A Survey And Reflection Of The Current Situation Of English Teaching And Learning In Primary Schools

English has become an international language, it is one of the necessary tools for the development of the science and technology, cultural communication and economy in the world. As a result, to learn a foreign language, especially English, is to meet the needs of training talents’quality in the information age and to conform to the diversified society. It also helps the students to be affected by different cultures and through which they can broaden their horizons. Since the Ministry of Education of China issued the "Ministry of Education about Primary Schools to Actively Promote the English Curriculum Guidance" in2001, which advocated that the area where with solid conditions can start to offer English courses from Grade One. Three English courses started to be offered in all parts of the country vigorously, and soon became an irreversible trend. However, offering English course in primary school cause a heated dispute with the focus of "should it be right to offer English courses in primary school? Which grade is the best one to accept English courses?" Although many experts and scholars have made a lot researches on these issues, the accorded opinion isn’t obtained yet.The present author of this thesis has experienced English teaching in primary school, and as a result has got some indirect understanding of the disputed issues above. Inspired by the relevant studies, the present author has the idea of making an investigation on the current situation of Enlish teaching and learning in the primary schools of Guilin for the purpose of acknowledging the opinions and attitudes of the students, teachers and parents toward English courses in primary school. Through the investigation and analysis of English teaching and learning in the primary schools in the past ten years, the present author tries to find out what achievements and experience have been achieved and what difficulties and problems exist now. Then, some practical proposals and suggestions are proposed finally and respectively.The investigation started in September,2011by taking the primary schools in Guilin urban area such as Guilin Hanlin Eoreign Language Primary School,, Guilin Golden Bridge School Guilin Zhangmu Primary School and Guilin Kuiguang Junior High Middle School as the subjects, and with the investigation of the educational department of Guilin. The items of the investigation include English teachers, English teaching materials, teaching equipment, English classes, the students and the parents. The linking between junior high school and primary school is involved, too. The methods to be used are questionnaires, individual interviews and classrooms observation.The result of the investigation indicates that the significance of offering English courses in primary schools has been generally recognized by people; however, the problems still exist. They are (1) examination-oriented education system stilll has great pressure on English teaching. The shortage of qualified English teacher in primary school is a distinct problem.(2) The New English Curriculum Standard can’t satisfy many parents and children’s desire of English learning and the textbooks sold commercially are intermingled of good and bad.(3) The "big-class" teaching has negative influence on English teaching and learning.(4) Parents put too much expectation on children’s English learning.(5) The linkage of English teaching between primary school and junior high school is not good enough.Base on the Critical Period Hypothesis, Piaget’s cognitive theory and the domestic three view points of English teaching in primary school, the present author puts forward the constructive opinions and suggestions respectively, including (1) the concepts of English teaching and learning in primary school must be renewed.(2) English course should be offered in line with the local conditions, and the influence of examination-oriented education on English teaching in primary school should be weakened; formative evaluation should be adopted and interesting teaching in English should be enforced.(3) To reinforce the construction of the team of quality of English teachers in primary schools by introducing and recruiting excellent professional English teachers and improving the training programm for in-service English teachers; besides, much attention should be paid to the management and supervision of English teachers.(4) The so-called "small-class teaching" must be advocated greatly and the parents’ understanding of English teaching in primary school should be improved.(5)The linkage between English teaching in primary school and junior middle school should be optimized accordingly.The present thesis consists of five chapters.