An Investigation On The Implementation Of Humanistic Education In Senior High School English Courses

In China, the instrumental quality of English courses has influenced English teaching for a long time. It is widely believed that the main task of English courses is teaching students the basic knowledge of English and developing their listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities. The New National English Curriculum Standards puts forward that English courses have both instrumental and humanistic quality. As far as the humanistic quality, English courses undertake the task of improving students’ humanistic quality. Through English learning, students should expand their horizons, enrich their life experiences, develop their intercultural communication competence, enhance their sense of patriotism, promote their creative thinking and cultivate their correct outlook on life.This study is conducted as a respond to the request of the English courses’ humanistic quality put forward by New National English Curriculum Standards. Taking 216 rural and urban senior high school English teachers as its subjects, the present study aims at investigating the current situation of the implementation of humanistic education in senior high school English courses, the obstacles during the implementation of humanistic education in senior high school English courses. Besides, it also intends to compare the differences in the implementation of humanistic education between urban and rural senior high school English courses. Questionnaire and interviews are the research instrument in this study. The major findings are as follows: firstly, both achievements and problems exist in the current situation of the implementation of humanistic education in senior high school English courses. Secondly, there are two main obstacles during the implementation of humanistic education in senior high school English courses, which are the request of improving students’ English grade and the lack of teacher training on humanistic education. Thirdly, there are some differences in the implementation of humanistic education in English courses between urban and rural senior high school English courses. Urban teachers implement humanistic education a little better in their attitude towards humanistic education, their implementation of humanistic education in English classes and also their implementation of humanistic education in English assessment.The findings of the present study give implications for the implementation of humanistic education in senior high school English courses. Given the fact that there still exist some problems and obstacles during the implementation of humanistic education in senior high school English courses, it is suggested that much teacher training on humanistic education should be offered to improve teachers’ understanding on humanistic education in order to promote the implementation of humanistic education in senior high school English courses.