A Study on the Cognition-Affect-Behavior Interaction of Non-Native Speakers from the Perspective of Sociocultural Theory: Affect Construction in English Debating Through the Lens of Dramatic Events

Abstract

Framed by Sociocultural Theory (SCT), this study focuses on the context of British Parliamentary (BP) English Debate, adopts a narrative-oriented interpretative case study paradigm, and explores how the affective experiences of non-native English speakers in BP English Debate are triggered by dramatic events and guide their interactive development of cognition, affect and behavior, through video recording and semi-structured interviews. The participants are 8 English major students (4 core interviewees), all with one year of debating experience and an English proficiency of Level B2 or above.

This study identifies six core types of dramatic events and three social interaction mediation paths, and reveals the differentiated interactive development trajectories of the four learners: cognitive reconstruction under social support, cognitive expansion driven by affective deepening, metacognitive awakening triggered by accumulated frustration, and strategy construction under the balance of affective tension. The study confirms that affect is not an isolated psychological response, but a core mediator constructed and regulated in social interaction that drives second language development. This study provides empirical evidence for the affective mediation mechanism to supplement Sociocultural Theory, enriches the process-oriented analytical perspective of second language affect research, and offers practical references for the optimization of English debate teaching and second language writing teaching.