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Abstract: This paper focus on the function of cooperative learning in developing positive affect，Including reducing anxiety，increasing motivation，facilitating the development of positive attitudes toward learning and language learning，promoting self-esteem，as well as supporting different learning styles and encouraging perseverance in the difficult and confusing process of learning a foreign language．
Key words:function cooperative learning positive Affect
Ⅰ. IncreasingMotivation
It is very important to tap into the learners’ intrinsic motivation both at the stage of initiating and sustaining motivation. CL emphasizes the intrinsic motivation. The various features of cooperative learning, particularly positive interdependence, are highly motivating because they encourage such achievement-oriented behaviors as trying hard, attending class regularly, praising the efforts of others, and receiving help from one’s groupmates. Success is based on it and one’s groupmates will reward it. Peer support can be a powerful motivator for shy, insecure or even uninterested learners. Porter (1983) found that ESL learners in the university provided much more support for each other than did native-speaker conversational partners, perhaps because of a shared sense of frustration in trying to communicate complex thoughts in less-developed linguistic systems. Long and Porter (1985) also found that group work increased students’ motivation. CL involves task or reward structures which better ensure that all members of the group will participate and do so at their own level of proficiency. Resource, goal and reward interdependence contribute to motivation, and enjoyable activities encourage participation, as well.
Ⅱ.Forming Positive Attitude
CL can be very helpful for learners to form positive attitudes towards a subject, learning, groupmates and even school. In the process of cooperative learning, learners can not only develop their friendship but also change their attitudes towards each other by means of interacting with each other. According to some researches, we can find that cooperative learning can help learners show more love of their school, their classmates and willingness to go to school. They wish the best of others and they believe their classmates wish the same of them. They become more active in class because they believe their success is based on their own efforts and support from their peers.
Ⅲ.Increasing Self-Esteem
Self-esteem has a strong influence on language learning and learner’s affective growth. Slavin (1990) holds that cooperative activities can be helpful to build up greater learner confidence and self-esteem than is likely in a competitive environment, where self-validation is dependent upon a continuing need to demonstrate success. Through CL, immediate personal experience is highlighted and learners’ interpersonal competence can be developed, which in turn, might result in their personality development and enhancing of self-esteem. Cooperative Learning can help learners to interact with each other and promote each other’s success. Learners can also be realistic about their own abilities when cooperating with each other. Their basic needs like needs for safety, interpersonal closeness and self-esteem are somewhat satisfied. Their self-confidence and self-esteem can be increased through participating in classroom activities together. And then learner effort in language learning can be increased. Learners are more willing to take risks to continue participating in the class activities actively.
Ⅳ.Reducing Debilitating Anxiety
In the process of learning a foreign language, anxiety is the biggest barrier. Learners constantly are afraid of failing or appearing foolish in the language classroom. However, learners can reduce this debilitating anxiety or fear by means of having opportunities to try out their contributions with each other before being asked to offer them to the entire class. In cooperative groups, learners have much time and many opportunities to think about the tasks. Learners do not only get more opportunities to talk, but also become less anxious than speaking in front of the whole class. According to some research, anxiety level can be influenced by the size of audience because the evaluations of many people have the potential for greater impact on the performer than those of a few. Therefore, learners can be more nervous when they have to speak in front of the whole class. In cooperative groups, the number of listeners is small and they are friendly and helpful, the anxiety is reduced down.
Anxiety in the classroom can increase because of competitiveness and teacher-learner interactions. In traditional model of teaching, there are more teacher-learner interactions or teacher actions, but less learner-learner interactions so that the classroom is more competitive. In cooperative learning classroom, competition happens among groups rather than individuals and there are more learner-learner interactions. Oxford and Ehrman include cooperative learning as a classroom procedure that can lower anxiety in the language classroom.
Based on these research findings, we can see that cooperative learning can play a very important role in developing learners’ positive affect. This approach should be made full use of by learners so that they can achieve greater success in learning language.
References:
[1]Aida, Y. Examination of Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope’s construct of foreign language anxiety: the case of students of Japanese. Modern Language Journal,1994，78(4)：155-68.
[2]Alpert, R. and R. Haber. Anxiety in academic achievement situations. Journal ofAbnormal and Social Psychology， 1960，61(2)： 207-15.
[3]Apelt, W. and H. Koernig.. Affectivity in the teaching of foreign languages.European Education,1997，29(2)：29-46.
[4]Bailey, K. M. Competitiveness and anxiety in adult second language learning: Looking at and through the diary studies. In H.W. Seliger and M. H. Long (Eds.) Classroom-oriented Research in Second Language Acquisition. Rowley, MA: Newbury House. 1983.
[5]Beaey, W. Book review: cooperative learning. ELT Teaching, 1996.42.
[6]Bennett, B.,C. Rolheiser-Bennett and L. Stevahn. Cooperative Learning: Where Heart Meets Mind. Toronto: Educaional Connections. 1991.
[7]Boud, D. Toward student responsibility for learning. In D. Boud (Ed.) Developing Student Autonomy in Learning.London: Kogan Page. 1981.
