Научная статья на тему 'The impact of anxiety as an affective factor on foreign language acquisition efficiency of listening and comprehension communicative skills'

The impact of anxiety as an affective factor on foreign language acquisition efficiency of listening and comprehension communicative skills Текст научной статьи по специальности «Науки об образовании»

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Ключевые слова
АNXIETY / LANGUAGE LEARNING PSYCHOLOGY / AFFECTIVE FACTORS / LISTENING AND COMPREHENSION / COMMUNICATION / LACK OF CONFIDENCE / PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENSES

Аннотация научной статьи по наукам об образовании, автор научной работы — Valeeva L.K., Bochkareva T.V.

The learning of English needs to be set into the context of 21st century skills of high quality professional intercultural communication. This study attempts to tackle the impact of anxiety on the ability of students to communicate efficiently in foreign languages. As a fact the importance of language anxiety research is in its mostly negative impact on education processes as a whole. Both too much and too little anxiety may hinder the process of successful learning. [4,p.106].The purpose of the article under review is to report about the problems those arising when students feel anxious while learning foreign languages in classroom environment and observe the techniques reducing learners’ discomfort and improve skills of listening and comprehension. Also, this work presents the 1st stage of a 2-phase piloted research project on the levels of trait anxiety and psychological defenses in psychology students of V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University.

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Текст научной работы на тему «The impact of anxiety as an affective factor on foreign language acquisition efficiency of listening and comprehension communicative skills»

_МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ НАУЧНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ «ИННОВАЦИОННАЯ НАУКА» №9/2016 ISSN 2410-6070_

УДК811.111-026.17:159.942.5

Valeeva L.K.

Senior teacher Bochkareva T.V.

Senior teacher Foreign philology institute Taurida Academy, V.I.Vernadsky Crimean Federal University Simferopol, Crimea, Russian Federation

THE IMPACT OF ANXIETY AS AN AFFECTIVE FACTOR ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACQUISITION EFFICIENCY OF LISTENING AND COMPREHENSION COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS

The learning of English needs to be set into the context of 21st century skills of high quality professional intercultural communication. This study attempts to tackle the impact of anxiety on the ability of students to communicate efficiently in foreign languages. As a fact the importance of language anxiety research is in its mostly negative impact on education processes as a whole. Both too much and too little anxiety may hinder the process of successful learning. [4,p.106].The purpose of the article under review is to report about the problems those arising when students feel anxious while learning foreign languages in classroom environment and observe the techniques reducing learners' discomfort and improve skills of listening and comprehension. Also, this work presents the 1st stage of a 2-phase piloted research project on the levels of trait anxiety and psychological defenses in psychology students of V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University.

Keywords

Аnxiety, language learning psychology, affective factors, listening and comprehension, communication,

lack of confidence, psychological defenses.

Introduction

H. Elkhafaifi says when anxiety is associated with learning a foreign language; it can manifest itself in altered performance, lower test scores, and low final grades. If it is severe, it can even lead to a change in the student's academic or career plans. [1]. According to Horwitz anxiety is the subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness, and worry associated with an arousal of the autonomic nervous system.[2].

Many students feel the effects of anxiety only when they study foreign languages. Cope and Horwits consider three related performance anxieties: 1) communication apprehension; 2) test anxiety; 3) fear of negative evaluation. Some students feel humiliated. Teachers should take into account all three types of anxiety and try to find special effective techniques to overcome them.

It is necessary to develop strategy to fight anxiety. Teachers control students but this is not enough, self-control is a very serious thing. If a student controls his performance and analyses his problem she will definitely succeed in his study. The aim of teachers is to get students interested in education and explain them advantages of speaking foreign languages. Another objective is discovering methods that help students be attracted to their educational program. If tasks are exciting and important people become more active, make better progress, eventually they have less mistakes and feel confidence in their ability to talk and to understand others. They show enthusiasm when they work in the classroom. Overcoming of speech barriers must be very active. Students and teachers should work together.

