INTERPLAY OF MONITOR AND AFFECTIVE FILTER HYPOTHESES IN SPEAKING AND WRITING: AN ANALYSIS OF PAKISTANI ESL LEARNERS

Abstract

This study aims to examine the interplay of monitor and affective filter hypothesis in speaking and writing among the Pakistani ESL learners. Although, the previous researches have significantly studied monitor and affective hypothesis but this study provides an understanding of the interdependence of monitor and affective hypothesis in learner’s speaking and writing. For this purpose, the research has adopted the qualitative approach and collected the spoken and written data for testing the monitor usage among the Pakistani ESL learners. To analyze the role of affective filter in the monitor usage, the researcher collected the data through semi-structured interviews with participants following an analysis of the speeches and writings of the learners. The spoken and written data were analyzed by applying monitor hypothesis while the interview data were analyzed through thematic analysis. So, the findings revealed the under usage of the monitor in speaking while effective usage in writing among the majority of the participants who had high affective filter. Then, there were the over-users of monitor in speaking and writing because they had a fear of making mistakes. Lastly, the optimal user of monitor who constituted the smallest group and the reasons for his optimal use of monitor were the high motivation and the management of high affective filter. The study suggests broader pedagogical implications for Pakistani ESL classrooms that along with linguistic competence, their performance in the real-life settings should also be emphasized.