英語本科優(yōu)秀論文-中學生英語學習興趣減退的原因分析

1、<p>　　中學生英語學習興趣減退的原因分析</p><p><b>　　馬 少 林</b></p><p>　　(外國語學院 2013屆1班 學號:2009091101 指導教師:曹寧) </p><p>　　摘 要: 隨著經(jīng)濟的發(fā)展和社會進步,很多國家都在說英語, 講英語, 英語的重要性不言而喻。然而越來越多的中學生開始逐漸失去

2、對英語學習的興趣。學習興趣的減退是一個漸進的過程,有很多因素例如教師教學方法的不同、母語的影響以及自身的學習態(tài)度都會造成學生在英語學習上的不成功。此外，師生之間的關系對學生英語的學習也有很大影響,教師對學生的影響甚至能決定其英語學習的成功或者失敗。興趣對于英語學習是非常要的，它貫穿于與整個英語學習過程的始終。一旦學生的興趣被激發(fā)，他們會積極主動地學習英語。論文主要概述了興趣在初中生英語學習過程中的重要性，并且分析了造成中學生英語學習興趣

3、下降的原因以及與之相對應的對策。</p><p>　　關鍵詞：初中英語；學習興趣；下降；原因分析；對策</p><p>　　On the Loss of English Learning Interest in Junior Middle School Students </p><p>　　Ma Shaolin</p><p>　　Scho

4、ol of Foreign Languages and Literature, Longdong University</p><p>　　Abstract: With the development of the society and economics, English learning becomes more and more important, but it is found that there

5、exists a universal phenomenon that many junior middle school students lost interest in the process of their English learning. The causes of this problem are a complexity which involves teachers’ teaching methods, the eff

6、ects of mother tongue and students’ learning attitudes towards English. Besides, the relationship between teachers and students is also signif</p><p>　　Key words: English in junior high school; learning inte

7、rest; loss; factors analysis; ways</p><p>　　1. Introduction</p><p>　　With the development of society and economics, English becomes more and more important. English as a commonly-used language i

8、n the world plays an indispensable role in global communication. In China, not only teachers but also students have been aware of the significance of learning a foreign language. Many students are striving to learn Engli

9、sh well to meet the practice requirement. But the reality is many students in China have begun to lose their interest in English learning after a not very </p><p>　　The thesis discusses the importance of int

10、erest and analyzes the factors that influence students’ interest, aiming to stress the importance of interest in English learning and contribute help to the English teaching quality.</p><p>　　1.1 Research Ba

11、ckground</p><p>　　In recent years, a lot of Chinese researchers and teachers are interested in researching English teaching and learning. Most of them are being done on the study of motivation, learning stra

12、tegies, testing and so on. These studies are concerned with students’ learning interest in junior middle school. In fact, interest is an indispensable factor in foreign language learning. In accordance with the English C

13、urriculum Criteria set by the Ministry of Education, arousing and cultivating students’ int</p><p>　　1.2 Research Significance</p><p>　　In the learning process, English learning is complicated b

14、ecause it is not usually used in our daily life. It is influenced not only by the English language itself, but also by some other factors, learning interest being the most crucial one. As for the learning interest, we ca

15、n date back to the Spring and Autumn Period. The great educator Confucius said like this: “the man knows it is not as good as the man who likes it; the man who likes it is not as good as the man who takes delight in it”

16、(T</p><p>　　All those famous remarks pointed out the importance of learning interest, interest plays a crucial role in English learning. So it is essential to attend to the underlying reason of the loss of E

17、nglish learning interest in junior middle school students.</p><p>　　1.3 Structure of the Thesis</p><p>　　This thesis is made up of six parts. The first part is the background, significance of wr

18、iting this thesis besides its structure. The second part is mainly elaborating the importance of interest in English learning, with a brief review on English learning interest and the relevant theories concerning interes

19、t. The third part is the present English learning situation. The fourth part is the analysis on the loss of students’ English learning interest. The fifth part is to suggest some ways to deve</p><p>　　2. Lit

20、erature Review</p><p>　　2.1 Definition of Interest</p><p>　　Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary (2009:1064) defines the word of “interest” as “the feeling that you have when you

21、 want to know or learn more about somebody or something”. Interest is defined as “a feeling that makes you want to pay attention to something or to find out more about it.” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (

