Research Of English Listening Teaching In Senior High School Based On Schema Theory And Relevance Theory

Listening is a receptive skill, i.e. input, which is one of the most important ways of learning English. As the foundation to absorb and understand information, it plays an important role in SLA and foreign language teaching. The English new curriculum standards attach much importance to training the students’ability of using English, so it has set a higher goal of listening for the senior high school students. However, the effect of the English listening teaching in senior high school is still not ideal due to their lack of theoretical guidance. Domestic scholars have applied schema theory or relevance theory to listening teaching. Most of their studies are concerned with the university, while few studies are for the senior high school. In addition, domestic scholars have found that the effects of the two theories on listening comprehension are complementary, while few people simultaneously apply schema theory and relevance theory to listening teaching in senior high school. In view of this, the author attempts to simultaneously apply the two theories to listening teaching in senior high school in an effort to explore a new scientific listening teaching mode, optimize English listening teaching and improve the students’ability of listening comprehension.The author first reviews the study of foreign scholars and domestic scholars on listening comprehension and listening teaching, and then introduces the relevant concepts of schema theory and relevance theory. In order to investigate the effect of listening training under the guidance of the schema theory and relevance theory on the listening ability of senior high school students, the author designs a comparative experiment and introduces the two theories into the classroom teaching, exploring the more scientific and effective listening teaching methods. Both quantitative research and qualitative research are employed in this study, including the methods of parallel tests, interviews and classroom observation. The results of the pre-test scores and post-test scores are analyzed by using the statistical software SPSS13.0. The research is conducted in two classes of Senior Two for one semester. Based on schema theory and relevance theory, the experimental class uses the new teaching methods. On the basis of the consolidation and strengthening of students’linguistic knowledge, the author helps the students supplement the knowledge of cultural background and the knowledge of discourse genre and structure, and cultivates their abilities of inference and prediction. Meanwhile, the author trains students’interactive use of the two modes of information processing in listening. In classroom teaching, the author not only pays attention to the cultivation of students’ability of transactional listening, but also develops students’abilities of interactive listening by training students’communicative competence of listening and speaking. Teachers change their role of the classroom dominator and recording player in traditional classroom teaching of listening into the guiding role as the instructor and communicator and they participate in the communication among students. The traditional teaching method is employed in the control class.The author analyzes the research results and makes the following conclusions:Under the guidance of the schema theory and relevance theory, English listening teaching in senior high school can greatly improve students’ listening comprehension, which is more effective than the traditional teaching methods of listening; Under the guidance of the schema theory and relevance theory, the classroom teaching of English listening can fully mobilize students’ enthusiasm for learning and enhance their learning interests in listening. Therefore, it is feasible to apply schema theory and relevance theory to English classroom listening teaching in senior high school. The research in this paper has guiding significance to English listening teaching in senior high school.