A Case Study Of The Application Of Autonomous Learning Strategies Under Teacher Guidance

Developing senior high school students' English learning autonomy is a goal set by the Ordinary High School English Curriculum Standard(Experimental Version),which is also a must for students to become a life-long learner.Meanwhile,reading comprehension in senior high classes has long been regarded as a challenge or even a headache for both teachers and students,hence receiving widespread concern.Consequently,the practice of autonomous learning is high on the agenda for the majority of teachers,especially when it comes to developing students' autonomous reading ability,which plays a decisive role in their English achievement and long-term development.It is a must that these students' autonomous reading ability be specifically analyzed,problems be investigated and solutions be proposed.This study,guided by the current Ordinary High School English Curriculum Standard and carried out in reading classes,probes into the cultivation of autonomous English reading ability of Senior One students under the guidance of the teacher.Four questions are addressed in this study: 1.Can students' reading behavior be changed during the training? 2.Can students' academic performance be bettered after the strategy training? 3.Can students' autonomous reading habits be changed afterwards? 4.How do students evaluate teachers' role in the guidance of autonomous reading?The study is carried out among 86 senior one students from two classes of a senior high school in Wu Jiang District,Suzhou.The teaching mode of autonomous learning strategy training is adopted under teacher guidance in the experimental class,while in the control class,traditional teaching method is used.The study began with a questionnaire on students' autonomous reading and a pre-study reading test.In the course of the experiment,classroom observation records were kept to help further observe students' behavior.At the end of the study,students were assigned another questionnaire and a post-study reading test and comparisons were made.Meanwhile,9 students were chosen at random to answer some research questions on their view on teachers' role on autonomous reading strategy training,also receiving positive evaluation.The classroom observation records later showed that the new teaching mode does help in activating students' activities in class.The analyses of the post-reading test results confirmed the decisive role that the teaching mode plays in improving students' academic performance.Meanwhile,the comparisons between the questionnaires revealed students' enhanced overall autonomous learning ability.Despite its limitation,this study serves well in exploring an effective way to promote the process of autonomous learning and help students equip themselves with the ability to become a life-long learner.