Chapter One Introduction

1.1 Background of the research

The university preparatory education is also called the university foundation course.The preparation before the university education usually lasts one year. The universitypreparatory education plays an irreplaceable role in the stage from basic education tohigher education. The preparatory courses are used to meet the actual need of universityteaching. The courses are to provide the necessary knowledge which can help studentscomplete their study smoothly in the future. In addition, English course is designed todevelop the students’ confidence and ability of English listening, speaking, reading andwriting.In the wave of popularizing high school education and university enrollmentexpansion, the total number of school-age students is on the decline. The universitypreparatory education encountered two major troubles－students resource and studentsquality. To a great extent, the students of university preparatory class may fail to studyEnglish before, especially striking in English subject. In English teaching, students’learning behaviors are often characterized by a lack of interest and intrinsic motivation inlearning. Under this condition, in order to complete the teaching task, most teachers use themeans of increasing learning time and quantity. But the effect is not obvious, evencounterproductive. Teachers and students fall into a vicious cycle of teaching and learning,so that the disgusted emotion is brought to them.

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1.2 Significance of the research

ESA English teaching model is constructed in response to the educational goal thatschool teaching should be focused on the lifelong development of the learners, and equalattention is supposed to be paid to the cultivation of knowledge, competence andpersonality. ESA teaching model aims to enable the average as well as slower learners torecover from lower motivation and ignorance of learning strategies, thus regaining theirconfidence in learning English successfully.ESA teaching model lays great emphasis on the appropriate combination of beingteacher-directed as well as learner-centered in the classroom teaching. The outcome of thefield research indicates that ESA teaching model is workable and of practical significance,which is believed to be not only helpful to learners’ present learning, but also beneficial totheir future life.For teachers, ESA teaching model can assist teachers to arouse students’ learninginterest and cultivate students’ integrative competence step by step. Otherwise, this modelalso helps to improve teachers’ teaching ability and research ability. It is vital for teachersto deepen teaching reform, optimize teaching resources and better teaching quality.For students, it is important to accept a teaching model which they take a real interestin. Only in the study can they find confidence and interest, study will be more enjoyableand effective. By participating in the teaching activities, the students’ self-confidence andcommunicative competence will be enhanced. By accomplishing the tasks, learning abilityand self-management ability will be improved.

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Chapter Two Literature Review

2.1 Basic concepts of ESA teaching model

Harmer views that most people can learn a language unconsciously without studying,when they are exposed to it or having opportunities to contact with it. Similarly, “childrenand adults who acquire language successfully outside the classroom seem to share certainsimilarities in their learning experiences” (Harmer, 2000:24). “Like language learnersoutside schools, the students need to be motivated, be exposed to language and givenchances to use it” (Harmer, 2000:25). Obviously, it can be difficult to replicate naturallanguage acquisition in the classroom, but we should try to imitate the elements which canbe applied to language classroom for assisting students in learning effectively. Theelements are called engage, study and activate which are short for “ESA”.“Engage is the point in a teaching sequence where teachers try to arouse the students’interest, thus involving their emotions” (Harmer, 2000:25). There are various kinds ofactivities to engage students, such as entertaining games, vivid pictures, absorbing stories,melodious music and group discussion, etc. Meanwhile, students can get generalinformation of the topic or character with regard to the new knowledge. If studentsimmerse themselves in language material, the learning process will be more effective. Justlike Benjamin Franklin says, “Tell me and I forget; teach me and I remember; involve meand I learn.”

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2.2 Theoretical foundation

This part will show the theoretical foundation of ESA teaching model, includingextrinsic/intrinsic motivation theory, theories of second language acquisition andconstructivist learning theory. Deci and Ryan (1985) put forward the intrinsic/extrinsic motivation theory. In theiropinions, intrinsic motivation refers to motivation which lets people engage in an activitybecause that activity is enjoyable and satisfying to do. Conversely, extrinsic motivationrefers to those behaviors carried out for some individual benefits, such as earning a rewardor avoiding a punishment. They claims that learners who take delight in learning tasks fortheir own sake (intrinsic) rather than for rewards (extrinsic) tend to be more effectivelearners. In other words, people are “intrinsically motivated” when the purpose for doingan activity is “doing it for its own sake rather than because of external pressure or promiseof reward for doing it” (Dickinson, 1995). The activity is not a means for a purpose but, ifanything, a purpose itself. Many activities are intrinsically motivated.Motivational research in educational psychology is mostly limited to intrinsicmotivation (Pintrich&Schunk, 2002), while theories about motivation are more often aboutextrinsic motivation (Pinder, 1998). It is, however, obvious that many activities are bothintrinsically and extrinsically motivated. Students study hard not only because they arethrilled by understanding of a particular phenomenon (e.g., human motivation), but alsobecause they are motivated to succeed in the exams following the motivational course.This implies that the total motivation of our daily activities must be conceived as the sumof an intrinsic and an extrinsic component. Thus the strength of the total motivation tostudy can be increased by intensifying the intrinsic or the extrinsic component, or both.

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Chapter Three Research Methodology..... 17

3.1 Research questions ........ 17

3.2 Research subjects .... 17

3.3 Research instruments..... 18

3.4 Research procedures...... 19

Chapter Four Data Analysis and Discussion ....... 27

4.1 Data analysis of tests ..... 27

4.2 Data analysis of questionnaires .......41

4.3 Data analysis of interviews........44

4.4 Discussion....45

4.4.1 Discussion of tests .....45

4.4.2 Discussion of questionnaires .......45

Chapter Five Conclusion....47

5.1 Major findings .........47

5.2 Pedagogical implications.....47

5.3 Limitations of the present study ......48

5.4 Suggestions for further research ......49

Chapter Four Data Analysis and Discussion

4.1 Data analysis of tests

The sig. of Levene’s Test forEquality of Variances is 0.717 (＞0.05), which manifests the variances of pre-test are equalin both EC and CC. Accordingly, the data in the row of “Equal variances assumed” isregard as result data. Besides, the sig. (2-tailed) is 0.788 (＞0.05) in the row of “Equalvariances assumed” implying there is no significant difference between EC and CC inlistening mean scores. Furthermore, in the section of “95% Confidence Interval ofDifference”, “0” is between “-1.706” (Lower) and “2.239” (Upper) showing that there isno evident distinction between EC and CC in listening mean scores. The statistics from the pre-test suggest that students’ listening proficiencyof EC and CC are almost at the same level before the experiment and the two classes areequivalent. Hence, they can be compared.

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Conclusion

The thesis applies ESA teaching model to English teaching in preparatory class ofuniversity for investigating whether ESA teaching model can arouse the students’ interestand improve the respective proficiency of listening, speaking, reading and writing or not.This chapter summarized the major findings, pedagogical implications, limitations andsuggestions of the research. The overall results of the research reveal that ESA teaching model is more effectivethan the traditional teaching models in English teaching of preparatory class. Two majorfindings can be concluded via the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results.For one thing, ESA teaching model positively impacts on students’ interest,enthusiasm and initiative of learning English. In the ESA English class, the students areencouraged to take part in funny and useful activities. The students become the subjects ofthe learning process. When students accomplish the activities successfully, they will get astrong sense of achievement; as a result, they will spend more time and energy in learningEnglish.For another, ESA teaching model can improve students’ proficiency in listening,reading and writing. According to the tests scores, the students of the experimental classhave made great progress in listening, reading and writing during this semester. Yet due tostudents’ low English level as well as short period of teaching experiment, the speakingproficiency fail to be enhanced obviously.

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Reference (omitted)