A Study On The Effects Of Stratified Assignment In English Teaching In Junior High School

This thesis tries to investigate the effects of stratified assignment with the guidance of individualized teaching theory,the theory of the zone of proximal development and affective filter hypothesis,considering students’ original knowledge basis.The research addresses the following questions:(1)Is the stratified assignment effective in improving students’ English scores?If so,does the homework stratification have the same effect on students at different levels?(2)Does the stratified assignment have effect on students’ attitudes to English assign ments?If so,to which aspects of the assignments do student’s attitudes get effected?An experimental research was carried out in Rugao Experimental Middle School from September 2017 to February 2018.The author chose Class 9 Grade 8 as the control class,where the same homework was designed to all students in a convention way.At the same time,the author chose its parallel class--class 10 as the experimental class,where the stratified homework was assigned scientifically.Three tests were conducted separately before the treatment,during the treatment and after the treatment in the experiment in order to find out the changes brought by different homework modes;questionnaire survey method was also used to find out whether students ’attitudes to English assignments had changed;an interview was involved to investigate why students could make more progress and what changed for them.The major findings of this study are as follows:(1)The research manifests that applying stratified assignment method to the English assignment design in Grade 8 students has a positive effect on improving their scores.It is showed that the average level in EC was significantly higher in the results.Compared to the control class,the average score of the experimental class increased obviously in vocabulary and composition;The results also showed the low level students made more progress than the high level students,especially in Cloze and composition and the range of change is far more than the high level students;(2)Meanwhile,the students in the experimental class believed that stratified assignment teaching reduce homework time and amount.It is more challenging for top students and more available for low level students.As a result,the students in the experimental class have generally changed their attitudes:the rate of the independent completion is as high as 90%;most students are involved in after-school activities;a sense of self-discipline is formed by self-monitoring.Some pedagogical implications were obtained on the basis of the findings above.First,the stratification of students is dynamic,which should be adjusted to the corresponding group according to the students’ development and change.Secondly,as for the strategy of homework stratification,the structure and configuration of homework should be considered as well as the ability differences of students.Thirdly,students are encouraged to choose the appropriate amount and level and effective monitoring is done to promote students’ academic progress and success.It can also inspire the teachers to actively carry out teaching research and design English homework better.