Abstract
This article reports on a master’s study investigating the extent to which affective and cultural factors influence the learning of Afrikaans First Additional Language (FAL) among Grade 10 learners at a secondary school in Kraaifontein, South Africa. The central research question was: To what extent do affective and cultural factors affect the acquisition of Afrikaans as a first additional language among high‑school learners? The empirical sample comprised 36 Grade 10 learners whose home languages were predominantly English or other African languages; only four participants reported Afrikaans as a home language. The study therefore addresses language learning in a context where Afrikaans is frequently a third or fourth language for learners rather than their second language.
The study is theoretically anchored in Krashen’s (1982) affective filter hypothesis and Schumann’s (1978) acculturation model, with supplementary reference to Pekrun’s (2006) control‑value theory of achievement emotions. Krashen’s (1982) framework foregrounds the role of affective variables (motivation, anxiety, self‑confidence, attitude, boredom) in mediating learners’ access to comprehensible input while Schumann’s (1978) model situates language learning within processes of social and psychological distance between learners and the target‑language community. Pekrun’s (2006) taxonomy is used to conceptualise academic emotions and to distinguish valence and activation (e.g., positively activated emotions such as enjoyment; negatively activated emotions such as anxiety). The combination of these frameworks enables an integrated account that links classroom affects, learner identity and cultural familiarity to observable engagement and reported motivation. As Benjamin (2025) notes, the two principal theoretical claims are complementary: Affective states shape the intake of the input, while acculturation processes determine learners’ identification with the target‑language community and thus their willingness to engage.
A mixed‑methods design was employed, combining participatory action research (PAR) with a case‑study approach. Data was collected via a single questionnaire containing both closed and open questions. The questionnaire as the research instrument probed learners’ affective experiences in Afrikaans lessons, their motivational orientations, and their understanding of culture‑based instruction. Ethical clearance was obtained from the relevant institutional committee, and permissions were secured from the school and provincial education authorities. The study ensures triangulation of the data through the integration of quantitative descriptive statistics and qualitative participant quotations to illuminate learners’ subjective experiences.
The study yields convergent evidence that affective and cultural factors significantly influence learners’ experiences of Afrikaans learning.
Empirical highlights include the following patterns:
- Prevalence of negative academic emotions. A majority of respondents reported negative affective states in Afrikaans lessons: Boredom (reported by 31 of 36 learners) and anxiety (24 of 36) were particularly prominent. Only a minority reported positive emotions such as excitement or strong motivation. Learner comments repeatedly attribute boredom and anxiety to lack of comprehension (teachers’ language use, unfamiliar vocabulary) and to classroom practices perceived as unengaging.
- Low intrinsic motivation for many learners. Twenty‑two participants indicated they were not motivated to learn Afrikaans. The study links this low motivation to both affective states (high anxiety and boredom) and to limited cultural exposure. However, learners also recognised the instrumental value of Afrikaans for communication and social integration, suggesting ambivalent motivational profiles.
- Perceived value of culture‑integrated instruction. Most learners (33 of 36) endorsed the importance of teaching language together with its culture. Many participants argued that cultural activities (songs, poems, stories, traditions) make lessons more interesting and help contextualise vocabulary and usage, thereby reducing boredom and increasing willingness to communicate with native speakers.
- Evidence of acculturation dynamics. The data support Schumann’s (1978) contention that social and psychological distance matters: Learners who reported limited cultural knowledge or limited contact with Afrikaans speakers expressed greater reluctance to use the language and higher levels of language‑shock and embarrassment. Conversely, learners who experienced cultural activities in class reported greater confidence in interacting with Afrikaans speakers.
The findings corroborate and extend the affective filter hypothesis by demonstrating how classroom practices that fail to provide comprehensible input and cultural scaffolding raise learners’ affective filters, thereby reducing intake and engagement. Pekrun’s (2006) control‑value perspective helps explain the emotional dynamics: Learners who perceive low control (difficulty understanding) and low value (less interest or relevance), experience deactivating negative emotions (boredom) and activating negative emotions (anxiety), both of which undermine sustained effort. Schumann’s (1978) acculturation model is validated in the local context: Cultural instruction functions as a mechanism for reducing psychological distance and fostering integrative motivation among learners who are not native Afrikaans speakers.
Benjamin (2025) proposes several classroom and curriculum interventions grounded in the empirical evidence: the prioritisation of comprehensible input and meaning‑focused instruction over form‑focused teaching; the integration of cultural content (music, literature, traditions) to contextualise language and increase relevance; the adoption of socio‑affective strategies to build learners’ self‑confidence and reduce anxiety; and the design of interactive, task‑based activities to mitigate boredom and promote active participation. The study also recommends teacher professional development that sensitises educators to the affective dimensions of language learning and to adopt strategies for lowering learners’ affective filters.
The study is a single‑site case study with a modest sample size, which limits generalisability. Future research could employ longitudinal designs, include classroom observation and teacher interviews, and test specific pedagogical interventions (e.g., culture‑infused task sequences) experimentally. Comparative studies across schools with different language ecologies would clarify how community language profiles mediate the relationships observed here.
This research contributes to the literature on second‑language learning by empirically linking affective states and cultural instruction to learners’ engagement with Afrikaans as a first additional language in a South African secondary‑school context. The integrated theoretical combination of Krashen, Schumann and Pekrun, offers a coherent explanatory framework and yields reasonable recommendations for curriculum design and classroom practice that aim to lower affective barriers and to harness culture as a motivational resource.
Keywords: affective emotions; affective factors; Afrikaans First Additional Language; acculturation model; culture; language learning process; teaching of culture
- This article’s featured image was created by Katerina Holmes and obtained from Pexels.