Chapter One Literature Review

1.1 Related Concepts

Multimedia merging two or more types of medias is a man-machineinteractive media used to exchange and spread information. These kindsof medias include wordage, diagram, picture, sound, cartoon, videoimages and so on (Jean F. R., 2000).Multimedia technology came from the basis of digitizing techniqueand interactive conducting ability of computer in 1990s. It was arevolution in the field of computer. Media referred by multimediatechnology is the supporter of information, which characterized bydiversification of forms of information, integration of conducting andgood interaction of human-computer interface (Hayo R., 2012). Therefore,multimedia technology can bring pictorial, video and audio informationinto computer system and interactively synthesize these kinds ofinformation to build a logical connection and eventually integrate into a system that computer technology, sound image technology andcommunication technology are mixed together. Multimedia technologymakes message sender and receiver exchange information in real time.The main function of multimedia technology used in teaching issituational construction and learners' scaffold. The situation created bymultimedia is various as well as real and interesting. Not a few professorsand scholars turn their attention to multimedia-assisted English teachingand probe into optimizing classroom teaching based on themultimedia-assisted.

…………

1.2 Related Literature Research

Multimedia-assisted instruction has been applied into classroomteaching for decades. Deep researches on various perspective issues, suchas the development of multimedia-assisted instruction and the applicationof it in English language teaching, have conducted by many researchers. Besides, students' affect has also been taken into consideration inmultimedia-assisted instruction. A number of professors and scholars pointed out that CAI(computer-assisted instruction) was built up on the basis of programmedinstruction, and teaching machine was the primary stage ofmultimedia-assisted instruction when they retrospected the origin of it.The first person who put forward the assumption of teaching machinewas Thomdike, a educational psychologist, and Plessis firstly showed theautomatic teaching machine based on practice material on the annualmeeting of American Psychology in 1924. (Beatty Ken, 2005) In 1950s,Skinner, a behavioral psychologist came up with the thought ofprogrammed instruction which, however, was restricted because themechanical programmed machine could not deal with the problems ofrepresentation and feedback of learning materials neatly. After the firstcomputer came out in 1964, it experienced a changing from professionalcomputer to general-purpose computer. IBM designed the first computerteaching system in 1958 which marked the beginning of CAI.

……….

Chapter Two Theoretical Basis

2.1 The Affective Filter Hypothesis

In addition to some objective factors, there are some affective onesin language learning like filters filtrating the amount of input to learners'brains. People with high affective filter will lower their intake whereaspeople with low affective filter allow more input into their languageacquisition device.Affective filter hypothesis is first proposed by Dulay and Burt in1977. The main purpose of the hypothesis was to explain the influence ofaffective factors on the process of foreign language learning. Theaffective filter was defined as a internal processing system that canprevent language learners from language absorption subconsciously. In1985, Krashen incorporates the notion of the Affective Filter proposed byDulay and Burt and worked out his own Affective Filter Hypothesiswhich is one of his five hypotheses about SLA. Krashen (1985) arguedthat people acquire second language only if they obtain comprehensiveinput and their affective filters are low enough to allow the input ‘ in'. According to the Affective Filter Hypothesis, learner's affect likes afilter that controls how much input the learner contacts with, and howmuch input is converted into intake. The filter is 'affective' becausefactors which determine its strength concerned with learners' motivation,self-confidence, and anxiety state. Learners with high motivation andself-confidence as well as low anxiety have low filters so that they canobtain and let in plenty of input. Learners with low motivation, littleself-confidence, and high anxiety have high filters as a result thatreceiving little input and even less in. The affective filter influences therate of development, but it does not affect the route.

…………

2.2 Theory of Motivation in SLA

So popular is motivation as an explanation for students' performancein language learning that McDonough (2000) has termed it "the dustbinof educational psychology". Though researches in "motivation to leam"abound, demonstrating its effects on SLA has far more from simple.As one of the most outstanding figures in investigating the value ofmotivation in SLA, Robert Gardner has done the most important worksince 1959. Together with Wallace Lambert, they extensively studiedforeign language learners over a period of 12 years to determine therelationship between motivational factors and language learning success. Gardner and Lambert (1972) viewed motivation to learn a foreignlanguage as a primary force responsible for enhancing or hinderingintercultural communication. The most widely known concepts associatedwith their work are integrative motivation and instrumental motivation.Integrative motivation concerns the willingness to be like valuedmembers of the language community, it is a kind of inner drive.Instrumental motivation is employed when learners acquire a language toattain instrumental goals. Based on the early findings, Gardner andLambert hypothesized that an instrumental motive is less effectivebecause it is nit rooted in the personality of the learner, and therefore,more dependent on fallible external factors. Integrative motivation isparticularly important for language learning success because it is firmlybased in the personality of the learner.

………

Chapter three Methodology.......... 33

3.1 Research Design......... 33

3.1.1 Research Question......... 33

3.1.2 Research Subjects......... 35

3.1.3 Research Instruments......... 36

3.2 Research Procedure.........41

3.2.1 Data Collection......... 41

3.2.2 Data Analysis......... 42

Chapter Four Results & Discussion......... 47

4.1 The result of factor analysis......... 47

4.1.1 Total Variance Explained......... 48

4.1.2 Rotated Component Matrix......... 49

4.1.3 The Second Factor Analysis......... 50

4.1.4 Factors Naming......... 52

4.2 The Result of Interview .........53

4.3 Discussion .........57

Chapter Four Results & Discussion

4.1 The result of factor analysis

Through analyzing the answers of the 180 questionnaires, the meanand standard deviation of these 7 original variables of interest, motivation,disgust, anxiety, empathy, communication between teacher and students,and communication between students themselves are showed in the Table4.1. After factors had been analyzed by the extraction method ofprincipal component analysis, the result of factor extraction and rotationwere got. (Table 4.2) The original variables have been transformed into 7initial solutions, and the components 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are theirsequence numbers. The first three components' eigenvalues which are allgreater than 1.0 are about 5.3 and their variance contribution rate is about76% which is close to 80%. Therefore, the first three components areextracted as the principal components according to one of the principlesthat confirming numbers of factors that selecting the principal componentwhose eigenvalue is greater than or equal to 1 (Qin Xiaoqing, 2004 ).After rotated, these three principal components' accumulative variancecontribution is 76%, which can well explain the scale's variance.

………….

Conclusion

Multimedia-assisted English teaching has been proposed for decades.At the beginning, most attention was paid to the good teaching effect andits teaching strategies. Precisely because of these researches and thedevelopment of itself, multimedia-assisted English teaching was stronglyrecommended and broadly applied. As a new teaching mode, it has beenpracticed widely in China. During the process of being applied in topractice, however, the problems of multimedia-assisted English teachingare exposed gradually. The main problems are caused by improperapplication. In order to help analyze its shortcomings in application, thetopic of analyzing the main factors of affective inhibition thatmultimedia-assisted English teaching has on high school students ischosen.

…………

Reference (omitted)