| The English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education（2022 Edition）states that teachers should let students have a positive learning experience and feel the fun of learning.Lead-in is the first link of classroom teaching,which can attract students’ attention and stimulate students’ interest in the course content at the beginning of a class.However,some English teachers neglect the importance of lead-in,and the effect of the lead-in session is not good,thus affecting students’ interest in English learning.This study aims to understand the current implementation status of lead-in in public junior high schools’ English teaching.Based on the Input Hypothesis,Humanistic Learning Theory and Self-efficacy Theory,this study takes six teachers and 297 students in a public junior high school in Huizhou as the research subjects and uses classroom observation,questionnaire and interview to collect data,aiming to answer three questions:（1）What are the common lead-in methods used by teachers in public junior high school English classrooms in Huizhou?（2）What attitude do the students have towards lead-in methods used by English teachers in public junior high schools in Huizhou?（3）What are the problems existing in the current lead-in part in public junior high schools’ English teaching in Huizhou?The major findings of this study are as follows:（1）The lead-in methods commonly used by English teachers in public junior high schools in Huizhou include Picture Method,Direct Method and Question Method;（2）Students from public junior high schools in Huizhou are generally satisfied with their English teachers’ classroom lead-in,including the atmosphere of the lead-in session and the setting of activities in the lead-in session.In addition,they highly agreed that teachers set up the lead-in session in each lesson and thought that the lead-in session could help them improve their learning efficiency;（3）At present,there are five major problems in the lead-in part of English teaching in public junior high schools in Huizhou: i)The lead-in methods used by English teachers are relatively single.ii)English teachers have a poor time control in the lead-in session.iii)Lead-in methods commonly used by teachers are inconsistent with those preferred by students.iv)The lead-in session fails to fully stimulate students’ interest in learning as well as improve students’ participation and learning efficiency in the English class.v)English teachers ignore the students’ current language competence when setting the lead-in activities and contents.Basing on the major findings,the author gives several suggestions on the lead-in part of English teaching in public junior high schools in Huizhou.Firstly,English teachers in public junior high schools in Huizhou should use a variety of lead-in methods to change the current situation of teachers using single lead-in methods in the lead-in part.Secondly,English teachers in public junior high schools in Huizhou should pay attention to controlling the time of the lead-in part.Thirdly,English teachers in public junior high schools in Huizhou can use students’ favorite lead-in method（Video Method）more often and explain and analyze video content according to students’ learning situations to help students better understand the lead-in content.Fourthly,English teachers in public junior high schools in Huizhou can introduce more content that can improve students’ self-efficacy.Finally,English teachers in public junior high schools in Huizhou should understand students’ actual language competence and interest in detail,and set up lead-in contents and activities based on student’s interests and learning needs.This study also has some limitations,including relatively small sample size and the limited duration of the study.Further research can focus on how to promote the development of students’ self-efficacy in English learning through lead-in part,the effect of Storytelling Method on junior high school English teaching,and how to maintain the discipline after video lead-in. |
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