Theorizing One Learner’s Perceived Affective Experiences and Performances from a Dynamic Perspective

Authors: Luanyi Xiao & David Wray, University of Warwick, UK
Published: March 2016
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijpbs.2.1.05

Citation: Xiao, L., & Wray, D. (2016). Theorizing One Learner’s Perceived Affective Experiences and Performances from a Dynamic Perspective. IAFOR Journal of Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.22492/ijpbs.2.1.05


Abstract

This paper examines the perceptions of one Chinese learner of English at a university. From a Dynamic System Theory (DST) perspective, the student’s perceptions, affective experiences and classroom learning will be explored by identifying the non-linear relationships between them. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the student’s perceived affective experiences and her self-reported performances in a foreign language classroom. The participant was a second-year university student from a foreign language university in China. Diary, questionnaire, semi-structured interview, and class observation were applied to investigate this 6-month longitudinal study. Emotional ambivalence including several different affective patterns and five attractor states, namely, Integrative Disposition, Amotivation, Autonomy, Actual Learning Process and Language Awareness were identified.

Keywords

Foreign Language Acquisition (FLA), Dynamic System Theory (DST), affective experiences, non-linear relationship