A Study On Classroom Interaction And College English Teaching And Learning

With the globalization of world economy and China's entry into WTO, English learning has become more and more important for Chinese learners. The traditional teaching method is being criticized for its excessive dependence on teachers' illustration and passing on the language knowledge and neglect of developing learners' communicative competence. In a new round of curriculum reform, both the teaching model and the way of students' learning are changed compared with the traditional pedagogy. Teachers are asked to give students more chances and time to interact with others in English to finish various tasks, and so to learn English by using it. Therefore, students will be more independent and active in class and interactive activities are becoming more dominant. Meanwhile, the classroom interactive teaching, which is based on the theories of social interaction, social constructivism and learning theory, has aroused the interest of many linguists from home and abroad.Interaction is the collaborative exchange of thoughts, feelings, or ideas between two or more people resulting in a reciprocal effect on each other. In western countries, the study of classroom interaction has become gradually popular since 1980s and a number of studies have been carried and a series of encouraging results have been obtained. In China, researchers and teachers have used the relevant theory and research findings for their own study, which is helpful for promoting College English teaching and learning. However, much research just explores the important role of classroom interaction in EFL teaching in theory, while on the other hand, a little of empirical research in Chinese context is conducted. So this thesis will try to prove that classroom interaction can indeed promote and enhance College English teaching and learning by an empirical study and then present some implications and strategies for College English teachers to enhance classroom interaction.The subjects involved in the survey are 96 non-English majors from Chongqing Three Gorges University. From the experiment, it was found that at the end of the experiment the students in the experimental class (EC) got higher marks in the examinations than the students in controlled class (CC). The questionnaire is used to find students' attitudes, feelings and strategies of studying English and from the questionnaire, it was found that compared with the students in CC, students in EC held a more positive attitude to English learning and during the learning process those students tended to use more positive learning strategies. It is the interactive approach that causes the different performance between the students in EC and CC. On the basis of findings, suggestions are given: 1) Teachers and students should change their traditional beliefs about English language teaching and learning. 2) Teachers and students should change their roles respectively in EFL classroom. 3) When implementing interactive approach in EFL classroom, teachers should take the following strategies into consideration: creating a positive classroom atmosphere, implementing group work and improving questioning.