22、2010:1023). Interest is a phenomenon that emerges from individual’s interaction with his or her environment; it refers to a feeling of wanting to </p><p>　　2.2 Categories of Interest and Their Relationship&l

23、t;/p><p>　　Interest can be further divided into two kinds, direct interest and indirect interest (Burns & Anne，1999: 8). Direct interest is different from indirect interest in nature. For example, some stu

24、dents are aware of the importance of English learning and willing to learn this foreign language. The interest which formulates consciously is called direct interest. While other students are not interested in learning a

25、 foreign language in the beginning but with the time going on they come to show inter</p><p>　　2.3 Studies of Interest in English Learning</p><p>　　2.3.1 Brief Review of Studies on English Learn

26、ing Interest</p><p>　　Many psychologists and educators make the survey and conclude that learning interest plays a very important role in the students’ English learning. One of the earliest theories of inter

27、est was developed by Herbart at the beginning of the nineteenth century (Antia, 2003). People who acquired the great success in his career that is because all of them are interested in the career they are engaged in (Guo

28、 Benyu, 2006:191).</p><p>　　2.3.2 Brief Review of Studies Abroad</p><p>　　In educational and psychological discussion of learning, the concept of interest plays a very important role. Einstein (

29、1979) said: “Interest is the best teacher”. Interest as a phenomenon that emerges from an individual’s interaction with his environment, refers to a feeling of wanting to know, learn, see, or take part in something (Hidi

30、, 1992). Schiefele (1992) makes a survey and concludes that individual’s learning interest is related to the achievements. Gardner (1995) has summarized in most</p><p>　　2.3.3 Brief Review of Studies at Home

31、</p><p>　　Talking about the learning interest, we can trace back to the Spring and Autumn Period. Great educator Confucius said like this: “the man knows it is not as good as the man who likes it; the man wh

32、o likes it is not as good as the man who takes delight in it” (The Analects). From Tao Xingzhi’s opinion (1985), he thinks that the students will do everything wholeheartedly when they are interested in it. It indicates

33、that interest plays a very important part during the learning process. Pan Shu, a f</p><p>　　In recent China, the researches of interest in English learning began in 1980s and have aroused more researchers’

34、attention since 1990s, such as Li Zheng (1993), He Yaqin (2000), Wei Luqian (2001). Interest is a psychological tendency of people actively exploring something or engaging in a certain activity. It is always accompanied

35、by a good emotional experience. When a student has interest in something, he will express particular concern about it and explore it bravely, he is also willing to en</p><p>　　2.4 The Importance of Interest

36、in English Learning</p><p>　　The present criteria on curriculum of English for basic education is promulgated and put into practice to speed up students’ comprehensive and harmonious development. Teachers ar

37、e required to arouse and develop the students’ interest in English learning. Interest has become an important position in the teaching practice. Edwards (2007) mentioned in Classroom Discipline and Management, “One way t

38、o maintain students’ attention is to use the introduction to a lesson to stimulate their interest and </p><p>　　3. The Present English Learning Situation</p><p>　　3.1 Teachers’ Situation</p&g

39、t;<p>　　Traditional English Language Teaching in China is dominated by a teacher-centered, examination-oriented, grammar and vocabulary-based method. Knowledge of English transmits through a teacher who acts as “a

40、n authority, a knowledge-giver and moral example”; and little attention is paid to the training of the students’ interest (Cortazzi & Jin, 1996). The traditional method is mainly referred to as didactic. It is a kind

41、 of teaching method in which the main task of a teacher is to lecture and expla</p><p>　　3.2 Students’ Situation</p><p>　　During a lesson, most students just kept silent and acted as audience. T

42、hey seldom speak English or raise their hands to answer the teacher’s questions voluntarily, and some even fall asleep. It seems that they are attaching little importance to their English lesson. The main reason for thei

43、r non-participation is that some students have lost interest in learning English.</p><p>　　3.3 Some Existing Problems</p><p>　　The topic about the loss of English learning interest has been the

44、concern of many researchers, but it still has a long way to go. Although there are many studies on the cultivation of learning interest, few concerning on the loss of English learning interest in junior middle school stu

45、dents. Many years ago, some educators and psychologists have realized that learning interest plays a very important role during learning process. Professor Gao Yuxiang (2002) from Beijing Normal University investi</p&

46、gt;<p>　　4. Underlying Reason of the Loss of Students’ Learning Interest</p><p>　　4.1 Improper Foreign Language Teaching Methods</p><p>　　Traditionally, teachers let the students read aft

