Abstract

Writing, as one of four basic skills in English learning, is regarded as a measure of students’ overall language proficiency. However, the current English writing teaching in Junior Middle School is not so satisfying. Students are not interested in English writing and regard it as the most difficult task for them. The teaching methods used in writing classes are traditional, which are mainly teacher-centered. Therefore, this research tries to change the current teaching situation to some extent by proposing a new teaching method. Mind Map, proposed by Tony Buzan in 1960s, is an effective tool to visualize the process of thinking. It can help people organize thought and information, make choices, and find the connection between new knowledge and existing knowledge to enhance memory, which are very helpful in finishing writing tasks. Therefore, this research applies Mind Map on English writing class aiming to prove the effectiveness of Mind Map in improving students’ writing ability and arousing students’ writing interest. With the help of an experienced teacher, the experiment is carried out in two parallel classes (N=92) in Nanyuan Junior Middle School, lasting for five weeks. After analyzing the data collected quantitatively and qualitatively, the findings of the research testify the research hypotheses: Mind Map motivates students’ writing interest and the students’ writing ability is also improved at the same time. In consideration of the limitations of the research, some suggestions for future research are put forward at last.

Keywords: Mind Map; English writing teaching in Junior Middle School; An empirical research

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Background of the study-1

1.2 Significance of the study-1

1.3 Organization of the thesis-2

2. Literature Review-3

2.1 Concept of Mind Map-3

2.1.1 Definition of Mind Map-3

2.1.2 Characteristics of Mind Map-4

2.2 Theoretical basis of Mind Map-5

2.2.1 The science of brain-5

2.2.2 Radiant thinking-5

2.2.3 Constructivism-5

2.2.4 Information processing theory-6

2.3 Previous studies on Mind Map in English teaching-6

2.3.1 Previous studies on Mind Map in English teaching abroad-6

2.3.2 Previous studies on Mind Map in English teaching domestically-7

2.4 English writing teaching-7

2.4.1 Concept of English writing-7

2.4.2 Studies on former English writing teaching methods-8

3. Research Methodology-9

3.1 Design of the research-9

3.1.1 Hypotheses of the research-9

3.1.2 Participants of the research-9

3.1.3 Instruments of the research-9

3.2 Procedures of the research-10

3.3 Data collection-11

3.4 Results and discussions-11

3.4.1 Results of two interviews-11

3.4.2 Results of two questionnaires-12

3.4.3 Results of two writing tests-13

3.4.4 Discussion-14

4. Conclusions-16

4.1 Major Findings-16

4.2 Limitations of the research-16

4.3 Suggestions for future research-16

References-18

Appendix 1: Outline of Interviews with Teachers-20

Appendix 2: Questionnaire A for All Subjects before Experiment-21

Appendix 3: Questionnaire B for the Experimental Students-23

Appendix 4: The Pre-test and the Post-test-24

Appendix 5: Writing Scoring Standards-25