英文毕业论文--Schema theory and reading comprehension.docVIP

Schema theory and reading comprehension Abstract Reading is acknowledged to be the most stable and durable ability in second language learning. In traditional sense, reading is sometimes viewed as a passive skill. In contemporary approaches to reading, meaning is created through the interaction of reader and text. Readers expectations are based on readers prior knowledge. Background knowledge that aids in text comprehension has recently been studied under the schema theory. Schema theory describes the process by which readers combine their own background knowledge with the information in a text to comprehend that text. This is an important concept in language teaching. It has been used as a theoretical model in several important areas in listening and reading research. This thesis attempts to apply schema theory to the teaching of reading comprehension in middle school .Two types of schema most often discussed in reading research are content schemata and formal schemata. Content schemata are the knowledge relative to the content domain of a text; formal schemata refer to the organization forms and rhetorical structures of different types of texts. Swales (1990: 87) believes that when readers are familiar with content and form , the texts will be relatively accessible. In order to help students understand better, schema must be activated and this activation relates to two basic models of information processing, namely bottom-up processing and top-down processing. Pre-reading tasks are often designed to activate or build the students schemata. The teacher can use some teaching methods to activate -students existing schemata. To sum up, the teacher should have a deep understanding that students schemata play a very important role in reading comprehension. The teacher can use different methods to activate students existing schemata or help students build new schemata according to different teaching situations to improve their reading competence . Key words