Empirical Research Of The “Output-Driven,Input-Enabled” Hypothesis In English Teaching In Senior Grade Of Primary School

In 2008,professor Wen Qiufang first put forward the “output-driven” hypothesis.Afterwards,many English education experts and English teachers explored its feasibility in practice.However,most of the researches were carried out in universities and very few were about English teaching in elementary education,especially in primary-school English teaching.The reason is that Professor Wen Qiufang initially put forward this hypothesis for learners of middle and advanced English level.Having nothing to do with the learners’ English level,the core connotation of the“output-driven” hypothesis is that output is more powerful than input in language learning,which emphasizes the driving force of language learning brought about by output.In order to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of applying the “output-driven,input-enabled” hypothesis to English teaching in senior grades of primary schools,the author will deal with the following two key questions in the paper:1)What is about the teaching effect when applying the “output-driven,input-enabled” hypothesis to English teaching in senior grades of primary schools?2)Does the “output-driven,input-enabled” hypothesis have a positive effect on the attitudes and interest of primary school students from senior grades in English learning?In this empirical study,first of all,by comparing the final examination results of the last school year(and taking it as the pre-test results),the author chose two six grade classes with the same grades as parallel classes in this primary school.Meanwhile,the author also collected their writing pre-test scores and oral pre-test scores.In this experimental semester,the control class adopted the traditional English teaching model,while the experimental class used the new teaching model under the guidance of the“ output-driven,input-enabled” hypothesis.According to Professor Wen’s teaching procedure framework(MotivatingEnabling-Assessing)and the psychological and physiological characteristics of primary school students from senior grades,the author designed a new model which was applied to English teaching in the senior grades of primary school,adding and adjusting some links and supplementing the detailed teaching steps.The “warm-up”,“mother tongue discussion”,“highlighting the lack”,“presentation and revision” and so on are all new links.The “students doing selective learning” link is arranged in after-class learning part.Moreover,the “selective learning” link is divided into two steps: “teachers choosing input materials for students after class” and “students re-selecting from the materials given by teachers”.The form of learning input materials after class is “group cooperative learning”.In the course of the experiment,the author recorded the number of students in the experimental class who ask about the English learning questions every week,so as to reflect the change of the students’ attitudes towards English learning.At the end of one-semester experiment,the author collected the final exam scores,composition part scores and oral test scores of the two classes as the post-test results.Finally,the data were analyzed in detail by SPSS.Meanwhile,the author conducted questionnaires and interviews for EC to find out the change of students’ attitudes and interest in English learning under the new teaching model.The main results of this empirical study are as follows:1)Under the guidance of the “output-driven,input-enabled” hypothesis,English teaching in senior grades of primary schools has achieved good teaching results.Students have improved their academic performance(reading and listening part are included),oral English and writing skills.The new English teaching model based on the“output-driven,input-enabled” not only promotes students’ output,but also improves the effectiveness of input.So,this hypothesis can promote the students’ comprehensive ability of language using.2)The “output-driven,input-enabled” hypothesis has a positive effect on students’ attitudes and interest in English learning.Students are more interested in English learning and more active in expressing themselves in English.Under the guidance of the“output-driven,input-enabled” hypothesis,the change of students’ cognition of English learning,the rich output activities,the positive and meticulous assessment of students’ production and so on all promote the improvement of students’ interest in English learning.This study confirms the feasibility and effectiveness of the “output-driven,input-enabled” hypothesis in English teaching in the senior grades of primary schools.The author hopes that the “output-driven,input-enabled” hypothesis-based English teaching model can contribute to the development of primary English teaching and the improvement of our national English level.