Schema Theory And Its Application In Junior English Instruction

The teaching of reading has a pivotal position in ESL class. Many teachers and scholars recognize the importance of reading and try new teaching methods in practice. The traditional reading instruction puts emphasis on the analysis of sentences and words to understand the whole text, ignoring the important function of the schema theory on reading instruction. In 2001, the Standard of English Curriculum formulated by the Ministry of Education set a higher requirement for junior school students on reading ability. They are required to achieve the fifth degree goal of reading ability when they graduate. Reading instruction in secondary schools is facing a severe challenge.On the basis of previous studies, the writer of the thesis discusses many classroom activities to activate the students'schema. She tries to solve the students'reading problems which are caused by the lack of proper schema. The key to solve the problems is to activate the schema or provide the relevant knowledge to the students. These parts will be introduced:the definition and models of reading; the definition, classification and function of schema, the impact of schema on reading comprehension.From the results of the two tests and the questionnaire, it has proved that schema theory has the positive function to English reading teaching. Meanwhile, the students have been trained in their reading abilities and they can read efficiently.