A Study On Students’ Autonomous English Learning Ability In Senior High Schools

As a lifelong learning ability, autonomous English learning ability reflects the teaching mode where students play the dominant role. In recent years, experts at home and abroad have become more and more interested in the theories and practices on autonomous English learning. Autonomous learning has not only become a widely discussed topic but also a new trend in foreign language education. The newly published senior high school English curriculum standard has asserted detailed claim on students’ autonomous English learning ability, which has pushed the cultivation of autonomous English learning ability to a new height. For a long time, researches on autonomous English learning are mainly about the descriptions of its definitions, features and ways to foster the ability, the analysis is not detail enough to show the status quo of the aspects related to AEL ability. Due to the above reasons, based on the theories of Significant Learning and Constructivism, the author chose 107 students and 20 teachers as its research subject. The thesis sets the students’ autonomous English learning ability as its research content, and adopts the questionnaires and interviews as its instrument, it demonstrates the status quo of students’ autonomous English learning ability in senior high schools, disposing the existing problems and analyzing the reasons so as to propose measures for improvement.Through the analysis, the author finds out that the status quo of students’ autonomous English learning ability is quite weak, which is reflected in the following aspects. Firstly, in most cases, the majority of students cannot understand teaching aims, intentions and requirements. Secondly, a large number of students lack the ability to formulate learning goals and plans. Thirdly, many a student lacks the ability to make use of effective learning strategies. Fourthly, a large number of students do not possess the ability to monitor the use of learning strategies. Fifthly, a great number of students can’t monitor or apply the acquired knowledge. Sixth, a majority of students lack the ability to monitor and evaluate the English learning process. Through the interview the author finds out that the reasons causing the problems are various and different, therefore, the teachers should act in accordance with different situations. They should help students cultivate autonomous English learning awareness, introduce effective learning strategies and guide them to learn to monitor and evaluate their English learning process.Based on the former researches, this thesis demonstrates the status quo of students’ autonomous English learning ability in terms of its six composing elements in detail, disposing the existing problems and figuring out the reasons so as to put forward the measures for improvement. It is hoped that the detailed data collection and analysis will provide some useful reference for further researches and new English teachers.