Action Research On Improving English Classroom Reading Effects Under The Scaffolding Principle

According to English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School(2017 Edition),in senior high school,the objective of English teaching is to cultivate students' key competence of English subject.In order to realize the objective,English teaching is conducted mainly by developing students' ability of listening,speaking,reading,writing and viewing.Reading,as one of language skills,plays a vital part in English teaching.There are also many requirements for English reading put forward in English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School(2017 Edition).However,in fact,English reading teaching in senior high school faces many problems and difficulties,which also influence students' reading interest,effects and even the whole English learning status to a certain degree.In order to solve the problem of unsatisfactory English classroom reading,the author of the thesis designed a teaching action research.Based on the theories of Vygotsky's zone of proximal and the scaffolding principle,this research was carried out in a senior high school English reading classroom,aimed to promote students' reading interest and improve their reading effects so as further to develop students' key competence of English subject.The research questions were raised as follows:(1)Do students improve their reading interest in the English classroom reading based on scaffolding instruction?(2)Do students improve their literal comprehension,inference and evaluation skills,and imitation and application skills in the English classroom reading based on scaffolding instruction? What performances do they have?The action research was carried out in Longli Middle School in Guizhou Province.Fifty-nine students in an ordinary class in Senior One in Longli Middle School participated in the research.The whole action research lasted for more than four months.Under the guidance of scaffolding instruction,the author led the students to take part in a series of activities in English reading classroom,during which the author constantly reflected on the teaching design and implementation in order to make adjustment and improvement to the teaching plan and performance..The research findings indicate that under the guidance of scaffolding principle,the senior students have improved their reading interest in the English classroom reading which were designed under the scaffolding instruction.They have achieved better reading comprehension,i.e.from literal comprehension to that of making inference and evaluation in their reading process,and even to a higher level of comprehension in the post reading activity: imitation and application of what they have learned in their reading,they have made much progress.And further they realized their reading objectives and promoted their development of keycompetence of English subject.