A Study On Application Of Problem Chain Teaching Mode To English Reading Instruction In Junior High Schools

According to the core competency in New English Curriculum Standard(2011),critical thinking is the major factor influencing thinking quality.Problem-based learning is an effective technique to cultivate students’ critical thinking in English reading instruction.However,the current English reading teaching in junior high schools emphasizes more on word-by-word translation and grammar explanation,and less on comprehension and perception of the passage,so that students gradually fail to engage in thinking activities to analyze and solve its problems.Problem Chain Teaching Mode based on problem-based learning explores students’ critical thinking in reading classroom instruction.Based on the theory of constructivism,zone of proximal development,Facione’s two-dimensional critical thinking and problem-based learning,the thesis applies the Problem Chain Teaching Mode to English reading instruction in junior high schools to cultivate students’ critical thinking ability and improve English reading comprehension achievement.The experiment is conducted and the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory Scale is adopted to questionnaires for students’ perceptions of the extent of critical thinking competence.The research questions are as follows:1.What is the effect of the Problem Chain Teaching Mode on students’ English reading achievement?2.What is the effect of the Problem Chain Teaching Mode on the English reading achievement of high,medium and low grade students?3.What is the effect of Problem Chain Teaching Mode on students’ critical thinking disposition?In the research,96 students from a junior high school in Yining City are selected as the participants,48 students in the experimental group,48 students in the control group.The pre-test is conducted to guarantee there is no significant difference on English reading achievement between the two classes before the experiment.In the experiment,the experimental class applies the Problem Chain Teaching Mode,while the control class adopts the conventional teaching mode.After the experiment,the data are statistically analyzed by SPSS 20.The results are as follows: firstly,The Problem Chain Teaching Mode is conducive to improve students’ English reading achievement.Before the experiment,there is no significant difference between the reading scores of the experimental class and the control class;after the experiment,there is a significant difference between the reading scores of the experimental class and the control class.Secondly,the Problem Chain Teaching Mode can improve the English reading scores of students at different grades.Finally,the application of the Problem Chain Teaching Mode leads to the development of students’ critical thinking disposition.Overall,before the experiment,there is no significant difference in the critical thinking disposition between the experimental and control classes;after the experiment,the experimental and control classes show significant differences in critical thinking disposition.Among them,students in the experimental class show significant difference in six dimensions,including truth-seeking,open-mindedness,analyticity,self-confidence,inquisitiveness(p=0.000<0.01),and maturity,compared to the pre-questionnaire,while there is no significant difference in the dimension of systematically compared to pre-questionnaire.Therefore,the research makes the following implications for junior high school English reading teaching: firstly,teachers should make better use the Problem Chain Teaching Mode to make students engage in active thinking activities to analyze and solving problems in reading class;secondly,before designing teaching activities,teachers should interpret reading materials in depth,set problems reasonably,and use problems to inspire students to think;finally,teachers should not only pay attention to teaching language knowledge,but also to developing students’ critical thinking skills.