Application Of The Schema-based Approach To Advanced English Reading Teaching For English Majors In Independent College

Reading is an essential approach of acquisition of language and information, and the ability of reading comprehension is paid special attention to in English language teaching reformation. It is believed that most English learners are adopting a passive approach in their reading process, that is to say, they put emphasis of reading on the acquirement of basic language points, namely vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure, rather than on the important schemata in reading material, especially those related to the theme and general structure. Thus the efficiency and precision of reading comprehension, as well as the ability of text generalization are highly affected, and especially, believed by the author during the teaching, when the reading material is at a comparative higher level in length and difficulty.Overseas researches have already shown the important role that schema theory plays in reading comprehension, and many domestic scholars and teachers have also introduced schema theory into reading teaching to facilitate students’reading comprehension. However, most researches focus on the general demonstration of schema theory and to what extent it influences reading comprehension. Besides, the subjects are mainly students in elementary schools or non-English majors in public universities who seldom participate in higher level of reading. Quite few are about the practical approach to apply the theory into real reading task, particularly in reading of high difficulty.Thus this thesis focuses on juniors and seniors of English major in independent college (mainly Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wenhua College). On the basis of former studies about schema theory and reading comprehension, as well as the students’situation and difficulty of English reading, a specific approach of reading teaching based on schema theory will be introduced in the thesis, for the aim of enhancing students’efficiency and precision in advanced English reading, and for the aim of training and improving their ability of active thinking and generalizing in particular.Through the practice of this approach in real teaching, conclusions are drawn as following:(1) This approach is feasible and operable in reading teaching in class;(2) This approach takes effect in training students to read actively instead of passively;(3) This approach can help to tackle some of the difficulties in advanced English reading, especially in the aspect of quick acquirement of the theme and structure of a text, therefore enhance students’ability of identifying the most important information and precision of reading comprehension simultaneously.This thesis is mainly composed of five chapters. Chapter one, as an introduction, is mainly about the background and the significance of the thesis. Chapter two gives a literature review of some basic theories in this thesis, including definition, purposes and models of reading, definition, activation and classification of schemata, as well as present research in this field both home and abroad. Chapter three is concerned with current situation of advanced English reading of juniors and seniors of English major as well as situation of teaching in this aspect in independent college. In chapter four, the central part of the thesis, an approach to advanced English reading teaching based on schema theory will be illustrated in details; it will also show how this approach will be practiced in class, and the effect of this approach. Chapter five concludes the thesis, shows the major implications and limitations of the thesis, and gives suggestions on English reading at a higher level.