Research On English Language Teachers' Professional Quality In Junior Middle Schools In The Circumstances Of New Curriculum Reform

At present, basic education of China is in the circumstances of new curriculum reform, so it is easy to find that the reform has a great deal to do with teachers' quality. Teachers' quality is essential to the new curriculum reform. Therefore, research on teachers' quality has been the hot topic in the field of education and psychology.As an ordinary and special group, English language teachers in junior middle schools take on the task of training students to learn English. Their professional quality may have a direct impact on the students' quality. Although present researches on teachers' quality have made some progress, some only have simple and obsolete ways. These researches cannot reflect professional practicality as teachers and dig out teachers' educational activities. The researches on teachers' quality should be deeper and more specific for solving the practical teaching problems. In order to find out the situation and existing problems, the author makes a survey on English language teachers' professional quality in junior middle schools based on the theories of new curriculum and the structures of teachers' quality. On the foundation of this survey, the author makes some practical proposals and strategies, and also hope that it can be helpful for improving the professional beliefs, professional knowledge and professional competence of English language teachers in junior middle schools, so that they can have no difficulties in achieving more effective teaching.The study has been done mainly through investigation based on the questionnaire. Guided by some related theories, the author works out a questionnaire focused on English language teachers' professional quality. The survey has been done to over 200 English teachers in junior middle schools in Taian. It includes the following aspects: 1) basic situation of English teachers, 2) professional beliefs, 3) professional knowledge, 4) professional competence. The results of survey and analysis are: the English language teachers' professional quality in junior middle schools is not in a high level 1) obsolete professional beliefs 2) deficiency in English language knowledge 3) as to the teachers' age, teachers' educational levels and teachers' professional titles, there are great differences in professional competence. In the circumstances of new curriculum reform, what English language teachers in middle schools need most to improve themselves is the ability in English language, self-improving, reflection, educational research and creation. The paper first discusses every basic issue on teachers' professional quality, and then it carefully analyzes the results and problems, at last it puts forward some suggestions about how to improve English teachers' professional quality in junior middle schools.This paper consists of five chapters.Chapter One offers a literature review of teachers' quality abroad and at home. With the development of the global economy and the educational reform, teacher quality has been attached great importance to than ever before, especially language teacher professional quality. Through the questionnaires investigation and analysis, the author will discuss the professional quality that English language teachers in junior middle school should own in the new curriculum reform. In addition, this paper attempts to make an offer of helping teachers' training and teachers' improvement.Chapter Two offers the theoretical support of the paper. The author presents the importance of English language teachers' professional quality from the following aspects: 1) the characteristics of the new English curriculum standard; The English teacher roles in it, 2) the definition of teachers' quality; The structure and the contents of teachers' quality, 3) the structure of English language teachers' professional quality, 4) the demands on English teachers' professional quality in the course of carrying out the new English curriculum standard.Chapter Three introduces the purpose of the survey, the subject of the survey, instrument, the data collection and analysis. In other to study the English teachers' qualities better, the author made a survey of the following: 1) basic situation, includes the ratio of male English teachers to female, years of teaching, educational background, professional title, 2) the professional beliefs of English teachers, includes the pressure teachers are facing, the abilities teachers desire to improve, 3) English language teachers' professional competence, includes the teachers' oral English, the English teachers' language in class, the new language knowledge and related subject knowledge, the English teaching approaches and 4) the ways of English language teachers' training.Chapter Four is about discussion and analysis. The author illustrates the results of the survey, such as, teachers' belief; language employed in English classes; teachers' self-improving; teachers' difficulties in implementing task-based teaching method. And then the author discusses the causes of English language teachers' professional quality: 1) the problems in teachers, includes obsolete teachers' professional beliefs, deficiency in language proficiency and communicative abilities, deficiency in English teaching ability, low awareness of self-improvement, low awareness of researching and creating, low awareness of reflecting; 2) the problems in the present in-service English teachers' training, includes course design, the ability-cultivation, English teaching approach, teaching situation of English teachers.Chapter Five provides the most possible solutions to the English language teachers' professional quality in junior middle schools based on the results of surveys and discussion. The ways of improving teacher quality can be the cultivation of English language teachers personal language and scientific researches' ability, and also provides some effective ways, such as: 1) lifelong learning, 2) lectures, 3) teachers' participation in school-based course research, 4) classroom observation, 5) self-reflection on teaching and 6) conducting collaborative teaching work.