Cooperative Learning And Affect In English Language Learning

Scholars have discovered that affective factors can play a significant role in learning process since development of humanism in the 1960s. Humanism emphasizes the importance of whole-person development, including both cognitive development and affective development. In this sense, it's necessary to pay attention to both cognitive factors and affective factors in teaching and learning process. On the basis of these findings, many foreign language researchers have discovered that affective factors can play a critical role in foreign language learning and teaching. Attention to affective factors can improve language learning and teaching. However, the influence of traditional educational conception that the development of cognitive skills is our sole educational goal determines that we just pay attention to the cultivation of cognitive skills and neglect the development of affective factors in English learning and teaching process, which can result in low efficiency. Considering the importance of affective factors in English language learning, this dissertation proposes that we should make full use of cooperative learning to develop learners'positive affective factors in College English teaching so that learning process can be greatly facilitated. Cooperative learning refers to a system of teaching and learning strategies which take small groups as the basic form of the classroom structure, requiring interaction among group members engaged in tasks in which all members have both something to contribute to and learn from other members. Cooperative learning can develop learners'positive affective factors---increasing motivation, forming positive attitude, increasing self-esteem and reducing anxiety. In a deep sense, cooperative learning incorporates the balanced goal of developing learners affectively, cognitively and psychologically to foreign language learning and teaching, therefore, it facilitates the holistic development of a person. This is in accordance with the quality education that is going on in our country. This dissertation introduces how to incorporate cooperative learning into classroom to improve positive affective factors and the effective results will be tested by statistical analysis. This dissertation consists of five chapters. Chapter One briefly introduces the background of foreign language learning and teaching research, the present state of College English teaching in China and the significance of this research. Chapter Two offers the definition of affect and provides some theories and assumptions relevant to affect from the perspectives of linguistics, second language acquisition and psychology. These theories become the theoretical foundation for the whole dissertation. Chapter Three deals with four important affective factors: motivation, attitude, self-esteem and anxiety. Based on former research findings, we can draw such conclusions: motivation provides dynamics while anxiety is the obstacle in learning process; learning with motivation can be more effective and intrinsic motivation should be encouraged; there is a distinction between facilitating anxiety and debilitating anxiety, and the best way to deal with it is to obtain an optimal level; the four factors are not isolated but closely related to each other. All of these research findings of affective factors can be used as the basis for the further research. Chapter Four introduces the role that cooperative learning plays in developing learners'positive affective factors in English learning process. The chapter begins with the significance of developing positive affective factors in English learning. Then it presents us with detailed discussion about the cooperative learning, including the definition, the theoretical background, especially the function of developing positive affective factors. Cooperative learning can increase motivation, form positive attitude, increase self-esteem and reduce anxiety. And then it discusses the approaches of implementation of cooperative learning in college English class in detail and some problems that can be encountered when cooperative learning is carried out. At the end of the chapter, it makes use of a study to prove that cooperative learning can develop some positive affective factors. Chapter Five summarizes the major findings of the research, the implication of the research, limitations of the present research and suggestions for the further research.