Application Of K-W-L Plus Model To English Reading Teaching In Senior High School

Students’ reading comprehension ability plays a critical part in developing their core competence of English subject.Under the influence of examination-oriented education,many teachers have for a very long time concentrated only on the analysis of the vocabulary,grammar,and translation knowledge involved in reading texts,neglecting the cultivation of students’ ability to use reading strategies and raise questions,not to mention enhancing their core competence of English subject.In light of the new curriculum reform,English reading teaching models and approaches are constantly being updated.Among them,the K-W-L Plus model has drawn much attention from experts and teachers for its distinct educational philosophy and teaching procedures.In addition to advocating meaning inquiry-based teaching by activating students’ prior knowledge and raising questions,this model also utilizes the K-W-L Plus worksheet to systematize and visualize what students have learned,as well as incorporating the cultivation of students’ ability to use reading strategies at all instructional stages.In order to investigate the efficiency of the K-W-L Plus model’s implementation in senior high school English reading instruction,this thesis conducted an empirical study on the effects of the K-W-L Plus model on students’ reading comprehension based on constructivist learning theory,schema theory and metacognitive theory,in conjunction with students’ reading comprehension scores and the use of reading strategies.This study aims to answer the following two questions:(1)What are the effects of K-W-L Plus model on students’ reading comprehension ability?(2)What are the effects of K-W-L Plus model on students’ use of metacognitive reading strategies?The research subjects were senior one students in two parallel classes of a high school in Lanzhou.During the two-month experiment,the experimental class was instructed using the K-W-L Plus model,while the control class was instructed using the PWP model.Reading comprehension tests and reading strategy questionnaires were employed as the research instruments with a view to obtaining students’ reading comprehension scores and metacognitive reading strategy use before and after the experiment.After the teaching experiment,data statistics and analysis were carried out using SPSS 24.0.The results of this study showed that the application of K-W-L Plus model to English reading teaching in senior high school helped to improve students’ ability of reading comprehension and of metacognitive reading strategy use.In addition to activating students’ thinking,encouraging them to raise questions and give their own opinions about the texts,this model also guided them to use their metacognitive knowledge to consciously set their learning objectives,select learning methods and strategies,monitor the learning process and evaluate learning outcomes.Accordingly,the implications drawn from this study suggested that teachers should focus on the development of students’ ability to raise questions and to use metacognitive reading strategies,as well as on the flexible application of the K-W-L Plus model in practical teaching.There were still some limitations in this study as a result of the limited teaching period and sample size.Future studies are expected to further optimize the K-W-L Plus model and make more contributions to the development of English education teaching theory and practice.