A Study On The Application Of The Continuation Task In English Writing Instruction In Secondary Vocational Schools

Writing,as one of the most basic language skills in the second language learning,reflects the ability of learners to use language comprehensively.It is an indispensable part of English learning.English writing teaching has always been a weak point in secondary vocational education.On the basis of a thorough study of the second language acquisition theories,Professor Wang Chuming has opened up a new approach to improve students' writing ability in foreign language—continuation task.Continuation task is a method of writing practice combined with reading comprehension.It not only combines understanding with production,but also meets the requirement of sufficient reading and writing context in our foreign language environment.In recent years,some empirical studies have been made to examine the effect of continuation task.But there is less empirical research on secondary vocational school students as subjects at present.Based on the input theory,output theory and the principle of “learn together,use together”,this paper discusses the application of continuation task in English writing teaching in secondary vocational schools,and discusses two questions in detail:(1)Can continuation task method effectively improve the secondary vocational school students' level of English writing in terms of content,structure and language?(2)Can continuation task change the secondary vocational school students' attitude towards English writing?In this paper,an empirical study was conducted to study 62 students from two parallel classes in 2015 at a secondary vocational school in Shanxi province.The research tools are two writing tests,two questionnaires and an interview.The entire experiment lasted 17 weeks.Through the statistical analysis of the pre-test and post-test of the two classes by using SPSS21.0 and the deep investigation of the students' attitudes toward “continuation task” in EC,the researcher concluded that:First of all,the continuation task method can improve the content,structure and language of the secondary vocational school students' composition,especially has a significant improvement in content and language.Secondly,the continuation task method can stimulate students' interest,enhance the students' writing confidence,and give students a sense of achievement in the process of writing.Most students are willing to continue using the method in future writing classes.The teaching implications of this study are: first,teachers should make the best use of teaching materials and explore the materials suitable for students to do continuation task,and provide as many opportunities as possible to improve students' writing ability.Second,teachers should give special attention to students with weak English foundation and poor writing ability,so as to improve their self-confidence.Third,teachers should give priority to the encouragement of students' essay,so as to effectively maintain students' writing confidence.