47、er them, explain grammar rules, write the new words on the blackboard. And then ask them to dictate, assign the exercises. This method has its weaknesses. There is too much emphasis on rules and exceptions. Students lear

48、n the rules, but not the language. Because the students have to accept the endless exams and follow the teachers to memorize so many words, phrases, dialogues and grammatical rules, they are sure to lose interest in Engl

49、ish learnin</p><p>　　Practical experience reveals that teaching effects are strikingly different between teaching in a native language environment and in a foreign language environment. Because in a native l

50、anguage environment students use the foreign language not only in classroom but also after class, they could combine theory with practice closely, while in a foreign language environment, students can only use the foreig

51、n language in class, but not after class, in this way, they lack the opportunities to use the </p><p>　　4.2 Negative Role of Mother Tongue in English Learning</p><p>　　4.2.1 Sound</p><

52、;p>　　English and Chinese are two different language systems. Chinese is a tonal language. The meaning of Chinese depends not only on the phonemes which make up the words pronunciation, but also the pitch and contour u

53、sed when pronouncing the word. So it mainly uses tone to distinguish the meaning of words. Therefore, students who have just started learning English always unconsciously use Chinese pronunciation to help them to learn E

54、nglish pronunciation. However, to the different pronunciations of th</p><p>　　4.2.2 Grammar</p><p>　　To the junior middle school students, it is not easy for them to learn English grammar well,

55、because there are many different grammar structures between English and mother tongue. For example, there is no usage of definite article, plural forms of nouns, verbs and tense, etc. In verbs and tenses, it is more comm

56、on for the students to make mistakes. Unlike English, Chinese expression of past tense relies on expressing aspect. For example, the aspect particle “l(fā)e” can be used after a verb or at th</p><p>　　4.2.3 Cult

57、ure</p><p>　　Different nationalities have different cultures including value concepts, thinking patterns which are reflected in their native language. To the junior middle school students, they do not unders

58、tand the culture and habit of the English society in daily lives. For example, “Are you married?”, “How much can you earn in one month?”, “How old are you” ? These questions may arise the westerners’ misapprehension and

59、they will feel disgusted by the police interrogation. They will consider these as bad </p><p>　　---Your English is very good.</p><p>　　---No, no, my English is very poor.</p><p>　　T

60、his is common for the beginners to make such mistakes. Because in China, modesty is a kind of virtue, the answer just shows people’s modesty. But to the local English speaker, they feel confused. In English the native sp

61、eaker only use “Thank you” to express their acceptance.</p><p>　　4.3 The Effects of Students’ Attitudes in English Learning</p><p>　　In the book of Attitude Is Everything written by Keith Harrel

62、l (2004:190), the author proposed 10 Life-Changing Steps to Turning Attitude into Action. Harrell teaches readers techniques for maintaining a powerful positive attitude in order to get ahead in life. As for students, wh

63、ether one can learn English better depends not only on the teachers who can tell you some ways or methods how to learn English well, but more importantly on personal attitudes toward English learning. For students study&

64、lt;/p><p>　　However, when students encounter some difficulties in English learning, students with good learning attitudes try their best to overcome difficulties. If they cannot have good pronunciation in Engli

65、sh, they will practice pronunciation by themselves every day and grasp any time to communicate with people with good pronunciation so as to be good English speakers. On the contrary, for some students with bad attitudes

66、of English learning, they will feel sad and even give up their English learning.</p><p>　　Some students appreciate English very much so that they will cultivate their interest in English learning like watchi

67、ng English films, reading some western novels or integrate into westerners’ lives so as to know more about western culture different from Chinese culture. These students are all passionate for English learning and they m

68、ake up plans for themselves to study English because they believe learning English is a long way to go and will take most of the time in their lives. Insistences o</p><p>　　4.4 Relationship between Teacher a

69、nd Students</p><p>　　To establish a harmonious relationship between teacher and students is important. The quality of the relationship between teachers and students affects that of the school teaching direct

70、ly. Harmonious relationship between teachers and students will help the teacher devote to teaching, and make students learn happily and efficiently. The junior middle school students are at a stage of physical and mental

71、 development, what they think can not be very reasonable, and their psychological endure capac</p><p>　　5. Ways to Develop the Students’ Interest of Learning English </p><p>　　From the above ana

