有效提問策略與高中生英語學習態(tài)度變化

1、有效提問策略與高中生英語學習態(tài)度變化 的相關(guān)性研究 摘 要在中國，英語是一門外語，大部分人都是通過課堂教學來學習英語。教師提問是為數(shù)不多的信息輸入渠道之一，在課堂教學中有著重要的意義。提問目的、問題類型、問題修飾、等待時間、提問順序和教師反饋等都影響著課堂教學的效果。因此，采用適當?shù)奶釂柌呗詫τ谔岣吒咧猩挠⒄Z學習意義重大。這不僅有助于提高學生的語言能力和交際能力，還能激發(fā)他們的學習動力，培養(yǎng)他們終身學習的能力。所以，教師要改進自己的提問策略, 自覺重視有效提問策略的使用。 但是，大部分教師在提問時很少考慮到問什么、問誰、什么時候問、怎樣問和怎樣評價。據(jù)觀察，在中國的高中課堂教學中，一些教師總

2、是問一些讓學生厭煩的簡單問題，還有一些教師的問題超出學生的能力范圍。課堂氣氛因此而緊張乏味，師生之間的交流遇到了障礙。學生總是靜靜地聽教師的講解，不愿意主動回答問題，只有一小部分學生能主動參與課堂活動，學生的探究欲望因此受到壓抑，語言能力的訓練因為缺乏學生積極主動的參與和實踐，無法轉(zhuǎn)化為學生的語言運用能力，外語教學長期以來處于比較被動的局面。 本研究者基于在教學實踐中發(fā)現(xiàn)的問題，致力于探索有效提問策略與高中生英語學習態(tài)度變化的相關(guān)性，進而為高中英語教學有效提問策略的研究提供積極的建議，改變中學英語教學以教師為本位的狀況，激發(fā)高中生英語學習的興趣，調(diào)動其英語學習的積極性，真正提高學生的英語學習水

3、平。作者嘗試回答以下問題：1）高中英語教師應(yīng)該采用哪些具體有效的提問策略？2）有效提問策略對高中生英語學習態(tài)度的影響有多大？ 本研究運用問卷調(diào)查、課堂觀察、訪談、實驗對比等方法手段，對徐州師范學校的133位學生進行兩輪的問卷調(diào)查，以了解研究對象所在班級的課堂提問狀況和變化。這133位學生來自于一年級到三年級的三個班級。在2009年3月至7月的實驗期間，任課教師嘗試采用有效提問策略，如增加參照型問題，延長等待時間和嘗試不同反饋方式等，讓學生體會課堂教學的成功感。與此同時，對參與實驗的英語教師在運用有效提問策略進行教學時的態(tài)度和手段進行課堂觀察，并進行訪談。研究者運用對比方法，對所得數(shù)據(jù)進行分析。

4、研究結(jié)果表明，采用有效提問策略進行教學不但能改變他們課堂中的被動地位，還可以影響高中生的學習態(tài)度，提高他們的英語學習成績。所以，高中英語教師應(yīng)更加注重提問技巧和提問策略在教學中的運用。1. INTRODUCTION1.1 Background of the Study With the development of curriculum reform of English education and quality- oriented education in China, much attention is paid to the training of students communica

5、tive and interactive ability. So far, most learners of English as a foreign language in China learn the target language from their teachers in the classroom. Therefore, classroom interaction is especially important to English learners. “Observation has shown that most common type of classroom intera

6、ction is that known as IRF，-Initiation-Response-Feedback: the teacher initiates an exchange usually in the form of a question, one of the students answers, the teacher gives feedback, initiates the next question and so on.”(Wintergerst, 1994, P.58) Almost all classroom interaction is done by teacher

7、 asking questions and students answering them. This is the most commonly used technique in the formal classroom teaching. So questioning plays a more and more important role in the classroom. Krashen (1981) points out that teacher talk is generally recognized as a potentially valuable source of comp

8、rehensible input for the learners, and therefore essential for language acquisition. Brown (1994) believes that “in second language classrooms, where learners often do not have a great number of tools, your questions provide necessary stepping stones to communication”. As main part of teacher talk,

9、questioning is a beginning of wonder and doubt. Questioning works as link between teaching and learning. And it is also one of the methods used to change the teacher- centered instruction into the student- centered instruction. To student, questions provide a model, in turn, for students to emulate.

