On Extra-curriculum Autonomous English Reading In High Schools

Autonomous reading means learners can make reading plans and set reading goals by fully analyzing their reading situation and clearly understanding their reading requirements. Besides, while carrying out reading activities and tasks on their own, learners are supposed to flexibly employ suitable reading strategies according to diverse materials. At the same time, vocabulary accumulation and reading reflection are carried out for continuous autonomous reading. Periodically, based on making an analysis of previous reading achievements and problems, they are able to make adjustments accordingly as well.Actually, the efficiency of learning and teaching English reading in high school is far from satisfactory although much time and energy have been devoted to it. An investigation is carried out among 102 students from two normal classes in grade two to explore the present situation of their extra-curriculum autonomous English reading. Many problems in the following aspects are dug out:lack of intrinsic reading motivation and having difficulty in setting reading goals and plans, applying appropriate reading strategies and selecting reading materials independently. Through analyses, the influencing factors which cause the problems are discussed:teachers’ role in reading process is still predominant; teachers’ instructions in reading strategies are inadequate; students’ vocabulary accumulation can’t meet the requirements of extra-curriculum autonomous reading; students don’t attach much importance to background knowledge and cultural information; students’ emotion in the process of reading changes with reading materials and reading results. It is evident that guidance and assistance is in need in these aspects to help promote students’ reading efficiency in extra-curriculum autonomous reading.Based on the findings from the investigation, measures are taken in the experimental class to cultivate students’ good reading habits through a series of training procedures in order to equip students with basic abilities and necessary skills of autonomous reading:at the beginning, various reading strategies are instructed in class and students are assisted to set up goals and make plans by themselves; in the operation stage, under the guidance of the teacher, students are involved in different autonomous reading activities; self assessment and peer assessment are made both during the training and after the training to know the effects.To make reliable exploration, the definitions and theoretical bases of learner autonomy and autonomous reading are reviewed, and related studies at home and abroad are referred to. The experiment lasts a whole semester, during which various activities are organized and carried out. The experimental group is asked to reflect on their training of extra-curriculum autonomous English reading through post-training investigation and an interview. Also, testing scores from both the post-training test and monthly tests are compared between the experimental and the controlled group to discover the gap and the effect of the training. Additionally, three vocabulary tests are picked out from regular vocabulary tests in this term. The first one is held at the beginning of the term, the second one is held in the middle of the term and the third at the end of the term. The testing scores of the three vocabulary tests are also compared between the experimental and the controlled group to find out whether the training of extra-curriculum autonomous reading contributes to vocabulary accumulation. Results show the training does contribute to students’reading efficiency and ability. Owing to the good habits formed in the systematical training, students are likely to carry on extra-curriculum autonomous English reading effectively and continuously on their own. Although some problems remain to be settled in the following teaching, the training is recommendable for other teachers to help cultivate students’autonomous reading ability within a certain short period of time at the beginning of high school.