ABSTRACT
Since 1970s, many psychologists and linguists abroad have done researches about the influence of anxiety on foreign language study. Although few of these linguists consider that some kinds of anxiety can facilitate foreign language study, most of studies indicate that anxiety have negative influence on foreign language learning [7]10. Besides, the studies point out that the biggest anxiety usually relates to the unpleasant experience during the oral activities [5]12. It’s mainly caused by the characteristics of oral communication which is direct、timely and unexpected[16]215. At home, since 1980s, some foreign language learners have started to do experiments and studies continually, the results also confirmed that anxiety would hinder the achievement of language learners. What’s more, the investigations on the anxiety happened during oral learning and communication further proved that anxiety greatly hindered oral study.
The research this thesis mainly focuses on the affective anxiety and college oral English teaching. Although college oral English teaching has experienced years’ of revolution, there are still many problems. For example, students take part in oral practice inactively, teachers organize classroom activities inappropriately, etc., and these have always hindered the upgrading of teaching rate of oral English, which have arouse people’s concerns. This thesis intends to reason out the causes of anxiety, and discuss about the ways to reduce the degree of student’s anxiety from student’s aspect、teacher’s aspect and forms of classroom organization in order to improve both the teaching and learning of oral English.
Keywords:oral English teaching; anxiety; classroom teaching
Contents
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………….1
2. Anxiety—Review of the Relevant Literature………………………………………2
2.1 The Definition of Anxiety and Language Anxiety…………………………………..2
2.2 Three Perspectives of Anxiety Study………………………………………………..3
3. Sources of Language Anxiety……………………………………………………….5
3.1 Self-esteem……………………………………………….........................................5
3.2 Tolerance of ambiguity……………………………………………………………...6
3.3 Risk-taking……………………………………………….........................................6
3.4 Competitiveness …………………………………………........................................6
3.5 Social anxiety…………………………………………….........................................7
3.6 Test anxiety………………………………………………………………………....7
3.7 Identity and culture shock………………………………..........................................8
3.8 Beliefs……………………………………………………………………………....8
3.9 Classroom activities and methods……………………………………………….....9
3.10 Instructor-Learner Interactions………………………............................................9
4. The impact of anxiety……………………………………………………………....9
4.1 Facilitating aspect…………………………………………………………………..9
4.2 Debilitating aspect ………………………………………………………………...10
4.3 Two interviews……………………………………………………………..……....10
5. The stratagies to conquer the anxiety………………………………………..…...12
5.1 From the student's aspect………………………………………………………….12
5.2 From the teacher's aspect………………………………………………………….13
5.3 From the classroom teaching techniques………………………………………….13
Proper Teaching Ways to Complete the Tasks………………………………………...15
6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….....16
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………….…..17
References…………………………………………………………………………….18