Applied Research, Task-based Teaching Methods In Vocational English Reading Instruction

The main way for people to acquire information, study or to be entertained is reading. The English Syllabus of Higher Vocational Colleges considers the promotion of student reading comprehension to be the most important goal in English teaching. Once students master the skills of reading, they develop the ability to study independently. Students think the traditional reading classes are very boring,while the Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) which advocates"using language to do things", tries to make use of various methods to accomplish tasks, and thus cultivate their abilities to use language in a comprehensive manner by means of communication, interaction and meaning negotiation.The purpose of this thesis is to prove that Task-based Language Teaching is effective in English reading classes in Higher Vocational Colleges. It is proposed that TBLT could enhance the students'reading interest and ability, improve the teaching atmosphere, and change the students'learning style from passive reception to self-access. In order to confirm the point, the author carried out an experiment in two classes. The experiment lasting for one term was done in the experimental class, while a traditional Grammar-Translation Method was employed in the control class. At the end of the experiment, a questionnaire was distributed and assessed together with the results of a final examination. The analysis of the data showed that: 1. the students of the experimental class became more active and gained more interest in English study; 2.the teaching atmosphere was more lively in the experimental class, and that the students took part in the class activities voluntarily; 3.the English test scores of the students in the experimental class were significantly improved compared with the control class. The results of a final examination demonstrated that the students in each score range over sixty points in the experimental class are more than those in the control class. Furthermore, the average final examination results in the experimental class were 9.4 points higher than those in the control class. Compared with the results from the entrance examination, the average score of the control class were 0.8 points higher than that in the experimental class.However, the research still leaves many unsolved problems concerning the application of Task-based Language Teaching to Higher Vocational English reading teaching. For example, how to effectively carry out TBLT in the English reading class of a big class is such a problem. It is proposed that more research and exploration will be required to solve these additional problems in the future.