A Study On Present Development Of Core Competencies In English Reading Teaching In Junior High School

Under the background of a new round of curriculum reform,the Ministry of Education has clearly stated that comprehensive quality education should be the core,focusing on cultivating students’ core competencies.Therefore,the common demand of education in the new era should advocate curriculum and teaching based on "core competencies".The core competencies of English include language ability,cultural awareness,thinking capacity,and learning abilities.Therefore,English teaching should not only focus on imparting knowledge,but also comprehensively grasp the formation of core competencies in English discipline,shifting from pursuing exam-oriented education with high enrollment rates to cultivating well-rounded individuals with all-round qualities.Reading instruction plays a very important role in junior high school English teaching,as it is an important way to form,improve,and develop students’ core competencies.Therefore,this paper adopts a combined method of qualitative and quantitative research,based on the theories of Whole-Person theory,Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory,humanistic learning theory,and social constructivism theory.Through methods such as questionnaires,interviews,and classroom observations,the study investigates the status quo of English reading instruction and the cultivation of students’ core competencies in 6 junior high school classes from 3regular junior high schools in K city,Jiangsu province.The specific research questions are as follows:1.What is the current situation of cultivating students’ core competencies in English reading teaching in junior high schools?2.What are the main reasons influencing the cultivation of students’ core competencies in English reading teaching in junior high schools?In this study,it is found that the current situation of junior high school in cultivating students’ core competencies is shown as follows:(1)Overemphasis on language proficiency;(2)Relative lack of emphasis on developing cultural awareness;(3)The increasing interaction between teachers and students promoting the development of thinking capacity and learning ability;(4)The new Curriculum Standards promote the transformation of teaching concepts.In the junior middle school English reading teaching,the reasons influencing the cultivation of students’ core English competencies are mainly attributed to the following five aspects:(1)Constraints of the Education System;(2)Competitive pressure;(3)Limitations of teachers;(4)Limitations of Traditional Teaching Models and Textbooks;(5)Cultural differences and cognitive barriers.Based on the above research findings,suggestions for improving current junior high school English reading instruction are proposed from the perspectives of teachers and schools,with the goal of promoting the comprehensive and coordinated development of students’ core competencies in English teaching.