Effects of Negative Affective Factors on Learning EFL at Thamar University

Abstract

Affective factors, also known as emotional factors, can positively or negatively influence learning. Negative feedback, situation, or experience would lead to the learners' unpleasant, depressing, or harmful attitude. The present study examined the effects of negative affective factors on Yemeni English as a foreign language (EFL, henceforth) undergraduate learners in the English Language Department, Faculty of Education, Thamar University. The study sample comprised 20 participants (9 males and 11 females) who presented their views on the negative affective factors they experienced during their language study. To collect the data, the interview method was executed as a study instrument with six open-ended questions. The results revealed that anxiety and shyness are chief inhibitions to language learning. The negative effects of such factors were: lousy performance, less effective learning, weak exam results, hindrances in using the language in conversations, and sometimes failure in learning the language. Thus, anxiety and shyness were inhibitors to EFL learning, affecting the learning process of the four language skills and test performance. Based on the results, the affective factors considered in the analysis need to be treated. Hence, some strategies are suggested to help reduce the negative effects of the affective factors.