Teaching EFL Reading Skills with Instructional Scaffolding Microlectures: Chinese Non-English Major Undergraduates’ Performances and Perceptions

Authors

  • Lisha Liu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.52.4132

Keywords:

microlectures, English teaching, student feedback, scaffolding

Abstract

Teacher - centred lecturing, the dominated teaching style at Chinese universities is facing enormous challenges as microlectures prevail in higher education pedagogy nowadays. Some Chinese lecturers have begun exploring how to use microlectures in their own programmes in order to improve their teaching performances and students’ learning outcome. However, currently, the teaching practice of using microlectures in college English classes seems to be still at a trial stage, which creates much space for our further investigation into its teaching effects. This paper describes a study conducted at Southern University of Science and Technology, which seeks to explore non-English major undergraduates’ performances through and perceptions of teaching English reading skills with instructional scaffolding microlectures. After an analysis of 34 1st-year undergraduates’ standardized reading tests, self-evaluation sheets of reading skills and reading course feedback self-reports, the findings show that this teaching method can improve students’ English language proficiency, learning interest and independence effectively.

References

Cai, J. (2012), A Way Out for EFL at Tertiary Level Education in Mainland China. Shanghai: Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press.

Chen, Z, Wang, Y & Jiang, J (2015), ‘Problems and Solutions for the Contemporary Development of Microlectures’, Modern Educational Technology, 10: pp. 67.

Educause (2012), 7 Things You Should Know about Microlectures. 11: pp.1.

Kirschner, P. (1992), ‘Epistemology, Practical Work and Academic Skills in Science Education’. Science and Education, 1: pp. 273 - 299.

Liu, L. (2014), ‘A Preliminary Discussion on Skill-based Reading Class Design in College English Teaching’, Time Education, 3; pp. 115.

Morgan, D. (2007), ‘Paradigms Lost and Pragmatism Regained: Methodological implications of combining qualitative and quantitative methods’. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1: pp.48 - 76.

The Higher Education Institutions Teacher Online Training Centre of the Ministry of Education (2014), Report on Microlecture Research at Chinese Universities. Retrieved from: http://weike.enetedu.com/report/.

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Published

2018-02-25

How to Cite

Liu, L. (2018). Teaching EFL Reading Skills with Instructional Scaffolding Microlectures: Chinese Non-English Major Undergraduates’ Performances and Perceptions. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.52.4132