Teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Chinese Schools: The Case of Dongchang Middle School Using Schema Theory

Abstract

This empirical study applies the schema theory English writing teaching in a middle school in China according to the new curriculum standards.This study mainly seeks to address two issues: i). Does the application of schema theory in teaching English writing in middle school effective? ii). Compared with the traditional teaching of English writing teaching methods, can middle school students’ English writing method based on schema theory be more efficient?The methods used in this study are known as the literature analysis and experimental research methods. This paper analyzes the current situation of middle school students' writing level and teachers' English writing, based on the schema theory of education.A survey was conducted as a teaching experiment for about two months in two parallel classes in Donchang Middle School. The controlled class used the traditional teaching method, while the experimental class used the teaching method based on schema theory. After about a period of the experiment, the two classes were post-tested and data collected, analyzed and conclusions made. The findings show that the Schema Theory used in English teaching can effectively improve the writing ability of students and enhance their confidence in English writing. Therefore, it is recommended that the schema theory should be used as a method of effectively teaching English writing.

Keywords: English education, schema theory, teaching and learning, Middle School, Dongchang, China

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-15-03

Publication date:May 31^st 2020