Main content- part

I. The nature of listening

Listening is a psychological phenomenon, which takes place on a cognitive level, and a social phenomenon, which develops interactively between people and the environment. Listening is a six-staged process, consisting of Hearing, Attention, Understanding, Remembering, Evaluating and Responding. These stages occur in sequence and rapid succession. Hearing is the perception of sound, you must hear to listen. Attention. It refers to a selection that our brain focuses on. Understanding - analyzing the meaning and symbols of what we have heard: the latter is

_МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ НАУЧНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ «ИННОВАЦИОННАЯ НАУКА» №9/2016 ISSN 2410-6070_

connected with the previous associations, context, the background knowledge. Remembering is the process of adding the information to the mind's storage bank. Evaluating. The effective listener never starts this activity too soon, as beginning this stage of the process before a message is completed results in no longer hearing and attending to the incoming message and, as a result, the listening process ends. Responding. A stage in which, according to the response, the speaker checks if the message has been received correctly. At this stage the receiver responds either verbally or non-verbally.

It is found out that listening is an independent kind of speech activity, which is more difficult than speaking, reading and writing. Listening contributes to the achievement of educational goals, providing students the opportunity to understand the statement in a foreign language.

2. Teaching listening

Activation of prior knowledge.

The idea of prior knowledge is one part of the cognitive model of language processing. That model says that when people listen or read, we process the information we hear both top-down and bottom-up. Top-down means using our prior knowledge and experiences. Bottom-up processing means using the information we have about sounds, word meanings, and discourse markers like first, then and after that to assemble our understanding of what we read or hear one step at a time. Students obviously need both bottom-up and top-down processing skills in listening as well. We can help students listen more effectively if we spend some time teaching them about purposes for listening.

Teachers can build skills by asking students to focus on their reason for listening. This is a form of strategy training. Strategies are clearly a way to ease the burden of listening and should be taught. The idea of knowing the purpose of listening is a very effective first strategy to teach because it helps students organize and reflect on their learning (Mally and Chamot, 1990).

Teaching students about something other than the language they are learning is a logical outcome of the idea of communicative language teaching (CLT) because one of the principles of CLT is the presentation and practice of meaningful language in a context. Culture is the primary place where language is situated in. Most students of a foreign language are interested in the culture of the places where the language they are studying is spoken. Teachers know that keeping students' interest is the key to learning, especially in classrooms where motivation can sometimes be a problem.

Investigating motivation we have to differentiate between an instrumental motivation and an integrative one. In terms of language learning instrumental motivation is the aim to pass a test or obtain a qualification while integrative motivation is the desire to be a part of the culture that speaks that language

3. Listening and comprehension anxiety: ways of reducing

Generally, listening is a complex problem-solving skill and it is more than just perception of the sounds. Listening includes comprehension of meaning-bearing words, phrases, clauses, sentences and connected discourse.

To investigate the core of language anxiety in the context of the problem as a whole, Endler (1980) focused on the research of 3 approaches to anxiety investigating:

1) anxiety as a personality trait;

2) anxiety as a state;

3) situational anxiety;

Based on careful analyses of statistics and a series of interviews, researchers generalized the main sources of listening anxiety as follows:

Trait anxiety which is in itself:

1) lack of confidence (low self-esteem);

2) lack of motivation;

3) lack of listening strategies

It is necessary to find out what can be done to lessen anxiety in the classroom. The The task of the teacher is to organize work in such a way that everyone is involved, everyone has his task, everyone should feel that his role is necessary in solving a problem. Only the atmosphere of mutual respect and support can help overcome anxiety.

A teacher himself should be interested in the process of education and in getting positive results,if a teacher

_МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ НАУЧНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ «ИННОВАЦИОННАЯ НАУКА» №9/2016 ISSN 2410-6070_

is indifferent there can't be any success. He must use all possible activities to arouse interest in the material that is being studied. If students are worried because they do not understand a task that is too difficult, progress is impossible. A new material should be explained so clearly that all students understand it. It is useful to discover what the group has in common, what themes they are interested in. Besides a teacher should conduct a psychological test to see how many extroverts and introverts study in the same group, what people fear, what tasks seem to be the most difficult, what tasks are considered to be exciting and useful. Teachers should organize work taking into account psychological characteristics of the group. Interviews can also be really helpful. During interviews you can find out information about students' hobbies, and extracurricular activities they would like to try. You can use this information to plan instructional activities, interact with students, and comment on important achievements and events in their lives. It is possible to include students' skills, achievements, and contributions in teachers' instructional presentations. Teacher can show interest in students' personal lives, he can share his life experience and problems that he has overcome. The main thing is to respect a student as a personality, see his strengths and try to develop them, understand week points of students and try to correct them.

