On The Application Of Context Theory To Grammar Teaching In Senior High School

Grammar teaching has always been a controversial issue since the advent of foreign language teaching.Nowadays, the role and function of grammar teaching is not whether to teach grammar but how to teach it.With the development of linguistic studies and language teaching, it is more certain that three aspects ofgrammar, i.e. form, meaning and function are united as a whole and it is important and practical to payequal attention to accuracy, fluency and appropriate of grammar. As a result, the research on the applicationof context theory to foreign language teaching has gained more and more attention, especially theapplication of context theory to grammar teaching.In our country, the traditional grammar teaching mainly adopts the Grammar Translation Method inwhich the teachers use native language to explain the grammar rules. They focus on the forms andstructures out of context and the students only need to memorize the grammar rules and translate thesentences. While the application of context theory to grammar teaching focuses on the co-text context,situational context and cultural context, which makes the students learn and understand the grammar rulesin specific situations. When the teachers try to provide the students with the real life situations, they notonly attract the students’ interest but also improve their competence in using language.Based on the context theory, this research was carried out by using the questionnaires and classroomobservation. This research aims (1) to investigate the present situation of the application of the contexttheory to grammar teaching in Senior High School,(2) to find out the major problems of the application ofthe context theory to grammar teaching in Senior High School, and (3) to work out the main causes for theproblems. Based upon these research objectives, this study centers its research upon three researchquestions:1. What is the present condition of the application of Context Theory to the teaching of Englishgrammar in Senior High School?2. What are the major problems in the application of Context Theory tothe teaching of English grammar in Senior High School?3. What are the main causes for the majorproblems in the application of Context Theory to the teaching of English grammar in Senior High School?The research results show that though the majority of the teachers have realized the importance of theapplication of the context theory to grammar teaching, the application of it in Senior High School is unsatisfactory. Some causes have been discussed to account for this phenomenon.(1) They lack sufficientcontext knowledge and other relevant context knowledge needed in grammar teaching.(2) They do nothave enough and appropriate materials when they apply the context theory to their grammar teaching.(3)They are short of effective methods and techniques when using the context theory in grammar teaching (4)The college entrance examination and the present appraisal system prevent some teachers from applyingthe context theory to grammar teaching.The application of the context theory to grammar teaching in Senior High School is of much help forthe students to have a better understanding of the grammar rules as well as to improve their communicativecompetence.The thesis is made up of five chapters.Chapter One is a brief introduction of the background, the objectives of the research and theorganization of the thesis.Chapter Two presents the literature review which deals with a historical review of the grammarteaching and discusses the study of the context theory at home and aboard, its classification of the contextas well as its relationship with the grammar teaching.Chapter Three shows the research design which contains the research questions, subjects whoparticipated in the research, the research methods and the procedure.Chapter Four is the core part of this study, which deals with the data analysis as well as the discussionsof the results.Chapter Five is the conclusion of this research, which consists of the major findings of the researchand some pedagogical implications for the teachers. In addition, this part points out the limitations of thisresearch and suggestions for further studies at the end of this chapter.