The Effect Of English Teacher-student Classroom Interaction On Students' Learning Affect

Language learning never takes place in isolation, but in context. It is argued that English teacher-student classroom interaction can set the scene for potential language learning. However, the issue has not been addressed deeply and comprehensively in general. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the English teacher-student classroom interaction and its effect on students' learning affect.Firstly, this study attempts to describe the English teacher-student classroom interaction and whether the interaction constitutes optimum affective environments for English language learners, from two aspects: Teachers' questioning and Teachers' feedback.Secondly, the study intends to analyze the students' diaries to address the effect of the interaction on students' learning affect (positive or negative).Thirdly, this study tries to explore the strategies of optimizing English teacher-student classroom interaction.The study reveals that: Firstly, by and large, the investigated classrooms with some unfavorable interaction features did not provide highly affect-supportive environment. Secondly, some features of classroom interaction caused students' negative learning affect, while some other features of classroom interaction do facilitate students' positive learning affect. Thirdly, English teacher-student classroom interaction has statistically significant effect on students' learning affect. In normal classrooms, closed questions are far more than referential questions, which is not associated with the reality and doesn't motivate students' interest of study; classroom questioning mainly includes nomination and chorus-answering, resulting in some students' thinking lazily and just making up a number there; wait time for teachers' questioning is often too short for students to participate actively. Moreover, for the feedback, the rate of negotiated interaction is low, which is not of advantage to enliven the affect atmosphere; and of the negotiated interactions, negotiations on content are much fewer than on meaning and form, which is not conducive to promote students' more and better L2 performance.The results of the present study can illuminate English language teaching, in that EFL teachers need more reflection and improvement of their classroom interactional behavior. Only in this way, can it be expected to create better environment that facilitates students' positive learning affect and that helps them become autonomous and active learners, and achieve the goals of English language education and general education as well.