Motivation plays an important role in academic success. The positive feeling of success is a powerful motivator to continue to be engaged in a particular activity. Educators can foster this need of success by providing information about what a student is doing well and how he can improve his performance. When students complete continuous assessment, tests, and examinations, they need to know which answers are correct, which answers are incorrect, and why. Even failures can be positive if teachers tell their students how to avoid mistakes in future. Sometimes educators tell students that they have failed, but do not provide any information what students can do to improve their results. All negative feedback should be followed by some advice to help the student succeed next time. Students may realize that they have failed this time, but they have specific information about what tasks they can do to make progress in future and that will help them feel successful and lessen anxiety. Such educational technique as discussion is very useful. The method of discussion is one of the most effective methods of conversational skills development. It is effective in case of good organization and right choice of a theme. The theme should be interesting for all students of the group where discussion is being planned. Though discussion includes element of competition, it diversifies teaching process. Informal atmosphere contributes to development of thinking, creative abilities and communicative skills and also helps diminish anxiety significantly. Excitement helps forget one's problems in grammar and pronunciation. Students take risks, express their opinions and feel satisfied even if they achieve a little progress. This feeling of satisfaction is very valuable because it creates positive attitude to the process of education. It helps build self-confidence. In future experience of conducting discussions will help communicate with native speakers, prove one's point of view and contribute to disappearance of language barrier. If the barrier has been overcome communicating becomes interesting, students try to practice talking with group-mates and even foreigners and thus the goal is achieved.

Role-play is a method where all participants of the group are involved in the process of education. It is an exciting method that helps revise educational material in unusual interesting form. It helps remember before studied lexical units. Role -plays are classes that model different aspects of professional activity. The following peculiarities are typical of role games: special rules that regulate the process of the play, joint activities of the participants, time control, atmosphere of competition and conditions that model professional activity. The major advantage of the method is relaxed atmosphere, which excludes psychological strain that could be present at a usual class.

4. A2-stage pilot study of personal anxiety levels in psychology students.

To enhance the efficiency of the listening comprehension activity in the process of English learning the research has been conducted at the faculty of psychology in Tavrichesky National University named after V.I.Vernadsky.

The 1st stage of the research.

The aim of the research is to study the manifestations of trait anxiety and psychological defenses in the first-and- third year psychology students.

The object of the research: trait anxiety and psychological defenses in the first- and- third year psychology students.

_МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ НАУЧНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ «ИННОВАЦИОННАЯ НАУКА» №9/2016 ISSN 2410-6070_

The subject of the research: comparing and psychological defenses in first-and-third psychology students' trait anxiety levels.

The hypothesis: the first - year psychology students have higher levels of trait anxiety and weaker psychological defenses.

We examined 54 students (27-first-year students and 27 -third year ones) ; in both groups the anxiety levels were diagnosed with the help of Spielberger's Questionnaire whereas psychological defense mechanisms were diagnosed using Plutchik, Kellerman and Conter's questionnaire and the Lifestyle Index technique. According to the results of the research the average level of trait anxiety in third year students was higher than in first-year students. As for the level of psychological defenses it was higher too. Obviously, with aging self - evaluation and self-reflection increase. It manifests that freshers are less mature so the psychological defense rejection prevails. Rejection is characterized by denying of any type of failures. It's stated that if a person has a very low level of anxiety he isn't ready for the future, be it an everyday life or the process of getting knowledge. An awareness of this fact is very important for the teachers as for developing of their strategies in educational process. In addition, the analysis of the data showed that the females in both groups were more anxious than the boys. So, it should be remembered when teachers manage to organize team work which improve students' performance especially in the process of listening and understanding.

So while dealing with first-year students the teachers must take these ideas into consideration and to promote the process of developing them as personalities and it will result in adequate level of facilitative anxiety which is one of the keys to success. Conclusion

The content of the paper proves the integration of linguistics, psychology and education to put insights into language, human behavior, pedagogy in order to master language teaching practices [4, p.246]. The problem raised in the article is important for students and educators. Educators will work more efficiently and see how their groups make progress if they find necessary methods to reduce students' anxiety. The experiment conducted at the faculty of psychology may contribute to solving this problem. The data obtained in the result of the experiment may be used by teachers of foreign languages in their work. When the source of the problem is clear, the way out of it can be worked out. Using communicative techniques in teaching foreign languages is supposed to be a priority in modern education because it relieves psychological uneasiness, draws attention to a new material, raises mood. This one is of the best way to fight anxiety.

