A Study On Gender Differences And Influence Factors In English Learning In Junior High Schools

Gender differences which can’t be neglected should be fully considered in English teaching so that male and female students can achieve the maximum efficiency in English learning.At present,the majority of English teachers in junior middle school neglect the existence of gender differences in teaching process,which will undoubtedly become an obstacle to improve the efficiency of English teaching.There are two research questions in this thesis.One is “Do gender differences influence junior high school students’ English learning?” and the other is “What are the causes of junior high school students’ gender differences in English learning?” In order to find out the answers to the research questions,first of all,the English scores in three grades of Fanzhen No.1middle school are analyzed.And it can be found that there are obvious gender differences in English learning between male and female students through independent sample t-test.Fan Zhen No.1 Middle School is located in rural areas,and the phenomenon of valuing sons and belittling daughters is more common.Grandparents are too indulgent to boys.Many parents go out to work,being away from home for a long time,so they have less time to take care of and educate their children.Especially the lack of the father’s role in family education leads to more obvious differences in learning between boys and girls.Then,195 students participated in the questionnaire.It was found that there were significant differences in learning motivation,learning attitude,learning interest and learning strategies between male and female students.At last,through interviews with English teachers in junior high school,the basic views of English teachers on gender differences in learning English are collected.The questions in the interviews involve whether gender differences influence junior high school students’ English learning,what are the main causes of the differences between male and female students in English learning in junior high schools and what are the effective teaching suggestions.By analyzing the results of questionnaires and the interviews,this thesis attempts to find the main causes of gender differences of junior high school students in English learning from theaspects of biological factors,psychological factors and social factors.According to the causes,the corresponding teaching strategies are put forward: teachers should set up the correct concept of gender differences,select reasonable teaching strategies according to the differences of students’ learning attitude,motivation,interest,etc.,and strive to tap the potential of boys in English learning,so as to promote the overall development of students and improve the teaching quality of rural middle schools.At the same time,teachers should publicize the importance of the family education.