Understanding High School EFL Teachers’ Praxis Of The Activity-based Approach To English Learning In Classrooms:A Case Study

With an aim to develop students’ subject core competencies,the activity-based approach to English learning is advocated for English learning by the General Senior High School Curriculum Standards English 2017 Edition（the curriculum standards henceforth）（MOE,2018,p.4）.And ’activity’ is the primary form of English language learning（MOE,2018）.By now,a number of theoretical studies have done about the interpretation and improvement of ABA as a teaching approach.However,most of the empirical studies only focused on the design and interpretation of teaching plans which lack the description,analysis and reflection of high school EFL teacher’ actual implementation of ABA in classrooms.Therefore,this study adopts classroom observation and interviews as research methods,aiming to present the overall picture of high school EFL teachers’ praxis of ABA in classrooms.At the same time,mediating factors that confine or facilitate teachers’ practice are analyzed under the framework of Activity Theory.According to the definitions and requirements of ABA in the curriculum standards,and based on the relevant literature,this study analyzes teachers’ practice of ABA from four dimensions,namely,studying the text,the use of textbook-prescribed activities（TPA）,the process of activities,and the content of activities.Through the classroom observation and interviews,it is possible to present how and why do teachers implement activities,and whether their praxis meets the requirements of each dimension.Based on the findings and analysis of the actual practice of ABA.elements that mediate the praxis of ABA are presented and analyzed under the framework of Activity Theory.This study adopts a case study approach to understand the praxis of three high school EFL teachers from a key high school in a municipality in the Western China.Data is mainly collected in two ways:classroom observation with video recordings,and stimulated recall interviews and in-depth interviews.Based on the data,the high school EFL teachers’ praxis of ABA is understood and the influencing factors are analyzed.The main findings in this study are as follows:1)Teachers basically follow the four dimensions of ABA in classrooms.Specifically speaking,activities are taken as the basic form of classroom teaching in achieving teaching objectives;texts are studies as the basis throughout the teaching process;teaching objectives are consciously designed and set in a consistent and integrated way;2)In order to achieve the teaching objectives,some activities prescribed in the textbooks are either replaced,removed and rearranged by teachers.It is also found that the activities prescribed in the textbooks and reference books are over-general,monotonous and reduplicative;3)Compared with the three interrelated process of activities described in the curriculum standards,the actual process and requirements in classrooms are more complex and flexible.Compared with other language knowledge sections in a unit,ABA seems not suitable to be applied in the session of grammar knowledge.Besides three interrelated process involved in ABA,’reviewing and summarizing’ is an essential process which needs to be paid special attention.4)The characteristics of comprehensiveness,relevance and practicality are reflected in the content of the activity to some extend,but their presentation varies.For example,the comprehensiveness of activities designed for language knowledge and cultural knowledge is insufficient,as well as the imbalance between language skills and learning strategies.Based on the findings of teachers’ praxis,under the framework of AT,this study analyzes and explains the factors that mediate the implementation of ABA from the aspects of subject,tools,goals,rules and communities.The subject includes the element of teachers’ belief and prior teaching experience;the tools include elements like materials,assessment activities and the teachers’ language competencies;the objects include the ultimate object,and the teaching objectives for each period of class;the rules include the college entrance examination,the difference between national and high school curriculum,and the compulsory educational programs;and the communities include the English group leader,the peer teachers,and students.These factors and elements either facilitate or confine high school EFL teachers’ praxis of ABA in classrooms.Some implications for the implementation of ABA are as follows:firstly,the textbook as the foundation needs to be improved as one of the most indispensable tools mediating the teaching practice.Secondly,The Problem-Solving Model could be promoted in teaching programs to introduce curriculum reform by understanding the current difficulties and problems faced by front-line teachers.Thirdly,some new requirements can be added in ABA:’reviewing and summarizing’ need to be paid special attention as connections;the teaching objectives need to be clear and consistent,only in this way,could the activities be avoid fragmented with lagged progress;the quality and quantity of activities should be valued equally.Explicitly speaking,only when the objective of one sub-activity is achieved faithfully,the next sub-activity could get started.