Abstract

 Reading is an important activity in the four basic skills of English learning. In learning English, reading is the most efficient way to obtain knowledge, improve English skill and get a good knowledge of western world. By reading, students can not only gain English culture and background knowledge, but also get a good knowledge of the customs about English countries. However, due to the influence of exam-oriented education and the traditional reading teaching method, students often ignore the background information which is called Schema. With the development of cognitive linguistics, Schema Theory becomes a hot topic in reading researching. In recent years, the difficulty of reading topics has increased greatly, so lots of students failed in the English exam resulted from losing much more points. Therefore, how to improve students' ability about reading comprehension efficiently becomes the key and difficult points of English teaching. In this paper, I'll start with Schema Theory, and do a research to explore the relation between Schema Theory and English reading, and then improve the English reading ability of students. 

Key words: schema theory; English reading; English exam; reading strategy

Contents

Abstract

摘要

Chapter 1 Introduction .1

  1.1 Research Background and Significance of the Study1

  1.2 The Main Contents and Methods of This Research.3

  1.3 Structure of This Research.3

Chapter 2 Schema Theory5

2.1 What is Schema? .5

  2.2 The Classifications of Schema Theory.6

  2.3 Functions of Schema Theory in EFL Reading.7

  2.4 Literature Review of Schema Theory in Reading Teaching8

 2.4.1 Researches on Schema Theory in Reading Teaching Abroad.8

 2.4.2 Researches on Schema Theory in Reading Teaching in China.9

Chapter 3 The Application of Schema Theory in EFL Reading11

  3.1 Principles of Using Schema11

 3.1.1 The Principle of Background Knowledge.11

 3.1.2 The Principle of Reading Activities.12

 3.1.3 The Principle of Mixing Different Schemes Together.12

  3.2 A Plan of English Reading Class13

 3.2.1 The Process of the Class Plan13

 3.2.2 Feedback of Students.14

  3.3 More Samples of Reading Classes Based on Schema Theory.15

 3.3.1 Pre-reading.15

 3.3.2 In Reading Process16

 3.3.3 Post-reading.16

Chapter 4 Conclusion.17

4.1 Implications for EFL Reading Teaching17

  4.2 Limitations.19

Bibliography.20

Acknowledgments.21