Affective Factors In English Learning

Nowadays, the elementary education is facing a great reform. In this reformation, one of the most important aspects is to pay more attention to the learners' affective factors. It emphasizes to combine the learners' affect with the language teaching. At the stage of elementary education, more and more attention is paid to not only the learners' language input and language skills, but also learners' affect. In contrast with other subjects, the relationship between language and affect is closer. Therefore, in new standard of English curriculum, affective factors are regarded as the more important target.However, there are two kinds of wrong trends in English teaching. First, the teacher neglects the importance of affect, but draw more attention to the learners' intelligence factors. It leads to the emotional illiteracy. Second, the teacher ignores the relationship between affect and cognition. During the process of teaching, the teachers always value the learners' cognition, but be less concerned the affective questions. In fact, it can be very beneficial for language teachers to choose to focus at times on affective question.There are many English scholars who were concerned with the study of affective question. On the other hand, the term "affect" is still used to imply an even wider range If phenomena that have anything to do with emotions, moods, dispositions, and preferences. (Oatley and Jenkins 1996:124) However, the aim of this article is about English teaching in middle school. In an attempt to reach a satisfactory level of proficiency, students must be regulated and stimulated by their non-intelligence factors. The writer analyzes the main contents of "affect", the function of "affect" and how to train and stimulate the learners' affective factors.There are four chapters in this article. In first chapter, the writer presents the importance of "affective factors" and indicates the problem related to language learning.In chapter two, introduce the connotation of affective factors such as motivation, attitude, anxiety and so on.In chapter three, analyze the function of affective factors related English learning, including the positive and negative function.In chapter four, discuss how to train and stimulate learners' positive affect.Last chapter, summarize that the teachers play a very important role in conducting the affective teaching. The teachers must be good at observing, seizing the information feedback and learn to self-reflect.