Effects Of Sustained Silent Reading Upon Students' English Reading Literacy:A Case Study In Junior Middle School

This paper,based on a case study,mainly explores the effect of sustained silent reading(SSR)on English reading literacy of junior high school students.It is known to all that reading is an extremely important part of education.Researches show that English reading can not only expand learners' vocabulary,broaden their horizons,improve their comprehension and cognitive abilities but also improve their interest in English learning.In addition,The English Curriculum Standard for Senior High School(2017)puts forward the core literacy of English subject,which is defined as“essential character and key ability” of English learning.Therefore,the cultivation of reading literacy has become an important goal of English teaching.However,the current situation is not satisfactory.Therefore,aiming at investigating how to improve the English reading literacy of junior high school students at different English reading levels,the author creatively puts forward the “SSR + 3R” teaching model.This reading project provides students with 15 minutes to read their self-selected English materials independently and silently every weekday,and they are required to finish some post-reading activities,including filling in reading logs,retelling and giving oral reports.With input hypothesis and reading motivation as the theoretical basis,and based on the four components of reading literacy,a case study is done to explore the following four questions:(1)How does “SSR+3R” affect the English language knowledge of junior middle school students at different English reading levels?(2)How does “SSR+3R” affect their English reading comprehension?(3)How does “SSR+3R” affect their English reading habits?(4)How does “SSR+3R” affect their English reading experience?The experiment is conducted in a class of Grade 9 at a middle school in Hangzhou,Zhejiang province.According to the average reading comprehension scores in the last three English tests and the introduction of their English teacher,the students of the class are divided into three levels---high level,middle level,and low level.And at each level,two students(one male and one female),who have low reading interest,are chosen as the participants(six students in total).The case study lasts for thirteen weeks with study instruments of two questionnaires,four English reading tests and one interview.The results show that “SSR+3R” has a positive effect on all the four aspects of English reading literacy of junior middle school students at different English reading levels.Among them,it has the most significant effect on the reading habits and reading experience of high-level students.And it is suggested that teachers should provide guidance for students on the choice of suitable reading materials and should do silent reading together with students.Moreover,teachers should give feedbacks on the performance of students(especially low-level students)and help and encourage them on time as well.