有效提问策略与高中生英语学习态度变化

1、有效提问策略与高中生英语学习态度变化 的相关性研究 摘 要在中国，英语是一门外语，大部分人都是通过课堂教学来学习英语。教师提问是为数不多的信息输入渠道之一，在课堂教学中有着重要的意义。提问目的、问题类型、问题修饰、等待时间、提问顺序和教师反馈等都影响着课堂教学的效果。因此，采用适当的提问策略对于提高高中生的英语学习意义重大。这不仅有助于提高学生的语言能力和交际能力，还能激发他们的学习动力，培养他们终身学习的能力。所以，教师要改进自己的提问策略, 自觉重视有效提问策略的使用。 但是，大部分教师在提问时很少考虑到问什么、问谁、什么时候问、怎样问和怎样评价。据观察，在中国的高中课堂教学中，一些教师总

2、是问一些让学生厌烦的简单问题，还有一些教师的问题超出学生的能力范围。课堂气氛因此而紧张乏味，师生之间的交流遇到了障碍。学生总是静静地听教师的讲解，不愿意主动回答问题，只有一小部分学生能主动参与课堂活动，学生的探究欲望因此受到压抑，语言能力的训练因为缺乏学生积极主动的参与和实践，无法转化为学生的语言运用能力，外语教学长期以来处于比较被动的局面。 本研究者基于在教学实践中发现的问题，致力于探索有效提问策略与高中生英语学习态度变化的相关性，进而为高中英语教学有效提问策略的研究提供积极的建议，改变中学英语教学以教师为本位的状况，激发高中生英语学习的兴趣，调动其英语学习的积极性，真正提高学生的英语学习水

3、平。作者尝试回答以下问题：1）高中英语教师应该采用哪些具体有效的提问策略？2）有效提问策略对高中生英语学习态度的影响有多大？ 本研究运用问卷调查、课堂观察、访谈、实验对比等方法手段，对徐州师范学校的133位学生进行两轮的问卷调查，以了解研究对象所在班级的课堂提问状况和变化。这133位学生来自于一年级到三年级的三个班级。在2009年3月至7月的实验期间，任课教师尝试采用有效提问策略，如增加参照型问题，延长等待时间和尝试不同反馈方式等，让学生体会课堂教学的成功感。与此同时，对参与实验的英语教师在运用有效提问策略进行教学时的态度和手段进行课堂观察，并进行访谈。研究者运用对比方法，对所得数据进行分析。

4、研究结果表明，采用有效提问策略进行教学不但能改变他们课堂中的被动地位，还可以影响高中生的学习态度，提高他们的英语学习成绩。所以，高中英语教师应更加注重提问技巧和提问策略在教学中的运用。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