| Textbook is one of the foundation as well as fountainhead of teachers’ teaching and students’ learning.At present,there are many researches on English textbooks at the theoretical level,but there are few empirical studies from the specific textbooks themselves,and even fewer studies on the topics in PEP Senior English Textbooks(2019 Edition).Furthermore,systematic topic interest analysis on the three compulsory volumes and the four optional compulsory volumes of these textbooks is still vacant.This study takes PEP Senior English Textbooks(2019 Edition)as an example to study the topics of senior high school English textbooks and the matching of learners’ topic interests,which will fill the gap in this aspect and enrich the relevant research of PEP senior high school textbooks.This study not only puts forward some practical suggestions on the selection and arrangement of topics in PEP Senior English Textbooks(2019 Edition),but also provides practical assistance for senior high school English teachers to make good use of the textbooks,choose and supplement the contents of the textbooks and arrange teaching activities.Through the use of statistical analysis,questionnaire and interview,this thesis investigates 400 students in Grade Two of Zhangjiakou No.1 Senior Middle School and 6teachers in the corresponding classes,attempting to discuss the following three issues:(1)What are the distribution characteristics of topics in PEP Senior English Textbooks(2019 Edition)?(2)What are the matching characteristics of topic interests of high school students? Are there any differences in gender and academic levels?(3)What are the causes of distribution characteristics of textbook topics and matching characteristics of topic interests of high school students?In order to solve the above issues,based on Context Theory,Cognitive Learning Theory and its branch—Constructivism Learning Theory,this study draws the following conclusions according to data statistics and analysis: In terms of the distribution features of topics,the selection of topics in PEP Senior English Textbooks(2019 Edition)reflects the richness and diversity,and fully embodies the features of “interdiscipline”.In terms of the features of learners’ topic interests,most of the topics that senior high school students are most interested in are closely related to their daily life and have a more relaxing and pleasant atmosphere.However,most of the topics that learners are least interested in are not close to daily life,abstract and difficult to understand well.In terms of the influencing factors of topic interests,there are obvious differences in 10 topics between the students of the advanced classes and the regular classes.Most of these topics are far from daily life,very abstract as well as professional,which also have literary and exploratory content.In addition,there are significant differences between boys and girls in 6 topics.Girls are more inclined to learn some communicative topics,which are deeply related to culture and human development,while boys are more likely to focus on technical and philosophical topics,which are more closely related to technological development and social progress.In terms of the causes of distribution characteristics of textbook topics and matching characteristics of topic interests of high school students,Curriculum Criteria for Regular High School(2017 Edition)emphasizes the learning process of English courses should be carried out in the appropriate topic context.The setting of the three major topic contexts covers all the topic contents in senior high school learning stage,enabling students to improve their thinking quality,cultural awareness and learning ability in an all-round way.The difference of learners’ topic interests lies in the limitations of traditional senior high school English classroom teaching at the present stage,the student’s personality tendency as well as teachers’ guidance to students during the class.Besides,the difference of learners’ topic interests at different academic levels in matching textbooks’ topics lies in the differences in learners’ own intelligence and motivation.Finally,the difference of boys’ and girls’ topic interests in matching textbooks’ topics lies in the differences in physiological,psychological mechanisms and the right and left brain division between learners of different genders,as well as the influence from family,society,school and other aspects.On the basis of the above research conclusions,the author puts forward the following suggestions: First,the topics selected by the textbook writers should fit the general living conditions of students as much as possible.The first several units should be arranged with the topics close to students’ daily life,and the unit headlines should be easy to understand and attractive.Second,teachers should appropriately add topics that students are interested in,and reasonably adjust the teaching sequence of topics that students are not interested in,guide students to be willing to learn topics that they are not familiar with or not interested in,supplement reading materials according to the actual ability and gender of the students in classes,and use the textbooks scientifically and reasonably. |
