An Investigation On The Application Of Task-based Language Teaching Approach To The Teaching Of English Reading In Junior High School

Reading is an essential tool by which people can obtain all kinds of information.And English reading comprehension is the main part of The Senior Entrance Examination Test.For junior high school students who learn English as a foreign language,their reading comprehension has been improved mainly by classroom learning.Related researches show that in today’s English teaching,some teachers still occupy the dominant position in the English class,especially in the English reading class.The English Curriculum Standards issued by the Ministry of National Education advocates the Task-Based Language Teaching Approach(TBLT),which aims to stimulate students’ English reading motivation and improve their competence.TBLT emphasizes that students acquire knowledge through independent thinking,group discussion and cooperation with others to complete a series of tasks.Although plenty of experts and scholars home and abroad have done plenty of researches,they are limited to the implementation of TBLT in senior high school English class.In consequence,the investigation on the application of TBLT to the teaching of English reading class in junior high school is relatively limited.Based on the background above,the author puts forward the following research questions:1.What is the current situation of the application of TBLT to the teaching of English reading in junior high school?2.What are the advantages and disadvantages of the application of TBLT to the teaching of English reading class?3.What are the causes for the disadvantages of the application of TBLT to the teaching of English reading class and what are the possible solutions?The subjects of the research are Grade Two junior high school students in No.One School of Zhengzhou,and the aim of this study is to investigate the application of TBLT in Junior English reading class.The survey hopes to help English teachers arouse students’ learning motivation and instruct students to correctly use the reading strategies in order to improve their reading competence.The author uses the questionnaire to collect the datum and uses SPSS 17.0 to analyze them.The author interviews four teachers who teach English and ten students to further understand the application of TBLT in junior high school English reading class.The major findings of the study:(1)Almost all English teachers can understand and apply TBLT to the teaching of English reading in junior high school.(2)The application of TBLT to the teaching of English reading class in junior high school is beneficial to stimulate students’ learning motivation,improve the usage of reading strategies and cultivate students’ reading competence.However,it is tough to guarantee the quality of the task.Besides,the efficiency of classroom feedback is at the low level.(3)The lower-proficiency students are lacking of English learning environment and oral practice opportunities.Therefore,English teacher should emphasize students of different levels according to their characteristics.Based on the analysis of the survey results,the author puts forward the following suggestions on how to improve the current situation of the application of TBLT to the teaching of English reading class in junior high school:(1)Practical training about TBLT on English teachers.(2)Design reading tasks on the basis of the reading materials and students’ characteristics.(3)Establish the dominant position of the students in the application of TBLT to the teaching of English reading class.(4)Change the role of teachers in the teaching process in a timely manner.(5)Establish a perfect evaluation system of the application of TBLT to the teaching of English reading.