The Application Of Autonomous Learning In Senior High School English Reading

Autonomous learning has been a buzzword in foreign language learning in the recenttwenty years. The theoretical basis of the autonomous learning is Constructivism Theory,Humanistic Curriculum Theory and Metacognitive Theory. The new basic curriculum reformmovements emphasize the sustaining development of learners. Therefore, it becomesimperative to foster learner autonomy in English teaching in senior high schools.English reading is both one of the main abilities to use English and the main body inEnglish exams. Although the English teaching has been focusing on cultivating students’reading ability, the English reading classroom is the teacher-centered model, and the teachingprocess focuses on basic language points, like vocabulary, grammar, etc. It is not effectiveenough to develop student’s consciousness, initiative and creativity. It is an attractive topic tocultivate students’ autonomous learning ability in the English reading process because it canhelp to develop and cultivate students’ autonomous reading ability. Autonomous learning is aperennial dynamic process rather than a static product, a state which is reached once and forall.The author took100senior students as subjects and made a research on autonomouslearning on English reading in Lixian Senior High School by means of questionnaires，testsand interview. The analysis of the experiment shows that the students in the experimentalclass made greater success in English reading than those in the controlled class. They canproperly monitor and assess their studies in the process of learning. They feel more confidenttowards learning English and they are more ready to use language they have learnt to improvetheir comprehensive language use ability. The experiment proves that autonomous readingability helps improve students’ English language competence and lay a solid foundation forfuture study and work.The author also states the problems appearing in the experiment and makes somepedagogical implications for the future research. Meanwhile, due to the lack of time andexperience, there are some deficiencies in the thesis which are to be solved in the futureteaching activities.