Research On The Effect Of English Critical Reading Teaching On Students’ Critical Thinking Ability In Junior High Schools

Compulsory Education English Curriculum Standard(2011)stipulates that quality-oriented education aims to cultivate students’ critical thinking ability.Since reading can foster students’ critical thinking ability,it is crucial to carry out critical reading training in English teaching.However,present junior high school English reading teaching is basically test-oriented and lays too much stress on language itself,impairing the sound development of students’ critical thinking.Simultaneously,many scholars have done various researches on critical reading in colleges and senior high schools,while few studies on junior high school students can be seen.Therefore,this study conducts a critical reading teaching experiment in a junior high school to prove the effectiveness in enhancing students’ critical thinking,helping both teachers and students gain some insights into English reading teaching and learning.Based on the constructivism learning theory and critical discourse analysis theory,this paper addresses the following issues:1)What are the characteristics of students’critical thinking ability in junior high schools?2)What effect does critical reading teaching have on students’ cognitive skills of critical thinking ability?3)What effect does critical reading teaching have on students’ affective dispositions of critical thinking ability?The experiment lasts four months and participants of the study are composed of eighty-eight students in Nanjing Gaochun Foreign Language School.In the beginning,the scale adapted from the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal(WGCTA)is adopted to assess the participants’ critical thinking ability.Then,critical reading teaching is applied in the experimental class while the traditional teaching method is carried out in the control class.At the end of the term,an English reading comprehension test to evaluate students’ cognitive skills of critical thinking is used to compare the scores in both classes.In the end,a questionnaire and two interviews are conducted to investigate the students’ affective dispositions of critical thinking.Detailed analysis of the research yields the results as below.Firstly,the overall critical thinking ability of junior high school students is at a low and moderate level.Among the five critical thinking sub-skills,the participants are more skilled at giving interpretations and recognizing assumptions than evaluating arguments and making deductions while the worst performance they do is drawing inferences.Secondly,the cognitive skills of critical thinking have been greatly improved in the experimental class after a one-term experiment,which mainly reflects in the advancement of the subskills of cognitive skills of critical thinking is apparent,especially in the aspects of explanation and inference.While there is no obvious improvement in the control class due to the little increase in the critical thinking cognitive skills.Thirdly,participants in the experimental class become aware of taking the initiative to ask questions and accepting the opinions of others after the experiment.Also,they are confident in analyzing and inferring orderly,interpreting and explaining critically,and evaluating and self-regulating actively.Moreover,they have curiosity and persistence in English learning,which will prompt them to find delight in English learning.In light of these findings,this paper draws some pedagogical implications both for teachers and students.For teachers,they should balance English knowledge and critical reading teaching,act as a guide rather than a manipulator in the classroom and therefore help create a free and harmonious atmosphere for students.For students,in addition to developing the basic knowledge of vocabulary and grammar,they should not allow themselves to be passive receptacles in the classroom.They should raise the awareness of critical thinking,recognizing it is of greater importance to be able to think critically.Finally,some limitations and suggestions for future research are proposed.For example,the number of participants is still limited,the experimental duration needs to be extended,and the quality of the test paper still needs improving.