The Application Of DRTA Method To English Reading Teaching In Junior High School

Reading is an important part in the English language learning,and English teachers are constantly exploring new teaching methods and models to improve students’ English reading skills and strategies and their reading achievements now.The New English Curriculum Standards for Junior High School requires that the English reading teaching method needs to focus more on developing students’ reading skills and improving their reading strategies effectively.However,at this stage of junior high school English teaching,traditional teaching methods still dominate English reading classes,and they are not efficient in improving students’ reading ability.Therefore,this thesis uses schema theory and critical discourse analysis as the theoretical basis for a teaching experiment by using the DRTA method in an English reading classroom to answer the following two main questions:(1)What are the effects of applying the DRTA method in the English reading classes on the students’ reading achievements?(2)What are the effects of applying the DRTA method in the English reading classes on the students’ use of critical reading strategies?A quantitative research method was used in the thesis.In the study,a six-month teaching experiment was conducted with 66 students from Grade 9 in two natural classes in a junior high public school in Lanzhou,Gansu Province.Before the experiment,reading tests and questionnaires were organized in both classes.During the experiment,the experimental class(EC)used the DRTA teaching method,and the teacher consciously trained students to use the five critical reading strategies of predicting and previewing,annotation,questioning,analyzing and evaluating,and summarizing in the English reading classes;at the same time,the control class(CC)used the traditional English reading teaching model.After the experiment,reading tests and questionnaires were conducted in the both classes again,and then,the data were analyzed through the SPSS 26.0.The results show that:(1)applying DRTA teaching method to English reading classes in junior high school helped improve students’ reading skills significantly and improved their reading achievements effectively;(2)applying DRTA teaching method to reading courses had a significant impact on increasing their frequency of use the strategies.Finally,due to the realistic conditions and the limitations of the experimental experience,this research has many limitations and shortcomings and requires further research and exploration.