Applying Schema-oriented Reading Instruction At Senior High English Level In China

In order to find out whether the widely known schema theory and its instruction model can be applied effectively at Chinese senior high English level, the author decided to write a thesis on the feasible instructional patterns of this model based on her research about achievements in this field and an experimental study she actually carried out in Beijing Feng Tai No. 18 Senior High School.Conducted from September to December, 2004 in Beijing Feng Tai No. 18 Senior High School, the research used the schema-oriented instruction model, aiming to promote schema activation and schema building in English reading instruction.Two classes each consisting of 50 students were chosen respectively as the control group and the experimental group for their same level of English proficiency. While in the experimental class, schema-oriented instruction model was adopted, in the control class, traditional teaching method was utilized as usual. Data collection involved both objective means such as pre-test, periodic measurements and post-test, questionnaire surveys and a post class informal interview as a qualitative data complement. Data analysis focused on 1) differences in achievements in pre-test and post-test 2) students' performances during the experiment 3) the teacher's achievement from the experiment.The results of research indicated that in this teaching framework, students in the experimental class improved their English reading ability more rapidly than the control class. Their reading strategies and awareness of schemata building and activation also developed very quickly. The teacher involved in the experiment beganto apply more schema-oriented classroom activities than the traditional ones in the reading class.All these demonstrate that schema-oriented instruction model is of great value in improving Chinese senior high students' English reading comprehension. It can help students develop reading efficiency and form good reading habits; and it can be mastered by high school teachers easily and quickly if the procedures of training are structured clearly. Thus, the author concludes that it is both feasible and beneficial to use schema-oriented instruction in Chinese senior high English classrooms.