An Investigation On English Reading Strategies Used By Grade Three Students In Senior High School

Reading is an extremely valuable skill for foreign language learners.In theoretical and practical teaching domain, problems of reading have been the focus of language educators. Although reading is considered the most important subject in Chinese EFL teaching of senior high school, the students'reading competence improves comparatively slowly and the results of teaching are not satisfying. The present study explores learning strategies for reading employed by senior three students. Its main purpose is to examine the effect of the alternative use of the reading strategies on the improvement of English reading proficiency and reading level. It also confirms that the cultivation of the reading strategies can promote the students'awareness of using strategies and their self-learning ability.Reading comprehension is generally viewed in cognitive theory as a complex process. Many foreign language reading theories are greatly influenced by researches on native readers.'Bottom-up model','top-down model','interactive model','schema theory'and others explain thoroughly the process of reading and the many factors that have effects on reading comprehension. However,researches on reading strategies should be done in the light of learning strategies.As for English learning in China,English reading is both a method of learning and the purpose of learning,so English reading is closely related with English learning.But we can never draw an equal sign between reading and learning.Reading strategies have their own characteristics.With the review of literatures on learning strategies in foreign language acquisition,O'Malley & Chamot's (2001) system of learning strategy definitions and classifications stands out with a clear arrangement and a powerful framework for considering development issues in foreign language acquisition,on which the study of reading strategies of this thesis is based.The classification of reading strategies of this thesis is also based on the new English curriculum criteria,with reference to other related researches and the consideration of the reading practice of the high-school seniors,and the author adjusts O'Malley & Chamot's (2001) strategy framework accordingly.The investigation consists of three parts:a questionnaire, individual interviews and a reading comprehension test.The participants are Grade Three students from Suihua No.1 Senior High School.They are from four classes,two of which are key classes including the students who are major both in sciences and arts.So they can be the representatives of the senior three students.The author used the questionnaire and the reading comprehension test to examine the frequency and range of reading strategies use and the relationship between reading strategies use and the reading proficiency.The main conclusions are as follows:(1) The reading strategies usage condition of senior three students is not satisfying. They use less reading strategies compared to other language learners at home or abroad.(2) There is also a contrast of the strategy usage condition between high score and low score, which demonstrates that the former are better at using strategies than the latter in the use of cognitive strategies,meta-cognitive strategies and resourceful strategies,while there is no clear difference in using social-affective strategies.(3) Whether the students major in sciences or arts makes no difference in the usage of reading strategies.(4) The usage of reading strategies has a positive correlation with scores, of which the use of meta-cognitive strategies is relatively the main factor.Based on the survey, this paper discusses the results and summarizes the findings of the study and puts forward to three particular integrations to optimize the teaching of English reading in senior three:(1)Integration of the initiation of the English language knowledge with efficient ways to read in English so as to improve the students comprehensive English language abilities besides the ability to think in English.(2)Integration of reading inside classes with outside classes to foster the students' ability of self-determined reading.(3)Integration of English language initiation with students emotions in reading in order to develop students' ability of collaborate study.