ABSTRACT

In English learning, the importance of listening is beyond doubt. With the advance of quality-oriented education and the improvement of the new curriculum reform, listening plays a more important role.

As a new mode of teaching, task-based approach has been characterized in "the task", which let students "learn by doing" to the full extent. In china, the task-based approach has been applied to English teaching for a long time and it has gained some popularity in reality. However, it lacks the related intensive study in application and its effects of task-based approach in the aspect of English listening in junior high school. 

This paper aims to first analyze the current situation of junior high school English listening teaching; next, based on problems, it studies the important theories of the task-based approach and its application in listening teaching research and analysis of it; then the paper carries out an experiment and testifies its research questions: Whether the TBA can be adapted to the English teaching of junior high school? Whether the task-based approach can improve the students' listening ability? It shows that compared with the traditional teaching mode, the task-based approach can achieve a better application effect in the English listening teaching in junior high school and has had a certain promotion in improving the students' English listening ability.

The paper contains four chapters. Chapter one is the introduction, focusing on the background and analyzing the situation of English listening teaching and characteristics of students in junior high school. Chapter two is the literature review which systematically introduces the basic theories of the TBA. Chapter three is the experiment procedures. Chapter four reaches the final research conclusion and emphasizes the value of the research.

Key words: Task-based approach; English listening in junior high school; Application

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One  INTRODUCTION-1

1.1 Background of Study-1

1.2 Research Objectives and Significance of the Study-2

1.3 Current Situation of Junior High School Listening Teaching-2

1.3.1 Problems from Teacher & Student’s Perspectives-3

1.3.2 Analyses of Students' Characteristics in Junior High School-4

1.4 Structure of the Thesis-4

Chapter Two  LITERATURE REVIEW-5

2.1 The Task-based Approach-5

2.1.1 The Definition of Task-based Approach-6

2.1.2 Definition of Task-7

2.2 Foreign Studies of TBA-8

2.3 Domestic Studies of TBA-9

Chapter three  RESEARCH PROCEDURE-10

3.1 Purpose of the Study and Research Questions-10

3.2 Research Preparation….11

3.2.1Research Subjects-11

3.2.2 Teaching Material-11

3.3 Research Design-12

3.3.1 The First Phase of Experiment-12

3.3.2 The Second Phase of Experiment-14

3.2.3 The Third Phase of Experiment-15

3.4 Data Analysis-17

3.4.1 Advantages of the Application of TBA-18

3.4.2 Research Limitations-18

Chapter Four  CONCLUSION& IMPLICATIONS -19

4.1 Conclusion-20

4.2 Pedagogical Implications-21

4.3 Research Limitations-21

REFERENCES-23

APPENDIX I-26

APPENDIX II-28