Individual differences学习中的个体差异3.ppt

Types of Anxiety Harmful and helpful anxiety Social anxiety: speech anxiety, shyness, stage fright, embarrassment, social-evaluative anxiety and communication apprehension. Test anxiety (3) Tolerance of Ambiguity Tolerance of ambiguity is the acceptance of confusing situations. Language learning has a great deal of ambiguity about meanings, referents and pronunciation. Students who are able to tolerate moderate levels of confusions are likely to persist longer in language learning than students who are overly frightened by the ambiguities inherent in learning a new language. (4) Risk-taking Ability Risk-taking Students who are highly anxious about the frequent ambiguities of language learning often suffer reduced risk-taking ability. Language students who fear ambiguity or whose self-esteem is low, frequently ‘freeze up’, allowing their inhibitions to take over completely (Beebe, 1983). (5) competitiveness Competitiveness can lead to language anxiety. (Bailey, 1983) This happens when language learners compare themselves to others or to an idealized self-image, which they can rarely attain. Scarcella and Oxford (1992) suggested that competitiveness can relate to language but does not occur in all students. Some students, particularly those in competitive cultures, thrive on competition. (6) Identity and culture shock Identification with a language group or target culture implies that the learner is an insider, a member of the ‘club of French, English or Chinese. Culture shock involves some symptoms: emotional regression, physical illness, panic, anger, hopelessness, self-pity, lack of confidence, indecision, sadness, alienation, a sense of deception. (8) Interest and attitude learners’ communicative needs… learners’ attitude towards the second language community… (9) Empathy Putting yourself into someone else’s shoes One need not abandon one’s own way of feeling or understanding, nor even agree with the position of the other. It is simply an appreciation of the