A Study Of The English Grammar Teaching Based On Problem-Based Learning In Senior High School

Grammar plays an important part in language learning,which is the basis of communication.A good command of grammar is beneficial for language learners to construct effective and meaningful sentences.Lack of grammar will lead to failure of language learning and communication.However,grammar learning is not easy.The traditional grammar teaching methods direct much attention to the presentation and explanation of grammar content but neglect the grammar use in real interaction.Influenced by the situation,students are poor in grammar learning.Thus,an effective method is needed to improve the situation.Pragmatic competence is referred to as a component of communicative competence which is in terms of language use in context.The main purpose of language learning is to make students use language appropriately in real social communication.Grammar is used as a communicative resource to achieve social interaction.That is to say,grammar serves for pragmatics.Therefore,the cultivation of pragmatic competence in grammar teaching is necessary and primary.Problem-based learning(PBL)is treated as a language teaching approach.Many studies have proved that PBL approach has a good effect on language teaching such as speaking proficiency and writing.However,few studies relate PBL with grammar teaching.Thus,the present research is conducted to address the following questions:(1)What is the present situation of senior high students' pragmatic competence ?(2)Is the grammar teaching based on PBL more effective on the cultivation of students' pragmatic competence than the traditional grammar teaching method?(3)What are attitudes of students and teachers towards the grammar teaching based on PBL?Firstly,in order to know the current situation of senior high students' pragmatic competence,120 students in three grades are selected randomly to finish the pre-test.Secondly,120 students of Grade One from two classes in the senior high school participate in the experiment.The PBL approach is adopted in the experimental class(EC)while the traditional method is applied in the control class(CC).Pre-test and post-test are administered in EC and CC.The pre-test isimplemented to make sure that students' pragmatic competence of these two classes is at the same level before the experiment.The post-test is conducted to compare students' pragmatic competence after applying different grammar teaching methods.Next,some instruments including questionnaires,interviews and classroom observation are used to address the third research question.Finally,the data is analyzed and the following results is concluded:(1)Senior high students are lacking in necessary pragmatic knowledge and pragmatic awareness.They can express their meaning correctly.But they can't use proper language,which may lead to misunderstanding in cross-cultural communication.(2)Compared with the traditional method,grammar teaching based on PBL can mostly improve students' pragmatic competence.According to the results of the pre-test,there is no difference in the pragmatic competence of these two classes.However,a significant difference is showed after the experiment.Students' pragmatic competence is significantly promoted in the experimental class.(3)Both students and teachers believe PBL is an effective grammar teaching approach although there may be some problems and challenges existing in the approach.To sum up,it proves that the implementation of PBL in grammar teaching can promote students' pragmatic competence in senior high schools.PBL highlights student-centered learning activities and the acquisition of pragmatic knowledge in the process of grammar learning.It is effective on English grammar teaching.