A Study On The Application Of Schema Theory In The Teaching Of English Reading

English reading is an important part in English teaching. How to teach English reading and to teach well are problems which get across the English reading teacher. In view of this, the author, based on the knowledge of various reading theories and research, and through empirical study of an experiment, puts forward a model of effective reading teaching strategies, that is, schema training strategies, based on schema theory of reading.This paper is to explore the effect of schema training strategies in the process of reading comprehension with a combination of descriptive qualitative and quantitative method. First, a theoretical study of the role of schemata is explored. Then in light of the schema theory of reading and current reading teaching, the author brings forward a model of schema strategy training, which proves to be effective and popular through a semester experiment.To fulfill the goals that have been set in this research, an experiment is designed, aiming at finding out whether the schema training strategies are effective in English reading as a foreign language. The experiment is conducted in three stages. First, a questionnaire; then two tests; and third, an interview are performed. During training, both groups have the same allotment of time and experimental surroundings. The experimental group are intensively instructed and trained on the schema training strategies in sequence, obtaining more instructions of English background knowledge and systematic training. The comparison group is under regular instructions in class and read the assigned materials in their own ways after class.Both the experimental group and comparison group have participated in the comprehension tests before and after the experiment, and the data are collected and analyzed by SPSS13.0. The results indicated the effectiveness of schema training. In addition, just through reading the given materials, the comparison group also has improved their comprehension, indicating that readers can enrich their schemata autonomously by constant extensive reading. This can bring light to students'extensive reading for enriching their schemata and better comprehension.The interview of the experimental group after the experiment has revealed the popularity of the training of schema strategies, and most of the students can continue using the schema training strategies, and can transfer them to similar reading tasks and other language skills.Generally speaking, this empirical study has provided some pedagogical implications. In light of the above findings, it can be concluded that the schema strategy training does improve the learners'capacity of understanding information, enhance their overall reading skills and other language skills. Therefore the author's model of schema strategy training proves to be effective in terms of the results of the experiment. The findings of the experiment also imply that schema strategy training is necessary to foster the learner's independence and autonomy, and raise the reader's awareness of choosing, and apply appropriate strategies at the right moment and in the appropriate way during reading. This is intended to provide a reference to the teachers who are interested in schema training and the students who feel frustrated in doing reading comprehension tasks.