Continued research is needed to highlight the connection of trait anxiety with language anxiety in the light of motivation and self-esteem in 1st and 3rd -year psychology students compared. New findings will increase the understanding of the problem and help students and teachers to dispel anxiety and enhance the achievements. J.Zull considers that "Neuroscience gives us information about the process of learning, but it is up to us to find ways of using that information" [5, p.35]. References:

1. A review of Horwitz and Cope's Theory of Foreign Language Anxiety [Электронный ресурс]. - Режим доступа: www.questa.com./ 26.05.2016г. - Загл. c экрана

2. Listening Comprehension and Anxiety in the Arabic Language Classroom -Elkhafaifi Электронный ресурс].-Режим доступа: online library.wiley.com. / 26.05.2016 г. - Загл. c экрана

3. Second language listening anxiety before and after A1-YR Электронный ресурс]. - Режим доступа:www.academia.edu/ 26.05.2016г. - Загл. c экрана

4. Brown, O.H. Principles of Language learning and teaching, San Francisco: 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, Inc., 1987 -ind.:285p.

5. IATELF 2012. Glasgow Selections 46th International Conference 19-23 March: Canterbury, 2012, University of Kent. - 253-256p.

6. Krashen, S.D. Principles and practice in second language acquisition, Hertfordshire: Prentice Hall International, 1987.-200p.-ind.:202p.

7. Wilson, J.T. Anxiety in Learning English as a foreign language: its associations with students' variable and overall proficiency and with performance on an oral test, Granada: Universidad de Granada, 2006 -319p.

_МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ НАУЧНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ «ИННОВАЦИОННАЯ НАУКА» №9/2016 ISSN 2410-6070_

8.Общая психология: (курс лекций) / Сост. Е.И. Рогов. - М.:Владос, - 448с.

9. Романенко В.А. Психофизиологический статус студенток / В.А. Романенко.- Saarbruuchen. Lamdart Academic Publishing. - 2012. - 192c.

© Валеева Л. К., 2016 г.

УДК37

Ф.П.Васильев- профессор МГУ путей сообщения Императора Николая II доктор юридических наук, доцент, чл. Российской академии юридических наук (РАЮН)

vasilev 17@mail.ru

ИЗУЧЕНИЕ ПРЕДМЕТА «ПРАВОВЕДЕНИЕ» И НЕОБХОДИМОСТЬ ЕЕ СОВЕРШЕНСТВОВАНИЯ

(Административно-правовое регулирование)

Аннотация

Действительно, вопросы правового образования и воспитания граждан в России актуальны, и они должны способствовать обеспечить безопасности не только стабильной жизнедеятельности всех участников (объектов) правоотношения, а также должны соответствовать современным требованиям и проблемам. Так как вся будущая профессиональная деятельность человека (любых специалистов) в условиях международных и внутрисоциальных проблем (угроз) зависят от профессиональных качеств, правосознания и наличия патриотического духа и любви к Отечеству. Правоведение - это и есть юриспруденция и по большому счету это так, подтверждающий фактор об окончания вуза. Именно специалисты в конкретной отрасли (транспортной, правоохранительной, контрольно-надзорной) могут считаться настоящими знатоками всевозможных законов и прав человека, которые действуют на территории нашей страны (ведомстве), да и за ее пределами, если потребуется. Тем самым суждения автора и предложения будут востребованы всеми категориями читателей.

Ключевые слова

Безопасность, воспитание, закон, МВД, Минтранс и Минобрнауки России, правосознание, правила, правонарушение, правосознание, РФ, регулирование, субъекты, формирование.

THE STUDY OF LAW AND THE NEED FOR ITS IMPROVEMENT (Administrative Law)

Vasilyev Feodor Petrovich

Professor of the MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY of communication lines of Emperor Nicholas II, doctor of legal sciences, Professor, corresponding member. Russian Academy of law Sciences (RAUN)

Annotation

Indeed, the issues of legal education and training citizens in Russia are relevant, and they should contribute to ensure security not only stable vital functions of all participants (objects), as well as the legal relationship must conform to modern requirements and problems. Since all future professional human activities (all specialists) in international and vnutrisocial'nyh issues (threats) depend on merit, awareness and availability of patriotic spirit and love for the motherland. Law in Latin is the jurisprudence and by and large it is, confirming factor about graduation. Specialists in specific sectors (transport, law enforcement, control and supervision) may be deemed to

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