72、lysis on the reason of the loss of students’ learning interest in junior middle school students, some ways are suggested which will help to develop the students interest and contribute to the improvement of English teach

73、ing quality.</p><p>　　5.1 To Make Full Use of Various Teaching Methods</p><p>　　A good teaching method is easy to motivate the students’ interest in learning. There are three common methods used

74、 to teach students: Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT), Total Physical Response (TPR), and Communicative Language Teaching (CLT).</p><p>　　1) Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT)</p><p>　　The Ta

75、sk-based Teaching Method reflects the importance of foreign language teaching from the role of teachers to emphasize the students’ role, from being teacher-centered into student-centered. Anyway, the meaning of language

76、learning is communication. Task-based language teaching is a good way to achieve this objective. At the same time, this method can also bring the students to the language environment which helps students to use the langu

77、age skills they studied in practice. In addition, this</p><p>　　2) Total Physical Response (TPR)</p><p>　　It is good for students who need to be active in the class. The teacher asks students to

78、 perform actions, e.g. “Stand up. Give me a pen.” Action songs, stories, and rhymes are often used in TPR. Total Physical Response as a new language teaching method is an effective way of English teaching. It is a very u

79、seful method which can help and encourage students to sustain their interest and attract their attention. TPR also help the teacher to create contexts in which the language is useful and meani</p><p>　　3) Co

80、mmunicative Language Teaching (CLT)</p><p>　　Communicative Language Teaching is learner-centered and emphasizes communication and real-life situations. In this method, students can practice every situation i

81、n daily life. It is a good way for students to use English as a tool to communicate with each other in the class. In this way, students can improve their speaking ability. The ultimate goal of Communicative Language Teac

82、hing is to train the ability of students to use English to communicate, that is, oral communication and written langua</p><p>　　5.2 Rational Use of Mother Tongue Thinking</p><p>　　Chinese langua

83、ge is their mother tongue, the rational use of mother tongue positive transfer will help the students better command foreign languages. The output process of language is based on thinking no matter in speaking or writing

84、, so the mother tongue thinking comes to be the concerned question in learning second languages. In terms of the internal relations of mother tongue and second language study, the former one is helpful to the latter one

85、in a certain degree. For instance, In English </p><p>　　5.3 Stimulating Students to Develop Positive Attitudes</p><p>　　To foster positive attitudes and to motivate the learning of English as a

86、foreign language, an environment conducive to learning must be created. A learning situation that has a low affective filter needs to be provided. In such situations, the learners can learn to use English in non-threaten

87、ing and fun surroundings. The environment that students find enjoyable, supportive and encouraging will result in positive attitudes. </p><p>　　If the teacher can also provide creative situations in which s

88、tudents are able to speak any English they know in a natural setting, it will encourage youngsters to expand their vocabulary. An activity that is encouraging may be by showing the class with a picture and asks the stude

89、nts to “make up” a story in Chinese about the teams, the game, the arena or anything else they wish to add. The teacher writes the story on the board in Chinese as the students narrate it. After a pre-decided period of&l

90、t;/p><p>　　If these suggestions are considered important for learning English, they should be instituted for the encouragement of learning the language. What is more, they will very probably be helpful in devel

91、oping students’ positive attitudes toward learning English.</p><p>　　5.4 To Establish a Harmonious Relationship between Teacher and Students </p><p>　　A teacher plays a decisive role between suc

92、cess and failure in the process of arising the students’ interest. There are many things teachers can do to keep a good relationship with students, e.g.:</p><p>　　1) Avoid confrontation with the students. St

93、and in complete silence for a few seconds if there is trouble in class. Calmness itself is usually enough to make the class cool down. The calmer and quieter the teachers are, the more likely they can control the class a

94、nd avoid unpleasantness. If some naughty students have already made trouble, stop it by eye contact and body language and leave it to be dealt with after a day.</p><p>　　2) Admit your ignorance. Do not be af

95、raid to admit your ignorance to the students. If the teachers pretend to know something that they do not, eventually they will be in a dilemma. So do not try to answer what you do not know. Sometimes a simple admission o

96、f ignorance will earn the students’ trust.</p><p>　　3) Creating a positive classroom climate. In structuring the foreign language learning environment, the teacher needs to be a manager who facilities langua

97、ge acquisition; a resource developer who takes the greatest advantage of the target and native languages, materials and technology; and an analyst who observes and evaluates what is happening in the classroom. In additio