The Implications Of Schema Theory For Teaching English Reading In Higher Vocational Technical Colleges

Reading is an essential practice of people in daily life. Thus, it has become the goal of English teaching to improve and strengthen students'reading ability. Based on schema theory, the thesis explores the application of schema theory to teaching reading in higher vocational-technical colleges (HVTC) in China.Schema is the general knowledge and generic concept about the world. Cook (1989) states that schema is the pre-existent knowledge or background knowledge stored in readers'mind. Schema theory is concerned with the function of schemata in reading comprehension. According to the theory, reading involves the interaction between readers and writers as well as readers'prior knowledge and the incoming textual information. The interaction often takes place through two basic models of reading process: top-down processes and bottom-up processes. In top-down processes, readers start reading with predictions and assumptions about the incoming text, while in bottom-up processes readers acquire information from decoding words, phrases and sentences of the text. The two kinds of processes function simultaneously to make the text most comprehensible to readers.Consequently, pre-existing knowledge or schemata concerning the text are needed to accomplish successful comprehension. Schemata are generally classified into three categories: linguistic schemata, formal schemata and content schemata. Different types of schemata play different roles in reading comprehension. In China, compared with four-year college education, the higher vocational education has emerged and has attracted attention only in the recent decades. Consequently, not much research has been probed into the teaching of English reading in vocational colleges. Based on schema theory, the thesis conducted an experiment on reading among the freshmen in Jinhua College of Profession and Technology with the purpose of identifying different functions of the three types of schemata in reading comprehension. The result of the experiment demonstrates that on the whole schematic knowledge facilitates reading, and linguistic schemata play the most important and fundamental role as far as vocational college students are concerned.In view of the result of the experiment, the author proposes a model with the focus on vocabulary instruction. In addition, the paper presents some principles to guide the teaching practice in vocational colleges. For example, students'vocabulary and ability to analyze regular or complicated sentences should be developed; awareness of textual structure should be reinforced; activities should be adopted to activate and build prior knowledge relative to the text in the pre-reading stage; students should be encouraged to read extensively so as to enrich various types of schemata and cultivate sensitivity to different cultures as well.In a word, the thesis has attempted to serve as an introduction of schema and schema theory and provide a tentative study of its application to teaching English reading in higher vocational colleges. It is hoped that the paper can provide teachers with some guidance on how to teach English reading effectively and efficiently.