The Investigative And Interventional Research Of Junior Middle School Students’ English Learning Self-Efficacy And English Learning Strategy

Junior middle school students’ English learning self-efficacy refers to a junior middle school student’s self-evaluation of his confidence and judgment in whether he has the ability to accomplish certain tasks in his English learning.It plays a key role in predicting his behavior and it’s closely related to his reasoning style,aim setting,self-adjustment,judgment from teachers and peers and family support.Junior middle school students’ learning strategy refers to a junior middle school student’s individual action,steps,skills and methods to learn English effectively and it’s divided into four categories as “cognition”,“adjustment”,“communication” and“resources” according to “Standards for English Courses 2011”.This research utilizes the method combining questionnaire surveys,interviews and interventions to investigate the general status and features of junior middle school students’ English learning self-efficacy and learning strategy and expects a positive result of group intervention on junior middle school students’ English learning self-efficacy and learning strategy towards the promotion of their academic achievements.This research conducted surveys based on two questionnaires among the 184 junior middle school students in Shanghai East Experiment School and interviewed 8typical students of them.The investigative study forms the basis of the subsequent interventional study.The writer made programs of group interventions aiming at cultivating junior middle school students’ English learning self-efficacy and English learning strategy based on the data and information gathered through the previous surveys and interviews.A three-month-long intervention was carried out on an experimental class in Grade Seven and a post-investigation was carried out later among the students in this experimental class and a controlled class in the same grade including post-interviews with the same four students from the two classes.The investigative study shows that junior middle school students have current problems as follows: their English learning self-efficacy decreases with the growth ofgrades,especially for the Grade Nine students;junior middle school students are able to apply the four categories of English learning widely,but with a relatively low average level of ability and an obvious potential of reasonable and effective application of these strategies.The interventional study shows that the group intervention has certain effects on English learning self-efficacy and obvious effects on English learning strategy;junior middle school students’ English academic achievements can be improved to a certain extent through group intervention of training on English learning self-efficacy and learning strategy.The result of this research suggests that junior middle school English teachers and students should pay enough attention to the cultivation of English learning self-efficacy and English learning strategy to enhance English academic achievements.Group intervention is an effective way to promote English learning self-efficacy and English learning strategy,which is worth constant practice and systematic application combined with the subject content in the daily process of English teaching and learning.