10、 Moreover, students need to learn how to ask questions to learn how to learn, to learn how to be critical and engage analytically with the material they are studying. Therefore, the study on the classroom questioning has been taken an increasing attention.Nowadays, heuristic method of teaching and t

11、eaching through discussion require language teachers to be rich in their teaching knowledge and teaching strategies. Teachers should not only be an informant but also a manager, a model, a monitor, a counselor and a facilitator. He or she must have a good control of the whole class. So it is necessa

12、ry that a teacher should have good mastery of various teaching strategies, especially questioning strategies. However in the traditional English class, English teachers pay little attention to questioning strategies. An early study of questioning done in 1912 by Stevens found that two-thirds of clas

13、sroom questions required nothing more than direct recitation of textbook information. Now, more than 70 years after the original study, research suggests that 60 percent of the questions students hear require factual answers, 20 percent concern procedures, and only 20 percent require inference, tran

14、sfer, or reflection (Gall, 1970). Little attention was paid to questioning strategies and the situation only improved a little. In China, English is treated as foreign language, although many learners are now gradually improving English, teachers still think of little about what to ask, whom to ask,

15、 when to ask, how to ask and how to respond to students answers in class. In English classes of senior high school, it has been observed that some teachers can not think of anything other than simple questions which bore students, while some teachers ask far too difficult questions which students ca

16、n not answer. And classroom atmosphere is usually stressful and dull. There is not much voluntary response from students to teachers talk in a class. They are accustomed to listening quietly to the teacher and peeping silent. Only a minor part of students actively participate in language activities.

17、 Most students are less competent communicatively than they are linguistically.The studies of questioning have focused on question types and levels, question modification, waiting time, feedback and some questioning strategies. Although a lot of researches, both in China and abroad, have been done o

18、n the techniques and strategies in classroom questioning, and some of which are of great significance for successful questioning, most of the studies just stop at theoretical level. There are still a lot of things to be done at practical level. At the same time, most studies in China have laid more

19、on one aspect of the problem (e.g. the types of questions) with less emphasis on other aspects, and some of the problems still remain unsolved.1.2 Significance of the Study Most foreign language learners learn English from teachers in classroom. Therefore, classroom teaching is of vital importance.

20、Teachers questioning constitutes a very significant aspect of classroom teaching. Studies of teachers questioning behavior show that questions constitute 20% to 40% of classroom talk (Chaudron, 1988). In most English as foreign language (EFL) classrooms, a major part of classroom interaction is gene

21、rated by teachers asking questions. A study of English lessons in schools in Hong Kong found that nearly 70% of classroom talk consists of the teacher asking a question, nominating a student to answer the question, the student answering the question and the teacher providing feedback to the response

22、 (Tsui, 1985). The Questioning is not only an important part of classroom interaction but an effective way of learning second language as well. For it is through question and answer exchange that teachers interact with students and it is also through interaction with their teachers and peers that EF

23、L learners learn the target language. With the popularity of high school education in China, more children have chance to enter senior middle school, therefore the overall quality of quality of students has declined. Part of the students are excellent, but part of them even lost interest in English

24、study. Some even refuse to study English. Teachers aim of questioning, question types, teachers modification of questions, the wait- time, allocation of turns, and the feedback and assessment teachers provide all affect classroom interaction. Therefore, appropriate employment of effective questionin

25、g strategies is significant in improving senior middle school students English study. They help to develop students interactional competence as well as language abilities, stimulate their initiative in participation and the use of English, and develop their competence of lifelong learning. It is ess

