An Investigation On The Present Situation Of Humanistic Education In English Teaching In Junior High School

A language is a tool for communication and also a carrier of thought and culture. Therefore, different languages contain different emotions and values of different countries and nations and every language is the window of a new world. Foreign language teaching(FLT) includes not only language knowledge but also culture as well as spirits in this language.As one of humanities, English as a foreign language(EFL) possesses both instrumental function and humanistic function. However, EFL in China has been impacted by pragmatism and utilitarianism for a long time, and it is extremely inclined to the instrumental function of language, attaching too much emphasis on students’ language skills but ignoring its humanistic and educational function. The absence of humanism in language teaching is an important issue that may lead to some serious problems, which can be seen from the increasing negative news about students recent years. Junior high school students are rapidly growing both physically and mentally, and their outlooks on the world, life and values are very plastic. Although The English Curriculum Standard in the Phase of Compulsory Education(on trial) has clearly pointed that the English course in the phase of compulsory education has both instrumental function and humanistic function, it seems English teaching in junior high school has not been freed from the hegemony of instrumentalism.This study selected 181 students as subjects from Zaoyuan Junior High School in Zhen Ping County, Nan Yang City, He Nan Province. The study first conducted a research and analysis on the subjects’ humanistic quality and its influencing factors by administrating questionnaires. Then, the humanistic resources embodying in English textbooks are explored, and 4 students and 2 English teachers were selected to conduct interviews so as to delve into the study and make some supplements.The major findings of the study are as follows: the humanistic quality of junior high school students is barely satisfactory and it needs to be further improved; school environment, English teachers’ quality, English evaluation system, English class atmosphere and English teaching methods all have correlation with students’ humanistic quality, and teaching method has the highest correlation with it; under the influence of exam-oriented education, although there are abundant humanistic resources in the English textbooks of junior high school, they have not been fully utilized. Therefore, English teachers can start with the improvement of class humanistic atmosphere, their own humanistic quality, teaching methods, evaluation system and extracurricular activities to improve students’ humanistic quality and realize quality education.