Tthe Schema Theory Based English Listening Teaching Iinnsenior High School

As one of the four basic language skills, listening comprehension is indispensable inEnglish teaching. However, the listening teaching of senior high school is not quitesatisfactory and restricts the students’ development. The teacher’s task in a traditionallistening class is to play the tape, check the answers, and play the tape again, which neglectsthe listeningstrategy training.The students’ learninginterest is frustrated.Actually, listening comprehension needs the active participant of the listeners andinvolves the mutual fusion of linguistic knowledge and background knowledge. The thesistries to introduce a new English listening teaching model on the basis of schema theory inorder to testifyits effecton students’listening comprehension.First of all, a literature review about listening comprehension and schema theory isincluded; then the researcher adopts the qualitative and quantitative methods.100studentsfrom No.11school in Zibo city were involved in the questionnaire research and the collecteddata wereanalyzed by SPSS17.0tofind out the problemsencountered by the studentsduringthe listening process and in listening class. A teaching experiment was conducted under theguidance of a serious and rigorous teacher. The controlled class continued the traditionalteaching method; while the experimental class employed the three-stage teaching method onthe basis of schema theory: at the pre-listening stage, activating the listeners’ existingschemata and cultivating their predicting ability; at the while-listening stage, adjusting theexisting schemata and applying the related listening strategies; at the post-listening stage,strengthening thenew schemata.After the teaching experiment, pairedsamples T test and Independent samples T test arecaried out by SPSS17.0accordingto the controlled class and the experimental class’ pre-testand post-test scores. Besides, a think-aloud study and following-up interview are conducted.All the results indicate that the students’ listening proficiency of the experimental class is significantly improved. They are conscious to utilizevariouslistening strategies, and to be anactive listener. Therefore, the schema theory based teaching is an effective method inimproving the students’listeningcomprehension in seniorhigh school.