,sufficient confidence with low anxiety together can promote progress and effectiveness in SLA,while weak motivation,insufficient confidence and strong anxiety can hinder the progress and effectiveness.This thesis illustrates a survey conducted by the author to study the three emotional factors of motivation,confidence and anxiety in 52 American students' studying Chinese as a second language.The study,based on and guided by the hypothesis of affective filter,tests the correlation between the affective filter and the students' Chinese learning effectiveness,testifies the hypothesis with actual example investigation and provides some constructive suggestions to Teaching Chinese as a Second Language and the overseas students' Chinese learning.