An Application Of 5E Model Of Exploratory Learning In English Reading Teaching In Higher Vocational School

Over the years, English reading teaching and learning has been a task that draws the attention of many researchers and educators. In the process of learning a second language, reading is not only an important way for learners to acquire knowledge and information, but also an effective method to improve their language proficiency. Researchers at home and abroad have made great efforts from different angles on how to develop students' reading ability. However, it is not sufficient. For one thing, it is necessary to make continuous studies on effective reading strategies. For another, most of these researches did not take higher vocational college students as research subjects. Generally speaking, students from vocational colleges have relatively weak foundation and low interest in learning English. Most of them do not have good learning habits and methods; neither do they have hard-working spirits which is essential in language learning. Besides the unsatisfactory quality of vocational college students, the teaching method employed in the English reading class accounts for another significant reason for students' low reading competence. Characterized by excessively receptive learning, rote memorizing and mechanical drilling, traditional way of reading teaching has positioned students in a situation where they only passively receive knowledge, without being given the chance of exploring independently. In order to improve this situation, the author attempts to apply exploratory learning method in the reading teaching of vocational college students.Compared with conventional receptive learning method, exploratory learning method has the advantage of encouraging creative thinking and cultivating enterprising spirit. Exploratory teaching emphasizes the participation of students themselves in the constructing of language structure and the training of English application. The aim of exploratory learning is to enable learners to observe the world with the idea of inquiry and spark their curiosity and learning interest so that they can reach an understanding towards their lives and the world around them. There are many operating models in exploratory learning, the author of this thesis attempts to apply the 5E model of exploratory learning in the reading teaching. The 5E stands for the five stages of a sequence for teaching and learning and each stage begins with the letter “E”: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Extension, and Evaluation.For the purpose of testifying the feasibility and effectiveness of 5E model of exploratory learning on improving students' reading competence, the author of this thesis carries out an empirical study in Shandong Radio and Television University and took 83 fresh students from two classes majoring in Pre-school Education as research subjects. The author randomly chooses one class as the experimental class(EC) and the other as control class(CC). The aim of this research is to answer the following three questions: First, does 5E model of exploratory learning strategy surely have positive influences on vocational college students' reading competence? Second, will the training of 5E model of exploratory learning be able to raise students' English reading comprehension scores as well as their reading interests after certain amount of time? Third, do students of vocational college like this model in their English reading learning?At the beginning of the experiment, the author gave out the first questionnaire in EC, which is designed to investigate students' attitude towards reading teaching as well as their reading habits, strategies, interests and motivations. The author also conducted a pre-test at the beginning to testify if there existed any differences in the reading competence of the two classes. Test results showed that there's no significant difference in the reading level of the two classes. In the concrete teaching process, 5E model of exploratory learning method was employed to train students in EC, while students in CC were taught with traditional method. At the end of the experiment, a second questionnaire was distributed in EC to investigate students' attitude towards reading teaching as well as their reading habits, strategies, interests and motivations after a whole semester's training. A post-test was also carried out in EC and CC and the results were analyzed by SPSS 17.0. Besides, at the end of the experiment, several representatives in EC were chosen by the author to conduct an interview.The post-test results show that the mean score of students in EC is higher than that of students in CC. What's more, compared with the pre-test, students in EC have made more progress in their reading scores than students in CC. That is to say, students in EC, who received the training of 5E model of exploratory learning have made more obvious progresses in their reading proficiency than students in CC, who received regular way of reading training. The results from questionnaire and interview show that students like the 5E model of exploratory learning and their reading interests have been greatly enhanced.The results of this research have the following pedagogical implications for English reading teaching: first of all, teachers should shift the teaching mode from teacher-centered to students-centered, that is to say, to transfer their traditional role as instructors to facilitators. Second, students should actively improve their exploring skills and practical ability. Third, for the purpose of gaining maximum benefit out of the implementation of 5E model of exploratory learning, teachers should improve their own professional knowledge and teaching skills.