A Constructivist View On The Design Of English Homework In Junior High School:An Action Research

The English Curriculum Standards of Compulsory Education proposes that the goal of English teaching in middle schools in China is to develop students’ comprehensive language ability,and homework is an important way to consolidate language skills.However,the studies of English teaching have focused on classroom teaching,and relatively neglected the research on homework.In addition,there are too many word copying tasks and grammar exercises in the homework of junior high school.The form is single and the content is simple.Repeated exercises would easily make students tired of learning and are difficult to meet the needs of students’ development.Therefore,it is necessary to reform the homework.To solve this problem,this study attempts to explore diversified English homework design in junior high school by carrying out an action research based on the theory of Constructivism.A questionnaire was firstly delivered to the 53 students in Class Five,Grade Eight of a middle school in Nanning City,Guangxi.The questionnaire was about the current problems of English homework and students’ attitudes towards homework.Then,the whole class of students were divided into three levels: high,middle and low,according to the test results.Four students were selected from each level(12 students in total)as research subjects.The author conducted two rounds of action research,each of which lasted for one month.In the first-round action research,the author designed diversified assignments based on the four concepts of context,meaning,interaction and cooperation in Constructivism.The types of homework were listening,speaking,reading and writing.The purpose was to improve students’ English learning attitudes and enhance students’ language skills.In the second-round action research,the author focused on the different needs of students and designed stratified assignments based on the theory of Zone of Proximal Development,aiming to explore the impacts of diversified homework on students’ interest in learning.After each round of action research,a test and an interview were conducted to understand the effects of the new homework.The results of the questionnaire indicate that students do not like current homework,the problem of which is monotonous form.The study shows that English homework based on Constructivism can improve student’s performance and improve their attitudes.The first-round action research shows that diversified homework can effectively increase students’ interests in learning.The second-round action research shows that stratified homework can improve the learning achievements of students at three levels.Students in lower level(Group C)make the biggest progress.In order to reform the current homework in junior high school,teachers need to design stratified homework with various forms after analyzing different learning levels and needs of students.