Junior High School EFL Teaching from the Affective Filter Perspective: A Case Study of a Reading-Writing Lesson

Abstract

Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis posits that affective factors act as a filter on a learner’s language input, thereby influencing the efficiency of language acquisition. A state of low affective filter, characterized by high motivation, high self-confidence, and low anxiety, is a key condition for facilitating language acquisition. Taking a high-quality junior high school English lesson as a case study, this paper explores how teachers can construct a low affective filter classroom environment through teaching language, interactive feedback, and activity design. The study finds that the teacher effectively lowered students’ affective filter levels by using inclusive language and clear instructions to alleviate anxiety, employing positive feedback and encouraging interactions to boost confidence, and creating authentic situations to stimulate learning motivation. This study not only reveals the crucial role of affective factors in second language classrooms but also provides specific and practical references for frontline teachers to create a psychological environment conducive to language acquisition through classroom interactions.