A Study On English Teachers' Professional Qualities In County Primary Schools

Setting up English courses in primary schools is an important content of elementary educational curriculum reform in 21 st century in China.From the autumn in 2001,most of the cities and counties gradually set up English course in primary schools.With the popularization of primary English,English teachers face large quantities of problems in the process of development.Primary English teachers' professional qualities are uneven because of the unbalanced development of the economy and society.Teaching quality of primary English is closely related to the teachers' professional qualities.As the bridge of communication with foreigners,English plays a more and more important role.Being the cultivators to implement the new policy,English teachers are facing the biggest challenge.Professional qualities of primary English teachers affect the process of elementary educational reform.The study focuses on the investigation of county primary English teachers in order to reveal their current situation of professional qualities.Therefore,the author decides the title of the thesis and the following research questions:(1)What is the current situation of the primary English teachers' professional attitude?(2)What is the current situation of the primary English teachers' professional knowledge?(3)What is the current situation of the primary English teachers' professional ability?(4)What factors restrict the primary English teachers' professional development? In order to obtain specific data of the questions above,the author applied the instruments of questionnaire and interview.Then the author did the investigation and interview with the help of 128 participants who came from different counties or districts of Handan City.The study results show the current situation of the surveyed teachers' professional qualities.Firstly,about half of them are not professional English teachers and many of them teach other subjects besides English.They lack various professional qualities,especially professional knowledge and ability.Secondly,the following factors restrict their professional development,including negative professional attitude,unbalanced professional knowledge structure as well as shortage of resources and external support.In addition,the teachers realize their deficiencies in professional qualities and have a strong desire to improve their comprehensive qualities.For example,they hope to improve their teaching abilities,which include the ability of class management and the ability to use the modern technology.They hope to improve their teaching research ability in order to obtain better teaching effect.At the same time,they look forward to the support from schools and educational administrations.Based on the findings above,the author gives some suggestions on improving the English teachers' professional qualities in county primary schools.Firstly,primary English teachers should formulate a plan of self-development because scientific professional qualities developing plan can make the primary English teachers improve themselves with definite purpose and direction;they should stabilize the teaching reflection so that they can constantly strengthen their cognition toward teaching process and adjust their teaching methods;they should set up the lifelong learning concept which can ensure them constantly adapt to the new teaching work.Secondly,the local primary schools need to offer teachers favorable conditions of professional development and strengthen the cultivation of backbone teachers because they can set up good examples to other teachers and improve the comprehensive qualities of primary English teachers by giving demonstration lessons,carrying out educational research and exchanging experience.At last,the educational administrations should enlarge the investment on educational expenditure,consummate employment access system,build up scientific English teachers' training system and set up the helping system between urban and rural primary English teachers.