The Input Effect Of Reading On Students' English Writing Competence At Senior High School

With the reform of university entrance examination,reading and writing have been attached more importance than ever before and how to teach reading and writing has aroused great concern among researchers and teachers in senior high schools.As the most difficult skill for EFL learners,writing has been the focus for both teaching and research.Based on Krashen's Input Hypothesis and Swain's Output Hypothesis,reading-to-write approach serves as an integrated way to teach writing and has gained wide popularity.In reading-to-write approach,reading is a complex process to input and internalize information while writing is an integrative process to output and express information.The present study aims to explore the input effect of reading on writing.It is intended to discuss three research questions:(1)What is the present situation of students' English writing at high school?(2)What is the effect of reading on students'English writing?(3)What is the students' attitude toward reading-to-write approach?In this study,the author carried out the experiment in two classes of Grade Two in Tongxiang NO.1 Senior High School.Class 209 of 48 students is the experimental class and Class 215 of 48 students is the control class.During the process,which lasts for about three months,the experimental class adopts the reading-to-write approach in writing teaching while the control class is given the traditional way in writing teaching.Based on the data and analysis from the experimental instruments,namely questionnaires,writing tests,interviews and classroom observation,the following conclusions are achieved:Firstly,before the experiment,more than 50%of the students are not satisfied with their writing competence and have no idea about how the reading-to-write approach improves their writing competence.However,after the experiment,the number of students who are satisfied with their writing competence has increased obviously and take more interest in writing.Secondly,the author finds that students' writing competence in experimental class has improved obviously while that in control class remains almost the same and there exist significant differences between the experimental class and the control class after the experiment.Therefore,it is concluded that the reading-to-write is an effective way in improving students' writing competence.Finally,most students consider reading-to-write approach an effective way in improving their writing competence and after the experiment,they have a relatively better understanding of reading,writing and the relationship between them.From the students' perspective,reading-to-write is not only to make use of the words and expressions,sentence patterns,but also its structure,rhetorical patterns and writing style.Besides,they realize that sufficient and appropriate reading is necessary and effective in improving their writing competence.According to the findings of the experiment,some implications of teaching are put forward afterwards.The limitations as well as some suggestions for further study are also presented at the end of the thesis.