Applying Task-based Approach To The Teaching Of English Writing: A Research In A Junior High School In China

In China, English writing is regarded as the weakest part of the teaching of English in junior high schools. Great efforts made by most English teachers have produced very little effect. The students' writing competence is far from being satisfactory. These problems show the disadvantages and inefficiency of current product-oriented teaching approach, which still plays a dominating role in the teaching of English writing in most junior high schools. The product approach, as a traditional way of teaching writing, focuses on the end result of the learning process. In this way, the learner is expected to be a fluent and competent user of the language. This approach favors classroom activities, in which a learner is engaged in imitating, copying and transforming models of correct language. This usually occurs at the sentence level, which pays too much attention to the accomplishment of a given topic and the accuracy of writing while neglects the ideas and the communicative nature of the writing process. On the other hand, process approach, focuses more on the various classroom activities which are believed to be helpful for using English language. In this approach, the focus is on quantity rather than quality, and the practitioners are encouraged to get their ideas on paper in any shape or form without worrying too much about formal correctness. The approach also encourages collaborative group work between learners as a way of enhancing motivation and developing positive attitudes towards writing. However, the process itself is time-consuming and inflexible. And more controversially, attention to grammar is less paid. In the past two decades, many researchers and English teachers come to realize that both approaches above have some drawbacks. Therefore, a new teaching approach must be found to overcome the shortcomings of the former approaches and to efficiently improve the teaching of English writing.In recent years, with the requirements of composition in New Standard for English Curriculum (hereinafter called "New Standard" for short) being issued and the scores in English writing in the Senior High School Entrance Examinations being increased, more and more English teachers of junior high schools in China have realized the importance of teaching of English writing. The New Standard advocates an experiencing, practicing, participating, cooperating and communicating mode of learning and a task-based approach of teaching aiming at developing students' comprehensive competence in using English language. It adopts a graded objective system and designs the requirements for each grade in the form of "doing things". According to the New Standard, English teachers are required to try to use the task-based approach in teaching of English instead of the one merely passing language knowledge to students. Under the circumstances, the task-based teaching approach has been paid more attention to in China's junior high schools. As English writing has been regarded as the weakness of teaching of English by many English teachers in junior high schools, this dissertation, based on the theories of the task-based teaching approach, intends by means of the experimental research to seek an effective English writing mode and strategy which the New Standard advocates. In this way, the situation that the product is too much emphasized while the ability of using English is neglected in the traditional English writing is supposed to change. In order to attract and organize students to participate in class activities, teachers should strive to design tasks close to students' real life according to students' interest, life experience, cognizing level, curriculum objectives as well as teaching content. Through the learning modes, such as thinking, investigating, discussing, cooperating and communicating, students learn to use English, complete the tasks of English writing and finally, improve their English writing competence. Thus, in the process of implementing the New Standard, the author hopes to present a comparatively scientific and reasonable solution to the teaching of English writing.This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter one gives a brief introduction to the current situation of the teaching of English writing home and abroad and sets forth the significance of the research. Chapter two is the literature reyiew. The author elaborates the task-based teaching in detail, which includes theoretical foundation, task definition, task components, task designing principles and designing steps. Chapter 3 is the description of the experimental study. The author integrates theory with practice to research into the way of carrying out the task-based approach in the teaching of English writing in junior high schools. Chapter 4 presents results and analysis using SPSS 11.5. Then comes Chapter 5 that draws a conclusion to the whole thesis and discusses some pedagogical implications and limitations of this research. Firstly, the implementation of the task-based approach in the teaching of writing is efficient in cultivating students' interest and motivation. Secondly, the application of the task-based approach to the teaching of writing is more efficient than the traditional product-oriented approach in improving students' writing proficiency. Thirdly, the limitations of the research are provided and some suggestions are given for further study of the task-based approach in the teaching of English writing. Fourthly, the teachers' roles are summarized in the teaching of English writing from the perspective of task-based approach.