An Action Research Of The Application Of Narrow Reading To English Reading Teaching In Junior Middle School

Reading,one of the four basic skills,is regarded as a significant input skill in English teaching in junior middle school,which has gotten more and more attention around the world.However,the current situation of English reading teaching in junior middle school is not satisfactory.Through narrow reading,which includes reading the same topic,the same genre and the same text by the same author,students’ interest and reading level can be improved.This effective input activity can make students be exposed to the similar vocabulary,grammar structure,context feature and background information,which facilitates students’ reading comprehension and promote reading ability.The researcher conducts this study in order to explore the application effects of narrow reading to English reading teaching in junior middle school.The subjects of this research are 47 students in Class7,Grade 7 in Qinhuangdao Junior Middle School.The research combines qualitative with quantitative instruments,which includes questionnaire,interview and tests.The researcher conducts two-round action research in four months,following five basic steps:identifying problems,making the action plan,implementing the action plan,evaluation and reflection.The research focuses on three questions: First,how to formulate and adjust the action research plan based on the feedback from teachers and students? Second,how does the action research of narrow reading affect reading interest,enthusiasm,autonomy,and efficiency of junior high school students? Third,how does the action research of narrow reading affect the reading performance of junior high school students?Before the action research,the author designed the first round of action research plan based on the students’ problems in English reading according to the questionnaire.In order to solve the problems in the first round of teaching,the researcher adjusted and revised the second round of teaching plan in time by using the method of “predicting the meaning of words” to solve the problem of “unfamiliar words”;“group bonus system” to solve “low participation”;“presenting key information on the blackboard and guiding reading strategies” to solve “insufficient input”;“changing learning activities” to solve the problem of “undetected reading effect of each student”.After two rounds of action research,students’ reading interest,enthusiasm,autonomy and efficiency have all been improved,and their reading performance has also be improved significantly.However,as a relatively novel teaching strategy and mode in frontline teaching,more research and improvement are needed for its development and application.