A Study On The Moral Education Infiltration In English Instruction Of Higher Grades In Primary School

Moral education,as we all know,is the first step in the education enterprise.Moral cultivation is the most vital component in talent training and development.Moral education,the most important part of quality-oriented education for primary students,is also an integral component of intellectual education,sports,aesthetic education and labor education throughout the entire coursework and school education,including all aspects of students' daily life.The mainstream approach to ideological and moral education for students is through integration in the instruction of all disciplinary areas.Moral education is further stressed in the “Compulsory education English curriculum standards(2011 edition)”.According to the standards,English educators ought to pay equal attention to both the humanistic nature and instrumental use of the English language.English teachers should not only teach students to learn how to learn,improve their abilities in language practice,but also strive to enhance the comprehensive competencies of pupils.In particular,English teachers in the upper elementary grades should not focus on “teaching to the test” and thus neglect moral education.On the contrary,English teachers must try their best to tap into the moral education resources in primary English books.More importantly,English teachers are supposed to integrate moral education,effectively and seamlessly,into the entire course of instruction in order that students develop a good habit of English learning while cultivating a healthy and optimistic mindset.The present study,grounded in both the Humanistic Learning Theory and the Elementary Child Development Psychology,explores the feasibility and necessity of moral education integration in English instruction in the upper grades of primary schools.The author carried out a study on the thesis using a questionnaire survey,interviews,classroom observations,and documentary analysis.Two questionnaires were designed for teachers and students,respectively,for data collection.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS for Window 23.0.Furthermore,in-depth interviews were conducted face to face with 15 students from higher grades in primary schools at excellent,medium,weak English levels and with 6in-service English teachers.In addition,the author collected data through a two-month classroom observation while reviewing the literature.The findings of the research point to the current situation of moral education integration in English instruction at the upper grades in primary schools and identify the main factors influencing moral education integration.First,schools and English teachers neglect moral education while focusing on high-stakes testing.Second,teachers from higher grades in primary schools are affected by the“utilitarian” mood of society,showing little interest in moral education integration.Third,teachers from upper grades in primary schools are lacking in professional knowledge of moral education integration,thus failing to tap into the moral educational resources in textbooks.The author,after analyzing the causes behind the issues unveiled in the research,further proposes her countermeasures and suggestions.First of all,schools and English teachers should pay close attention to moral education and fully implement the relevant recommendations of the educational reform.Second,teachers from higher grades in primary schools should emphasize both the humanistic and instrumental aspects of English.Third,teachers should pay attention to both intellectual and moral education,and constantly enhance their own skills to integrate moral education.Finally,teachers from higher grades in primary schools ought to scrutinize and analyze the teaching materials and fully consider the social dynamics and students' interests in integrating moral education in order to reach out to students in an appropriate fashion with patience and love.