Effect of Using a ＂Top-down＂ Strategy on Chinese University Students' Comprehension of English Readings

Zhenhui RAO

《Asian Journal of English Language Teaching》 13卷 (2003/12) Pp. 29-44

摘要

This article reports on how English teachers in China used a ＂top-down＂ strategy of teaching reading comprehension in their English reading classroom. Based on the schema theory model in the teaching of reading comprehension, the researcher argues that the ＂top-down＂ strategy should be introduced into the traditional English classroom in China. By comparing the effect of using the traditional ＂bottom-up＂ strategy with that of using the ＂top-down＂ strategy in the reading course for English majors of a Chinese university, the researcher found that some reading strategies popular in English-speaking countries did work well in the Chinese setting as long as the teachers could take into account their students’ learning environment and learning styles.