26、ential for teachers to improve their questioning behavior. As far as teachers questioning behavior is concerned, teachers have to consciously pay attention to effective questioning strategies. The present study will discuss the correlation between effective questioning strategies and senior middle s

27、chool students attitudes towards English study and put forward some suggestions for EFL teachers to ask effective questions which accord with the requirement of quality education, advance teachers self development, train persons to be qualified teachers, cultivate teachers to do reflective teaching,

28、 so as to improve the senior middle school students English study in China.1.3 Structure of the Thesis The paper consists of six chapters. Chapter one is an introduction that describes the background and significance of the present research, as well as the structure of the thesis. Chapter two introd

29、uces the literature review in five parts: definition of questioning, types and levels of questions, the functions and purposes of questioning, the characteristics of good questions and questioning strategies. Chapter three supplies two fundamental theories for the study: psycho-cognitive theory and

30、humanistic theory. Chapter four is about the research methodology, including the subjects involved, the questionnaire, and the procedure. Chapter five shows the analysis on the results and discussion of the results. Chapter six is the conclusion part, which presents major findings of the study, sugg

31、estions on the further research, and limitations of the study. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW2.1 Theoretical FrameworkMany researchers and scholars have been discussing the theoretical background of classroom questioning. A lot of efforts have been devoted to research on teachers questioning in interactive te

32、aching. This chapter discusses it from different points of view. This study discusses the correlation between effective questioning strategies and senior middle school students English level based on the way in which the human mind thinks and learns and the learners inner world. So psycho-cognitive

33、theory and humanistic theory will be introduced in this part.2.1.1 Psycho-cognitive TheoryCognitive psychology is concerned about the inner process and system in dealing with the stimuli from outer environment instead of explicit stimuli and responses. In learning, cognitive psychology targets at th

34、e way in which the human mind thinks and learns. Cognitive psychologists are therefore interested in the mental processes that are involved in learning. This includes such aspects as how people build up and draw upon their memories and the ways in which they become involved in the process of learnin

35、g. Cognitive approaches emphasize the importance of what the learner brings to any learning situation as an active meaning-maker and problem-solver. Thus, teachers questioning should be base on learners. Teachers should ask more high-cognitive questions so as to activate students thinking and improv

36、e their learning effectiveness. In a cognitive approach, the learner is seen as an active participant in the learning process, using various mental strategies in order to sort out the system of the language to be learned. Cognitive psychology encourages individual learners to select relevant from ir

37、relevant information and focus their attention on how this can be remembered and used and distinguishes efficient and inefficient learners. Cognitive psychologists argue that language teachers should help their students to learn to think in the process of learning a language and make their learning

38、more effective. However, an understanding of the workings of the human mind is not enough in itself adequate to explain what goes on when we learn a language.2.1.2 Humanistic Theory Humanistic approaches emphasize the importance of the inner world of the learner and place the individuals thoughts, f

39、eelings and emotions at the forefront of all human development. These are aspects of the learning process that are often unjustly neglected, yet they are vitally important if we are to understand human learning in its totality. The most well-known figure in this field is Eric Erikson. He argues that

40、 human psychological development depends on the way in which individuals pass through predetermined maturational stages and upon the challenges that are set by society at particular times in their lives (Erikson, 1963). He calls this the fundamental epigenetic principle. Erikson suggests that every

41、individual proceeds through eight stages from birth to old age, each of which poses a particular kind of challenge or crisis. If this challenge is handled well with the help of other significant people in their lives, then individuals can move relatively smoothly onto the next stage and will be in a

42、 stronger position to meet future challenges. However, if challenges are inadequately dealt with, for whatever reason, they will continue to deal with subsequent stages and challenges appropriately. Eriksons theory is important to educators for a number of reasons. Firstly, it provides a life-span v

