Abstract

  English is a major curriculum in Chinese fundamental education. According to English Curriculum Standards of Compulsory Education, it advocates “task-based” teaching and cultivating students’ comprehensive ability for language use. Language skills of comprehensive ability for language use include listening, speaking, reading and writing. As for the four aspects, writing is always considered to be a skill of the most difficulty level in training, but the best practical applicability and the most comprehensive range of knowledge. Writing can reflect indeed whether students are able to express their own ideas in English flexibly and smoothly. Therefore, writing takes a significant place in English teaching in Junior Middle School.

  However, on account of traditional writing teaching and lacking of scientific and systematic writing practice, students’ writing skills always are simple translating the main points of the contents from Chinese into English. The reference to English Curriculum Standards of Compulsory Education (2011) is the learning process and encouraging teachers to conduct student with experience, practice, participation, exploration and cooperation to find laws of language and gradually master the knowledge and skills of language.

  The writer of this thesis aims to research the current situation of cooperative learning to teaching English writing in Junior Middle School. On the study of theoretical basis of CL, the recent research on CL and Standards, the writer presents three questions about the current situation of CL to teaching English writing in Junior Middle School. There are three questions as follow: 

    What is the Junior High School English teachers’ understanding of cooperative learning (CL)?

  What are methods of CL and other assistant activities teachers applied in writing teaching?

  What are the problems and difficulties of application of CL for teachers to teach writing?

  In this thesis, the writer will endeavor to the answers of the three through the research on the current situation of CL to teaching English writing in Junior Middle School.

  The researcher delivered the questionnaire to all the 42 students from Class 3, Junior 2 on October 14, 2015. Most of students answer that they don’t have self-confidence in their English writing.  And they are not confident in improving their English writing. As for their writing habits, it shows that most of them pay little attention to English writing.  That is to say that they have low motivation and interest in English learning, which is the main reason to their lacking of confidence in their ability of English writing. For all about the current status of students’ English writing classes, we can know both of teachers and students are lack of writing consciousness. The most common ways for teachers to teaching English writing are reciting and imitating model essay, but seldom giving systematic strategies to students. Thus it is urgent and imperative to figure out some new effective methods or ways to reform the teaching and learning in English writing now. 

  According to the interviews, all the teachers in middle school have certain knowledge of CL, but have known little scientific theory of CL. What is worth mentioning is that most of teachers hold the positive attitude towards application of CL to improve learning efficiency. Secondly, through the interviews, the writer sums up the methods and modes of CL applied in English writing teaching.

  According to the interviews, teachers shared with the writer about the problem and difficulty of current situation of CL for them to teach writing. As for students, they are lack of confidence when they are writing. Applying CL in English writing adds more tasks to students and makes teachers hard to balance students with different competence. Limited by the education resources, once carrying out activities actively, teachers cannot manage and conduct a large number of students in class. As for teachers, many Chinese middle school teachers general work under overburden of teaching tasks. More opportunities of training and refresh course should be offered to these teachers on the front.

  There are five chapters including in the thesis.

  Chapter 1 is Introduction which contains the background of the study, research purpose and the structure of the thesis. Chapter 2 is Literature Review that includes the definition, theoretical basis of CL, some recent research on CL and the connection between CL and English Curriculum Standards of Compulsory Education. Chapter 3 is methodology including researcher questions, participants, research instruments, research methods and procedure of the study. Chapter 4 is findings and discussion, which contains main findings of the research. Chapter 5 is the conclusion about implications and limitation.

Key Words: Cooperative Learning; English Writing in Junior Middle School; English Curriculum Standards of Compulsory Education

Content

摘要：

Abstract:

1. Introduction-8

1.1 Background of the Study-8

1.2 Research Purposes-9

1.3 Structure of the Thesis-10

2. Literature Review-11

2.1 Definition of Cooperative Learning-11

2.2 Theoretical Basis of Cooperative Learning-12

2.3 Cooperative Learning And English Curriculum Standards of Compulsory Education-15

2.4 Recent Research on Cooperative Learning at home and aboard-15

3. Methodology-17

3.1 Research Questions-17

3.2 Participants-18

3.3 Research Instruments-18

3.4 Research Methods-19

3.4.1 Questionnaire-19

3.4.2 Interviews-19

3.4.3 Observation-20

3.5 Procedure of the Study-20

4. Findings and Discussion-20

4.1 Current situation of students’ English writing-21

4.2 Teachers’ Understanding of Cooperative Learning-22

4.3 Methods of CL and Other Assistant Activities Teachers Applied in Writing  Teaching-22

4.4 Problems and Difficulties of Application of CL for Teachers to Teach Writing-23

4.5 Discussion-25

5. Conclusion-27

5.1 Implications-27

5.2 Limitation-28

Bibliography-29

Appendix-30

Appendix 1: Questionnaire 1-30

Appendix 2: Table 1 : Analysis of Questionnaire 1-31

Acknowledgments-31