Research On Senior High School English Teachers’ Belief And Implementation Of Activity-based Approach To English Learning In Reading Teaching

The National English Curriculum Standards of Senior High School(2017)constructed the core competencies of English subject composed of language ability,cultural awareness,thinking quality and learning ability,which is also the goal of English curriculum reform in the new era.In order to achieve this goal,the activity-based approach to English learning,which aims to achieve the core competencies of English subject development,was creatively proposed.At present,the research on the activity-based approach to English learning mainly focuses on its connotation,characteristics,value,and the analysis and research of the activity-based approach to English learning in a specific unit of an instruction.However,as an important type of class that practices the activity-based approach to English learning,little research has been conducted on the practice of the activity-based approach to English learning in reading classes.Based on this,this research examines the following three specific questions based on previous research:(1)What is the senior high school English teachers’ belief of the activity-based approach to English learning?(2)What is the actual implementation of the activity-based approach to English learning by senior high school English teachers in reading teaching?(3)In reading teaching,how is the conformity between senior high school English teachers’ belief and implementation of the activity-based approach to English learning? If there is a deviation,what are the factors?Based on Dewey’s education philosophy,constructivism learning theory,and Bloom’s taxonomy,this research took 118 English teachers from four high schools in Chongqing,Chengdu and Guang’an as the research subjects,and questionnaires,classroom observation,as well as interviews are used to conduct the research.First,the researcher designed a questionnaire and an interview outline based on a thorough reading of the National English Curriculum Standards of Senior High School(2017)and other relevant literature on the activity-based approach to English learning,and118 teachers participated in the questionnaire.Second,three of the teachers were observed in the classroom and six were interviewed.To answer the three research questions,the researcher compiled,analyzed,and discussed the collected data through Excel and SPSS 24 to draw conclusions.The results can be concluded as follows:(1)Teachers have a considerable understanding of the basic concepts such as the connotation and classification of the concept of the activity-based approach to English learning,but they do not know enough about the goals to which they point,the six elements of integrated learning,and the main lines of activities.(2)There was an uneven distribution of teachers practicing the three types of activities advocated by the activity-based approach to English learning in reading classes,namely,the activities of learning and understanding account for the majority of reading activities,the activities of applying and practicing are relatively few,and the activities of transferring and creating are rare or even absent.(3)Comparing the survey data with the current situation of classroom observation,it can be seen that teachers have a high degree of conformity to the belief and implementation of the activity-based approach to English learning,which means that neither is doing very well.The influencing factors are multifaceted,such as the exam-oriented education,larger class sizes,and other educational issues;insufficient support from schools and education departments;teachers’ lack of theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge;teachers’ overloaded workload.Based on the above research results,combined with relevant research data,the following implications can be drawn:(1)The education department should pay attention to the explanation and training of the activity-based approach to English learning,and especially play the leading role of education experts to clear the obstacles at the cognitive and practical levels for teachers.(2)Schools should provide support for teachers to learn and practice the activity-based approach to English learning in all areas.(3)Teachers need to change their inherent concepts and proactively learn about the activity-based approach to English learning.They should also study the discourse and design activities scientifically,balancing the activities of learning and understanding,applying and practicing,transferring and creating.