Affective Factors in the New Light of EFL Achievement

Abstract

EFL achievement advocated by the new course of study is often referred to as communicative English abilities (CEA) as part of autonomous learning abilities, without which students would find it difficult to cope with the changing needs of our society. Theoretically, such CEA comprises three domains: cognitive, behavioral and affective. Of the three domains, it is the affective that plays a pivotal role in developing positive attitudes not only towards communicative activities, but also towards the target language and culture. It has often been insufficiently argued that the affective domain should be excluded from the construct of achievement itself, partly because attitudes and motivation in that domain do not easily lend themselves to scientific measurement, mainly because the concept of attitudes tends to be used as a means to indoctrinate students in a certain ideology or to discipline them. After all, however, the affective domain is inseparable from the cognitive domain or from the behavioral domain. The very process of planning lessons presupposes some kind of an ideal achievement structure with affective factors in it. Furthermore, experience tells us that those affective factors can be developed through well planned lessons. Therefore, I would like to argue that the affective domain should be incorporated into the construct of achievement. Besides, such a born-again achievement construct can be put in historical perspective. In fact, according to Hirooka's interpretation of post-war educational reform movements in terms of a spiral or cyclical structure with four distinct periods, the present day English language education has entered the fourth period in which the importance of affective factors in carrying out communication is being reassessed and recognized.