Problem-based Learning And Its Application In English Teaching

The English Curriculum Standards aims to improve students' learning strategies, thinking mode and team-work spirit. Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional method in which students learn through problem solving. It's a student-centered learning method, in which a teacher functions as a curriculum designer, a guide, an assessor and so on. The goals of PBL include helping students develop 1) intrinsic motivation, 2) flexible knowledge, 3) effective problem-solving skills, 4) self-directed learning and 5) effective collaboration skills. PBL as a new teaching and learning style has drawn many scholars' attention in the last ten years. Its validity has been testified by some empirical studies in different universities and middle schools. PBL is popular in the education of nature science, not in English teaching in junior high schools. So the aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that PBL is feasible and effective in English teaching and learning in junior high schools.In order to test the feasibility and effectiveness of PBL, this thesis adopts a literature survey and an experimental method. It analyzes the current EFL teaching and learning problems in junior high schools. And by commenting the ideas and the advantages of PBL, it expounds the feasibility of applying it to junior high schools. Students were divided into 11 groups according to the results from the questionnaire at the end of the first term in Grade 7 and then underwent a 9-week PBL experiment. In addition to the questionnaires, audit records and the analysis of the pre-test and post-test concerning grammatical marks were carried out.The results show that the activities of PBL can stimulate the students' interest and enhance their confidence in English learning, improve their language skills and promote their relationship of teachers with classmates, which proves the feasibility and potential application of PBL in junior high schools. It is worth being popularized in other subjects and other ordinary schools. Meanwhile, the thesis also puts forward some problems to be solved in the future.