Comparative Study On Classroom Teaching Behaviors Of Novice And Expert English Teachers In Junior Middle School

The implementation of New English Curriculum Standard puts higher requirement for teacher’s teaching behaviors. In recent years, a great number of researchers have been focusing on teaching behaviors between expert and novice teachers. However, empirical research on specific subjects still needs to be optimized, especially in English subject. In addition, scaffolding theory originates from constructivism and Vygotsky’s ZPD, whose instructional principal conforms to the requirement of new English Curriculum standard.This thesis aims to answer three questions: what are the differences between expert teachers’ and novice teachers’ scaffolding construction in real English teaching class? What influences do the different scaffolding construction behaviors have on students’ learning?How to improve novice teachers’ effective scaffolding construction behaviors?Two expert and two novice English teachers were chosen from a key junior middle school in Hefei, Anhui province. The observed items were adapted from Shi Liangfang and Cui Yunhuo’s classification of teacher’s teaching behaviors in instructional theory.Research instruments were mainly the classroom observation worksheets which were separately adapted on the basis of Scaffolding Theory from the observation worksheet of Minnesota University and Tang Weihai’s questioning behaviors(shown in the appendix I and II). Finally, the qualitative analysis on the statistical results of classroom teaching behaviors of scaffolding construction was made between expert and novice teachers. The findings are summed up as:1. In terms of speech presentation behavior, the expert teachers mainly delivered their speech to set up scaffolding and situation that leads students to learn, to cooperate, and to discuss with each other. While the novice teachers delivered their speech to interpret the language or grammar points occurring in the textbook.2. In terms of interactive behavior, four teachers used questioning strategies in questioning and asked more display questions than referential questions, while the expert teachers had a good balance of these two types and also were more experienced in applying the questioning strategies to the classroom teaching. But four teachers’ waiting time should be prolonged. Expert teachers’ feedback could motivate students to further study.The implications for novice teachers’ teaching and training include focusing on student’s behavior, organizing regular teaching researches among expert teacher,improving novice teachers’ conscious of acting instructional theory, and offering pre-service teachers opportunity of practical teaching.