A Study On Application Of Discourse Theory In English Reading Teaching Of Junior Middle School

With the deepening of the new curriculum reform in China,the shortcomings of the traditional English reading teaching method,which lays too much emphasis on the teaching of syntax and vocabulary and does not pay attention to the construction and interpretation of discourse,are gradually exposed.Many educators have explored new teaching methods,among which discourse theory has attracted more and more researchers’ attention.Many domestic scholars have studied the discourse theory and tried to apply it to English teaching,but many of them just study at the theoretical level and focus on high school English teaching.Therefore,in this paper,the author discusses the English reading teaching of junior middle school under the discourse theory,and makes a preliminary discussion on the theory and practice about the English reading teaching model under discourse analysis.Discourse analysis involves many aspects.According to the characteristics of reading test in Wuhan high school entrance examination in recent years,the author believes that English reading teaching under the theory of discourse should focus on the analysis of the background knowledge,stylistic structure,connection ways and the knowledge of words and expressions.Based on these four aspects,the author puts forward three specific research questions:(1)What are the advantages of the English reading teaching model under discourse analysis in improving students’ English reading abilities?(2)Can the English reading teaching model under discourse analysis effectively improve students’ English reading performances?(3)What implications does the teaching model under discourse analysis have on the teaching of English reading in junior middle schools?Based on the discourse theory and the relevant materials collected by the author,the author carried out a four-month teaching experiment.The experimental subjects were 90 students in the third grade of Wuhan Optical Valley No.3 Middle School.Before the experiment,the two classes had almost the same reading level;during the experiment,the author adopted the methods of questionnaire,interview;use the pre-test before the experiment and the post-test after the experiment.The teaching mode under discourse analysis was adopted in the experimental class,while the traditional teaching mode of reading was adopted in the control class.After the experiment,the author analyzed the data with SPSS.The results show that the English reading teaching model under discourse analysis can improve students’ reading performance and enhance their reading ability.Based on this,the author proposes that English teachers should improve their English reading strategy teaching based on discourse theory.First,they should pay attention to the supplement of background knowledge and activate students’ relevant schemas about the topic of the text.Secondly,it is necessary to analyze the type and structure of the article,so that students can learn to grasp the passage from a macro perspective.At the same time,students should also be guided to have a better understanding of the logical rules of the text by analyzing cohesive devices.Then,we should consciously train students’ reading skills in class.Finally,combining the advantages of traditional reading teaching method and discourse teaching method,English teachers should improve the teaching method of the knowledge of words and expressions.