An Empirical Study Of Whole Language Apporach To English Reacifag In Normal Schools

New curriculum advocates that students should be the center of the teaching.However, the grammar-translation method, which is the main English readingteaching method in normal schools, is teacher-centered and students seldom have theopportunity for cooperative learning. As a result, students can’t have enough chanceto communicate with each other and practice English listening, speaking, reading andwriting, let alone the development of their communicative competence. It’s high timeto change English reading teaching in normal schools.Whole language approach provides a new approach to the reform of Englishreading teaching in normal schools. Whole language approach regards language as awhole, advocates the authenticity of language, and emphasizes that the learningenvironment plays an important role in language study. The advocates of wholelanguage approach believe that English listening, speaking, reading and writingshould be developed simultaneously. Many scholars have demonstrated the feasibilityof applying whole language approach to English teaching, and many teachers adoptedit in English teaching in many universities and in middle schools. Therefore, theresearch, through the empirical study, aims to analyze the influence of whole languageapproach on English reading teaching and students’ English reading comprehensionand communicative competence.The empirical study lasted for a semester. English tests, questionnaire and interviewwere employed in the study. Before the study, two parallel classes were chosen as theresearch subjects through the pre-test. During the study, whole language approach wasapplied to the experimental class while the traditional teaching method was adopted inthe control class. After the study, the post-test was organized. Then, data of thepre-test, the post-test, questionnaires and the interview was collected and analyzed bySPSS17.0. The analysis shows whole language approach can stimulate students’English reading interests and it can have positive influence on English readingTeaching.The following can be drawn from the study: First, whole language approach can motivate students in English reading effectively. Second, whole language approachcan improve students’ English reading greatly in normal schools. Third, Englishreading can develop students’ English comprehensive skills and improve theircommunicative competence by applying whole language approach. Therefore,English reading teachers should study whole language approach thoroughly,understand the profound connotation of the theory, play a leading role in Englishreading teaching and try to create authentic English reading environment for students.