A Research On Students’ Self-questioning Behaviors In College English Class

With the development of education reform, the main goal of education is to develop students’creative ability. Students’ self-questioning is an effective way of helping students think and reason about what they have learned. Self-questioning can help students overcome the thinking-set and motivate the creative thinking. The behavior is conducive to fostering students’innovation ability. Moreover, the behavior not only can form a good relationship between teachers and students and achieve effective teaching, but also can cultivate students’abilities of autonomous learning and lifelong learning. However, according to the previous studies, it is apparent that current researches on students’ self-questioning are scarce. Therefore, this thesis investigates the general situation of students’ self-questioning and the factors that affect students’self-questioning in college English class, in a hope of offering some suggestions to college English teaching and learning.The thesis has adopted three instruments:a questionnaire, interview and classroom observation. Four teachers are chosen from investigated classes. Students’ self-questioning in college English class Questionnaire is revised on the basis of the questionnaire which is proved to have sufficient validity and reliability. The questionnaire measures six dimensions, that is, awareness of students’ self-questioning, quantities of students’questioning, types of students’self-questioning, obstacles of students’ self-questioning, the preparatory time of students’ self-questioning, ways of students’ self-questioning.In this thesis, the author makes use of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version17.0to complete the data analysis of the study in order to answer the following two questions:(1) What is the general situation of students’ self-questioning in college English class?(2) What factors can influence students’ self-questioning in college English class?The main findings are stated as follows. (1) Although students have consciousness of questioning in class, they seldom put forward questions. And the majority of types of students’self-questioning are about key words and analysis of key sentences. Moreover, there are some obstacles of students’ self-questions in class. Namely, students are afraid of questioning and are not interested in questioning. Moreover, the poor oral English, indifference of teachers and parents, difficult and dull text, and lacking special trainings are all the reason why students are verse to raising questioning in college English class. In addition, the preparative time of students’self-questioning is not sufficient. And the preference of form of students’ self-questioning is group work.(2) With regard to factors influencing students’ self-questioning, it can be classified into five categories:students themselves, teacher, school, culture, and curriculum. To be specific, students perception of questioning, students’ cognitive level, teachers’ consciousness of guiding, teaching methods, classroom climate, teaching philosophy of college and teaching resources and some traditional culture are all factors influencing students’ self-questioning in the college English class.Based on these findings, some suggestions are put forward for students:(1) forming correct English learning belief;(2) changing thinking-set and forming critical thinking;(3) improving the level of oral English. Some implications are given to teachers:(1) inputting large comprehensible information;(2) setting up question-situation;(3) conducting some communicative classroom activities;(4) encouraging students to actively take part in group work;(5) give positive feedback to students about their questioning;(6) reducing students’classroom anxiety.of questioning;(7) offering longer preparatory time for students’self-questioning;(8) teaching students how to improve questioning skills:Some advice are given to colleges:(1) updating leader’s own ideas of teaching management;(2) offering teachers special training and setting up "model lesson";(3) flexibly designing school-based curriculum;(4) creating innovative climate.