The Study Of The Application Of Reading Strategies In English Reading Teaching In Junior Middle School Based On Think-aloud Protocols

Reading strategies,one of the critical factors in promoting reading effectiveness,have been a popular research topic for many years.Many studies have shown that second language readers often need to use reading strategies consciously to compensate for their deficiencies in language proficiency and improve cognitive and memory skills to read effectively.Therefore,how to teach reading strategies and develop students’ ability to use them has been favored by many scholars both at home and abroad.In China,through research studies,many scholars have found that students’ awareness and ability to use reading strategies in English reading is still at or below the intermediate level.In order to help students solve the problems they may encounter in English reading and to achieve the goal of independent and lifelong reading,it is imperative to teach reading strategies and to develop students’ ability to use reading strategies.This thesis uses the Think-aloud Protocols as a teaching method to cultivate students’ ability to use reading strategies in English reading.In the teaching experiment,the author referred to the requirements in The English Curriculum Standard of Compulsory Education(2022)and focused the teaching on seven reading strategies commonly used by junior high school students.The thesis is to verify the effectiveness of teaching reading strategies in English classes based on the Think-aloud Protocols to improve junior middle school students’ English reading ability,and its aim is to provide some reference for future English reading teaching.This thesis will answer the following two questions.(1)To what degree can teaching reading strategies based on Think-aloud Protocols in English classes improve junior high school students’ English reading ability?(2)What are the effects of teaching reading strategies based on Think-aloud Protocols in English classes on junior high school students’ use of reading strategies and their interest in English reading?The author used a controlled trial method to verify these two research questions mentioned above.The author selected students from Grade 9 Class 8 and Grade 9 Class 10 of the fourteen parallel classes in a certain high school in Guiyang,a total of 90 students,as the subjects of a 12-week teaching experiment.Class 8 was set as the experimental class,and Class 10 was set as the control class.The study used quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze the effectiveness of applying the Think-aloud Protocols to teach reading strategies in English classes.Questionnaires before and after the teaching experiment were to understand the students’ use of reading strategies.The pre-test and post-test were designed to know the students’ English reading ability and the effectiveness of the teaching experiment.The verbal report of the Think-aloud experiment was used as a supplement to the questionnaires to know the students’ use of the strategies.In addition,the post-experimental interview was conducted to understand the changes in students’ interest in English reading after the teaching experiment.The results of this study are as follows:(1)Teaching reading strategies based on Think-aloud Protocols can significantly improve junior high school students’ English reading ability through the comparison of their pre-test and post-test scores and the results of the Think-aloud experiments;(2)According to the Think-aloud experiment and the questionnaires,the frequency of junior middle school students’ use of reading strategies in English reading has increased;according to the questionnaire and interview results,it can be seen that their interest in English reading has also been raised.Based on the findings of this study,the author hopes that both teachers and students will realize the importance of reading strategies in English reading.The author advocates that English teachers introduce the Think-aloud protocols as a teaching method in English reading teaching,consciously teach students knowledge about reading strategies and develop their ability to use them,thus laying the foundation for their lifelong learning ability.