Taking into Account the Affective Dimension While many factors contribute to the quality and success rate of learning experiences, two factors are particularly germane to language learning. One is students’ beliefs about how language is learned; the other is language-learning anxiety. As studies show and experienced instructors know, students often come to modern language courses either with a lack of knowledge about how to approach language learning or with mistaken notions about how to do so. For example, many students believe that making mistakes when speaking the target language must be avoided because doing so will lead to permanent errors. Others are convinced that learning another language is like learning any other academic subject. In other words, they believe that success is guaranteed, provided they attend class regularly, learn the assigned vocabulary words and grammar rules, and study for exams. In fact, in a study of college-level beginning language learners in the United States, over one-third of the participants thought that they could become fluent if they studied the language for only one hour a day for two years or less. Mistaken and unrealistic beliefs such as these can cause frustration and ultimately demotivation, thereby significantly undermining students’ ability to achieve a successful language-learning experience. Another factor that can negatively impact students’ language-learning experience is language-learning anxiety. As Professor Elaine K. Horwitz of The University of Texas at Austin and Senior Consulting Editor of Vistas, First Edition, wrote, “Surveys indicate that up to one-third of American foreign language students feel moderately to highly anxious about studying another language. Physical symptoms of foreign language anxiety can include heart-pounding or palpitations, sweating, trembling, fast breathing, and general feelings of unease.” The late Dr. Philip Redwine Donley, Vistas co-author and author of articles on language-learning anxiety, spoke with many students who reported feeling nervous or apprehensive in their classes. They mentioned freezing when called on by their instructors or going inexplicably blank when taking tests. Some so dreaded their classes that they skipped them or dropped the course. Vistas contains several features aimed at reducing students’ language anxiety and supporting successful language learning. Its highly structured, visually dramatic design was conceived as a learning tool to make students feel comfortable with the content and confident about navigating the lessons. The Instructor’s Annotated Edition includes Affective Dimension annotations with suggestions for managing and/or reducing language-learning anxieties, as well as Successful Language Learning annotations with learning strategies for enhancing students’ learning experiences. In addition, the student text provides a wealth of helpful sidebars that assist students by making relevant connections with new information or reminding them of previously learned concepts. Student Sidebars ¡Atención! Provides active, testable information about the vocabulary or grammar point Ayuda Offers specific grammar and vocabulary reminders related to a particular activity or suggests pertinent language-learning strategies Consulta References related material introduced in previous or upcoming lessons ¡Lengua viva! Presents relevant information on everyday language use Nota cultural Provides a wide range of cultural information relevant to the topic of an activity or section S37
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