The Experimental Research Of Self-Access English Learning In Guanghua Middle School

Learner's autonomy in foreign language learning turns out to determine his or her foreign language learning efficiency. Self-access language learning is an approach to foster students' autonomy in foreign language learning. However, the traditional examination-led English teaching models and methods result in a low efficiency in foreign language learning at senior high schools. Therefore, it is of vital importance and of great significance to develop our students' autonomy in ELT in senior middle schools. This dissertation attempts to probe into methods to foster our senior high school students' autonomy in Chinese senior high school classroom context. The author states that motivation enhancement and the strategy training are the two main aspects of developing students' autonomy in their English learning, and she advocates that direct instruction and guidance in the English classroom is an effective approach to promote the students' autonomy and to improve their English learning efficiency. This dissertation also attempts to help teachers to teach their students how to learn and how to become autonomous in their own English learning by combining learning strategy instruction with the content course of English.First the author reviews the current relevant literature and research at home and abroad, discusses the significance of developing senior high school students' autonomy from the perspective of reforming classroom English language teaching and learning, and introduces the research methods the author has used in her research. The discussion of autonomy is largely concerned with the diversity of definitions offered by different writers. The author provides a detailed retrospection of the definitions of the terms "learner autonomy" and "self-access language learning" given by the scholars at home and abroad in this research field. She also defines the terms "learner autonomy" and "self-access language learning" from the perspectives of psychology, language learning and the Chinese cultural setting, and explores the psychological components that make up autonomy in foreign language learning: motivation, goal-setting, self-monitoring, self-regulating and so on. The rationale behind learner autonomy and self-access language learning is also discussed: the theory of zone of proximal development, the cognitive constructivist learning theories and Roger's humanist learning theories. Theauthor also analyzes senior high school students' psychological characteristics and the factors that affect the development of autonomy.After that, a questionnaire is designed to examine the degrees of the students' autonomy and to get information from the students in Guanghua Middle School about their present situation in their autonomy of learning English. According to the results, the author analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the present conditions of the students' autonomy. The author finds that the students in her school have different degrees of ability in different aspects of autonomy. Through analyzing the data collected from the questionnaire, the author discovers three basic needs and requests of the students in her school: their desires for authentic learning materials; colorful classroom activities; their demands of English teachers improving their English levels and their professional levels.The author puts forward "the self-access English teaching and learning model for senior high school English teaching". An experiment is designed and carried out on the self-access English teaching and learning model at the author's school. The results of the experiment shows that the students in the experimental class achieved greater autonomy and made greater progress in their English learning during the experimental time.After analyzing the results of her experiment and practice, the author concludes that the self-access English teaching and learning model is superior to the traditional classroom English teaching models. The author points out that there exist three problems in the practice of the self-access English teaching an...