[8]Branden, N. How to Raise Your Self-esteem.New York: Bantam Books. 1987.
（作者单位：辽宁沈阳化工学院）
Key words:function cooperative learning positive Affect
Ⅰ. IncreasingMotivation
It is very important to tap into the learners’ intrinsic motivation both at the stage of initiating and sustaining motivation. CL emphasizes the intrinsic motivation. The various features of cooperative learning, particularly positive interdependence, are highly motivating because they encourage such achievement-oriented behaviors as trying hard, attending class regularly, praising the efforts of others, and receiving help from one’s groupmates. Success is based on it and one’s groupmates will reward it. Peer support can be a powerful motivator for shy, insecure or even uninterested learners. Porter (1983) found that ESL learners in the university provided much more support for each other than did native-speaker conversational partners, perhaps because of a shared sense of frustration in trying to communicate complex thoughts in less-developed linguistic systems. Long and Porter (1985) also found that group work increased students’ motivation. CL involves task or reward structures which better ensure that all members of the group will participate and do so at their own level of proficiency. Resource, goal and reward interdependence contribute to motivation, and enjoyable activities encourage participation, as well.
Ⅱ.Forming Positive Attitude
CL can be very helpful for learners to form positive attitudes towards a subject, learning, groupmates and even school. In the process of cooperative learning, learners can not only develop their friendship but also change their attitudes towards each other by means of interacting with each other. According to some researches, we can find that cooperative learning can help learners show more love of their school, their classmates and willingness to go to school. They wish the best of others and they believe their classmates wish the same of them. They become more active in class because they believe their success is based on their own efforts and support from their peers.
Ⅲ.Increasing Self-Esteem
Self-esteem has a strong influence on language learning and learner’s affective growth. Slavin (1990) holds that cooperative activities can be helpful to build up greater learner confidence and self-esteem than is likely in a competitive environment, where self-validation is dependent upon a continuing need to demonstrate success. Through CL, immediate personal experience is highlighted and learners’ interpersonal competence can be developed, which in turn, might result in their personality development and enhancing of self-esteem. Cooperative Learning can help learners to interact with each other and promote each other’s success. Learners can also be realistic about their own abilities when cooperating with each other. Their basic needs like needs for safety, interpersonal closeness and self-esteem are somewhat satisfied. Their self-confidence and self-esteem can be increased through participating in classroom activities together. And then learner effort in language learning can be increased. Learners are more willing to take risks to continue participating in the class activities actively.
Ⅳ.Reducing Debilitating Anxiety
In the process of learning a foreign language, anxiety is the biggest barrier. Learners constantly are afraid of failing or appearing foolish in the language classroom. However, learners can reduce this debilitating anxiety or fear by means of having opportunities to try out their contributions with each other before being asked to offer them to the entire class. In cooperative groups, learners have much time and many opportunities to think about the tasks. Learners do not only get more opportunities to talk, but also become less anxious than speaking in front of the whole class. According to some research, anxiety level can be influenced by the size of audience because the evaluations of many people have the potential for greater impact on the performer than those of a few. Therefore, learners can be more nervous when they have to speak in front of the whole class. In cooperative groups, the number of listeners is small and they are friendly and helpful, the anxiety is reduced down.
Anxiety in the classroom can increase because of competitiveness and teacher-learner interactions. In traditional model of teaching, there are more teacher-learner interactions or teacher actions, but less learner-learner interactions so that the classroom is more competitive. In cooperative learning classroom, competition happens among groups rather than individuals and there are more learner-learner interactions. Oxford and Ehrman include cooperative learning as a classroom procedure that can lower anxiety in the language classroom.
Based on these research findings, we can see that cooperative learning can play a very important role in developing learners’ positive affect. This approach should be made full use of by learners so that they can achieve greater success in learning language.
References:
[1]Aida, Y. Examination of Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope’s construct of foreign language anxiety: the case of students of Japanese. Modern Language Journal,1994，78(4)：155-68.
[2]Alpert, R. and R. Haber. Anxiety in academic achievement situations. Journal ofAbnormal and Social Psychology， 1960，61(2)： 207-15.
[3]Apelt, W. and H. Koernig.. Affectivity in the teaching of foreign languages.European Education,1997，29(2)：29-46.
[4]Bailey, K. M. Competitiveness and anxiety in adult second language learning: Looking at and through the diary studies. In H.W. Seliger and M. H. Long (Eds.) Classroom-oriented Research in Second Language Acquisition. Rowley, MA: Newbury House. 1983.
[5]Beaey, W. Book review: cooperative learning. ELT Teaching, 1996.42.
[6]Bennett, B.,C. Rolheiser-Bennett and L. Stevahn. Cooperative Learning: Where Heart Meets Mind. Toronto: Educaional Connections. 1991.
[7]Boud, D. Toward student responsibility for learning. In D. Boud (Ed.) Developing Student Autonomy in Learning.London: Kogan Page. 1981.
[8]Branden, N. How to Raise Your Self-esteem.New York: Bantam Books. 1987.
（作者单位：辽宁沈阳化工学院）