Affective Variables in Second Language Acquisition and their Effect on the Spanish Academic Context

Abstract

For many students, learning a Second Language (SL) can either be a rewarding or a threatening experience. Recent studies claim that this is caused by the role that the affective domain plays in the learning process. Since the affective variables are considered the least understood by researchers in Second Language Acquisition (SLA), this paper focuses on them. The main purpose in this research is to study the connection among anxiety, attitude and motivation and their effect on the academic performance of sixty-six Spanish students who are learning English as a SL. Teachers are also observed to know to what extent they alter those students’ attitudes, feelings of anxiety and motivation towards their language classes. Since the students who take part in this research share the same teacher, other two teachers are observed in order to analyze whether they have the same effect on their students or not. Results point out that there are clear contrasts between bilingual and non bilingual students and the different performances of the three teachers who were observed.DOI: 10.20420/rlfe.2015.0003