An Action Research On Strategy-based Instruction In Reading Course For English Major In Newly-built Local Colleges And Universities:

English reading is not only one of the purposes of learning English, but also an effective way of learning English. Generally, grammar-translation teaching method in English reading teaching has been still the most traditional method which is teacher-centered, examination-oriented to focus on teaching points like analyzing language’s surface structures including vocabulary, grammar and long sentences, etc. Such a teaching mode has already seriously hindered the enhancement of students’ reading ability. Therefore, from1970s, researches on strategy-based instruction (SBI) teaching in English reading classes emerged. Overseas researches have taken shape, but the subjects of the researches are mostly native English speakers or ESL learners, and domestic researches in this area have attracted more and more people’s attention in1990s, but it was until the21st century that SBI was really applied to English reading teaching. However, traditional educational research on reading strategies training is likely to separate theory from practice, and teaching from research to a certain degree.As a new way of teaching method in which teachers can participate in research, action research integrates teaching into research and encourages teachers to improve their own teaching constantly by teaching practice, so as to pursue their own professional development and other unique characteristics of teaching, and it has become an increasingly important form of research in foreign language teaching.Therefore, a13-week research is implemented in School of Foreign Languages of Hechi University, a newly-built local university, from September to November of2013. The subjects are57students of English major, Grade2012, from the author’s own teaching classes. The research attempts to explore how action research would help teachers to carry out SBI more effectively, so as to help students to improve their reading ability and teachers to improve their quality of teaching, and how action research would help teachers achieve their self-professional development in the whole process.Through classroom instruction, quantitative and qualitative analyses, the study shows:(1) before reading strategies training, few students have developed good reading habits, have been systematically trained with reading strategies, and used reading strategies; after training, the author effectively helps students get rid of the bad habits of reading, and enhances their awareness and frequency of using strategies, so that students’ reading speed and reading ability are improved to a certain extent;(2) SBI is more effective among advanced-level students than other groups of students;(3) English reading strategies training can help students develop their reading habits of using reading strategies, improve the effect of reading teaching and the teaching quality. Teachers can choose strategies based on students’ actual situation and implement strategies training accordingly.