43、iew of psychology which helps us to recognize learning and development as lifelong, rather than restricted to a particular phase of ones life. At the same time, by focusing on important tasks at different stages of a persons life, it enables us to see that real-life learning involves challenges whic

44、h often require a particular kind of help from others who are in a position of providing this help, if we are to meet them successfully. It also presents learning as a cumulative process whereby our resolution of one set of life tasks will have a profound influence upon how we deal with subsequent t

45、asks. In addition, education is viewed as involving the whole person, the emotions and feelings; it does not involve merely transmitting pieces of knowledge. Humanistic approaches lead us to emphasize also the development of the whole person in educational settings and to suggest that language teach

46、ing can be and should be seen in this light.Humanistic approaches provide us with a lot of implications in EFL teaching practice. First, every learning experience should be seen within the context of helping learners to develop a sense of personal identity and relating that to realistic future goals

47、, i.e. learning should be personalized as far as possible. This is in keeping with the view that one important task for the teacher is differentiation, i.e. identifying and seeking to meet the individual learners needs within the context of the classroom group. Second, in order to become self-actual

48、izing, learners should be helped and encouraged to make choices for themselves in what and how they learn. Third, it is important for teachers to emphasize with their learners by getting to know them as individuals and seeking to understand the ways in which they make sense of the world, rather than

49、 always seeking to impose their own viewpoints. Humanistic education starts with the idea that students are different, and it strives to help students become more like themselves and less like each other. (Hamachek, 1977, P.149)By applying the theories into practice, the author will, in the next cha

50、pter, discuss how effective questioning strategies are used in the classroom teaching and whats their correlation to students attitudes towards English study. 2.2 Definition of Question and Questioning Questioning is a beginning of wonder and doubt. Questioning works as link between teaching and lea

51、rning. Broadly speaking, a question is “a sentence which is addressed to a listener/ reader and asks for an expression of fact, opinion, belief, etc” (Richard, J. &D. Nunan, 2000, P.379). Kissock and Iyortsuun (1982, P.2) stated that “Questions are statements for which a reply is expected”. Bori

52、ch (1988) once defined questions as “verbal devices used to solicit responses from others”, and “be any oral statement or gesture intended to evoke a response from a student”. “Questioning is the way of evoking stimulating responses or stultifying inquiry. It is in essence, the very core of teaching

53、” (Dewey, 1933, P.266).From the educational perspective, teacher questions are those questions used by teachers to prompt students to think and respond to the content of teachers' messages. Since teacher questions will enable the students to bring their own thoughts and feelings into expression

54、through the answers, teacher questioning can be regarded as an interactive process which aims to involve students in the learning process and elicit thoughtful responses. “Learning is an outgrowth of the questions that students are asked and the better a teacher's questions, the better a teacher

55、s teaching and a classs learning” (Dillon, 1988: ix).In classroom settings, teacher questions are defined as instructional cues or stimuli that convey to students the content elements to be learned and directions for what they are to do and how they are to do it. One of the main forms of interaction

56、s between the language teacher and learner is through questions. Teacher question is not only a communicative tool, but also a cognitive device to push learners to try out secure and insecure hypotheses about the target language. Classroom questioning is an extensively researched topic. The high inc

57、idence of questioning as a teaching strategy, and its consequent potential for influencing student learning, have led many investigators to examine relationships between questioning methods and student achievement and behavior. According to Ur, “a question in the context of teaching may be best defi

58、ned as a teacher utterance which has the objective of eliciting an oral response from the learners.” (Ur, 2000, P.229.)The above-quoted definitions emphasize the purpose of questioning, that is, the elicitation of information from the respondents, yet they ignore the interaction between a teacher an

59、d the students. In this dissertation, questioning is an interactive process consisting of teacher initiation, student response and teacher feedback, which aims to involve students in the learning process, elicit thoughtful responses, and thus make them interested in English study. In this thesis questioning is defined as a teachers utterance that has the objective of eliciting an oral response from the learners. Questioning is frequently interspersed throughout the lesson to ge