An Application Of Recitation To Improving The Cohesion Of English Writing In Senior High School

Since the Ordinary High School English Curriculum Standards is increasingly emphasizing the ability of utilizing English, writing competence, one of the most significant parts of it, should be paid more attention to. With curriculum reform increasingly going on, the proportion of writing test occupies more in the college entrance examination. Thus to improve the students' writing ability is becoming more and more urgent.According to the New Curriculum Standard, English learning and teaching in Senior High School is further emphasized. However, learning to write in English is one of the most difficult tasks a learner encounters. After different exams have been implemented for these years, it is more and more evident that writing has been the weakest part of students' English ability. The results of the exam each year have witnessed the disappointing achievements in the writing part for many years. Not only the students but also the teachers feel it difficult to write a coherent and fluent composition,the author thinks it is urgent to find a way to improve students' writing cohesion. Having intended to find out an effective and feasible way to learn English writing, the thesis aims to improve students' writing cohesion. It is a well-accepted fact that a small number of investigations are put on recitation,although it is so traditionally used and widely practiced by senior high school teachers and students in China. In terms of this, due to the fact, the researcher gets down to checking whether it is a proper way to improve senior high school students' writing cohesion by applying recitation into the writing.In views of research methodology, not only qualitative but also quantitative studies are included in this research, such as interview and experimental study. Two classes with the equal level of English proficiency were chosen as the control group (CG) and the experimental group (EG)respectively. All of them have received instruction on cohesion in grammar and lexis and have focused on the improving of English writing. The samples in experimental group (EG) would be instructed recitation and paid much attention to the usage of cohesion while reciting and reviewing, so as to strengthen memory and make what they have recited smoothly represented in their further writing. In order to make a clear comparison,recitation is a must for the students in experimental group (EG) while the ones in control group (CG) are not asker to do it. During the period of research, the writer carried out pre-test, post-test, data collection and analysis. Hence, lasted one semester, the experiment was carried out and intended to answer the research question: what effect recitation has on high school students'writing cohesion.We can see from the result that recitation plays an important role in improving students'writing cohesion,and cannot be ignored in today's English teaching in China. In consequence, recitation can be performed by senior high school students while learning English, which is one of the important elements in the teachers' instruction. In addition, the result of the interview proves that a large number of students think highly of recitation.Painful as it is, they still regard it a good method to practice English writing.However, due to small sample size and simple research methods, some inadequacies and limitation still exist in the study. How to enhance students'English writing ability still needs more in-depth study. In general, if well instructed,recitation has a positive impact on senior high school students'English writing cohesion. It will be a great help to Chinese student if recitation can be used properly.