中国学生英语学习的性别差异

中国学生英语学习的性别差异1Introduction1.1SituationofEnglishlanguagelearning1.2Significanceofthestudy3Analysisoffactorsthathaveimpactongenderdifferences2.1Physicalfactors2.2Psychologicalfactors2.2.1Intelligencefactors2.2.2Non-intelligencefactors(interests、chracteristicsetc.)3GenderdifferencesintheabilityofEnglishlearning3.1DifferencesonthebasicknowledgeofEnglish3.2Differencesontheabilityoflisteningandreading3.3Differencesontheabilityofspeaking4Teachingstrategiesondifferentgender4.1Encouragingstudentstomakethembefullofconfidence4.2Makingfulluseofstudents’non-intelligenceabvantagesandintelligenceabvantages4.3Usingthemethodofcomparingwithsomeexcellentpeopletoimproveoneself4.4Dogroupworkthatmixmanandfemaleandmakethemhelpandlearnfromeachother5ConclusionAbstract:Englishisnowsaidtobeaninternationallanguageorknownasagloballanguage.ItisanobviousfactthatEnglishisdefinitelyimportantasawindowforChinesetoseetheworld.EnglishisthekeyforChinesetoaccesstheWesternmodernscientificandtechnologicaladvances.AndEnglishlanguagelearningisaverycomplicatedcourse,whichisaffectedbyalotoffactors,amongwhichthelearner'sownfactoristhemostdirectandmainfactor.Genderisoneoftheimportantfactors,whichmakelearnersperformdifferentlyinsecondlanguageacquisitionandforeignlanguagelearning,sothatresearchongenderdifferencesrelatedtoEnglishlanguagelearninghasattractedmoreandmoreattention.ManystudiesapprovethatEnglishlearnersaredifferentinthemotivation,strategyoflearningandviewsonstudyingbecauseofgenderdefferences.AndteachersplayaveryimportantroleinEnglishteaching,thus,theyshouldanalyzecarefullythegenderdifferenceontheabilityofidentifying,theinterestinmajor,themotivationofstudyingandthesocialcognitionandotheraspectsbetweenboysandgirls.Theyshouldn’tjustpaytheirattentiontotheregularteachingprincipleofteachingstudentsinaccordancewiththeiraptitude,andturnablindeyetothenon-intellectualfactorsofthelearners,forexample,thedifferencescausedbythedifferentgendersinlearningpsychology,learningabilityandsoon.Thisthesisanalyzesthereasonsandkindsofpsychologicaldifferencesandthedifferencesinlearningbetweenboysandgirls,thenputsforwardsomerelevantcountermeasuresforeliminatingthedifferencesinEnglishlearningbetweenboysandgirls,inthehopeofpromotingthemtomakeprogresstogetherinEnglishstudy.英语现已成为一种国际性的语言，很明显，英语成为中国人瞭望世界的一个非常重要的窗口,是他们了解西方现代科学与科技进步的钥匙。英语学习是一个非常复杂的过程，它涉及诸多因素,特别是学习者自身的因素是最直接和最主要的因素。性别是学习者在第二语言习得和英语学习中出现差异的重要因素之一，因此，针对英语语言学习中的性别差异的研究已经越来越受到重视。许多研究表明英语学习者在学习动机，策略运用，以及学习观念方面的确存在性别差异。而教师在英语教学中起着举足轻重的作用。因此在英语教学中，教师应该认真分析男女学生在认识能力、专业兴趣、学习动机、社会认知等方面的性别差异。在英语教学中不能只重视因材施教等常规教学原则，而对于客观存在的学习者自身因素即男女生因性别不同而表现出来的在学习心理、学习能力等方面的差异却熟视无睹。本文探讨了男女生心理差异的原因、男女生心理差异的种类及男女生在学习方面表现出的差异，并提出了相应的消除男女生在学习方面产生差异的各种对策，以期促进男女生在英语学习中一同前进。GenderDifferencesinEnglishLanguageLearningAmongChineseStudents1Introduction1.1SituationofEnglishlanguagelearningInthepastfewdecadessinceWorldWarII,theemergingglobaleconomyhasmadeitpossibleforEnglishtoplayanimportantroleastheworldstandardlanguage.AsweknowthatEnglishhasbecomeaninternationallanguagewhichisnowusedwidelyinmanyaspects,suchasinternationaltrade,manyimportantresearchesandimportantmeetings.Evenlearningenglishbecomesafashionalthing.Withtherapiddevelopmentofinternationaleconomy,moreforeignersbegintoinvestmoreinChinaandwanttofindhugebusinessopportunity.ThereisnodoubtthatEnglishhasbecomeveryimportantinrecentyears.Therefore,learningEnglishbecomesmoreandmorepopularandlearningEnglishwellisEnglishlearners’dream.However,itistruethatmostchinesestudentshavemanydifficultiesinlearningEnglish.Forexample,somestudentswillfinditisdifficultforthemtomemorizetheEnglishwords,andothershavetroubleinmasteringthegrammerinEnglishwhilesomemaycomplainaboutthelisteningandspeaking.Thisforceseducationalexpertstodoalotofresearchestofindthefactorsthataffectstudents’Englishlearning.Accordingtomanyresearchesdonebysomeresearchers,theyshowthattherearemanyfactorswhichaffectchinesestudents’Englishlearning,includingstudents’motivationandinterestandtheabilityoflearningEnglish,teachers’role,studyenvironment,aswellaslearningmethodsandsoon.SoeducatorscomeupwithsomenewmethodstoreformEnglishteachingatschool.Atthesametime,theyfocusondealingwiththeseproblemswhichchinesestudentsconfrontinEnglishlearningtohelpstudentslearnEnglishwell.TeachersandstudentsthemselvesarebothimportantinEnglishlearnning1.2SignificanceofthestudyAlltheabovefactorsaffecttheEnglishlearning,butoneimportantfactor,genderdifferencesthataffectstudents’Englishlearninghasbeenpaidlessattentionon.Agenderdifferenceisadistinctionofbiologicaland/orphysiologicalcharacteristicstypicallyassociatedwitheithermalesorfemalesofaspeciesingeneral.ThepreviousstudiesallshowthatboysandgirlsreallyhavedifferencesinEnglishlearning.Andmostpsychologistsholdthatgirlsaresupriortoboysintheabilityofutterence.Thispaperanalyzesthereasonsandkindsofpsychologicaldifferencesandthedifferencesinlearningbetweenboysandgirls,thenputsforwardsomerelevantcountermeasuresforeliminatingthedifferencesinEnglishlearningbetweenboysandgirls,inthehopeofpromotingthemtomakeprogresstogetherinEnglishstudy.AndimprovingthequalityofEnglishteachingandlearning.2Analysisoffactorsthathaveimpactongenderdifferences2.1PhysicalfactorsPsychologicalstudieshaveshownthatbeforepuberty,becausethespecializationoffemalecontrollingtheleftbrainhemispherewhichdealswiththemessageoflanguageformsmuchearierthanman,aroundsixyearsold,theleftbrainhemisphereoffemalehasalreadybeenmorespecializedthantherightbrainhemisphere.Whilethespecializationoftheleftbrainhemisphereofmanappearstillhearrivespuberty.Therefore,femalenotonlylearntospeakealiertwoorfourmonthsthanman,butalsotheywillspeakorallanguageoncetheytheyareabletospeakandshowmoresociality.Afterthepuberty,especiallyintheiryouth,thisfeatureismoreobviouswiththeenhancementofthepracticeinorallanguage.Butman,inthisaspect,takeslessadvantage.Hence,femalehasthegiftoflearninglanguage,certainlyincludingEnglish.Theabilityofutterenceincludesallkindsoflanguageskills,suchasvacabulary;readingcomprehension;writing;spellingandgrammerandsoon.Somestudiesindicatethatthegenderdifferencesintheskillsoflanguageandotherabilityofcognitionisgoingtobecomemoreandmoreless.Whilethemoresurveiesinrecenttimehavedrownaconclusionthatthesedifferencesdonotdisappearandexiststeadilyfordecades.(苏彦捷译,2013)Femaleisbetterthanmaninthemojoritytasksoflanguage,althoughthedifferenceisverylittle.Ininfancy,girlsshowmorelanguageadvantagethanboys.Theylearntospeakearlyandownmorevacabularyandcanspeakmorefluently.2.2PsychologicalfactorsEnglishlearningisacoursethataffectedbyintelligencefactorsandnon-intelligencefactorstogether.Duringstudying,ifallfactorsplaytheirrolesfully,theefficiencyofstudyingwillbehigh;ifonefactorisintrouble,thetheefficiencyofstudyingwillowerdown.2.2.1IntelligencefactorsInteligenceisapotentialability,whichconnectswithhuman’svariouscognition.Theresultsofpsychologicalreserchindicatesthatnaverageintelligence,thereisnosignificantdifferencebetweenboysandgirls,buttherearedifferencesintheinstructureofintelligence.Girlsarebetterthanboysinawareness,theyaresensitivetothesenseoftouchingandsmell,andarestrongerintheabilityoflistening.Largedifferencesfavoringmalesarefoundinperformanceonvisual-spatialtasks,suchasmentalrotation,andspatio-temporaltasks,forexample,trackingamovingobjectthroughspace.Siann(1977).Thus,boysarebetterthangirlsinreceivinginformationfromtheouterworld.Asforattention,girlsliketofocusonpersonandaresensitivetotheinterpersonalrelationship.So,theywillbeaffectedbyteacher’semotioneasilyandtheywillcooperateactivelyinclass.Atthesametime,boyswillbedrawattentionbyotherthingsinclass,becausetheyalwaysfixtheirattentiononobjectsandisfondofexplortheinnerstructrueoftheobject.Asforthetraitofthinking,thedifferencebetweenboysandgirlsisobvious.Boysisgoodatabstractthinking,butgirlsareapttoconcretethinking.Therefore,boyshavebettercomprehension.Andintermsofthewayofthinking,girlstendtoimitateandpayattentiontodetailsandverypartwhentheydealwithsomeproblems.Buttheydonotunderstandthewholethingandtheinterrelationshipofeachpart.Inthisregard,boysareopposite.2.2.2Non-intelligencefactors(interests、chracteristicsetc.)Non-intelligencefactorsmainlymeanthatdifferentinterestsandchracteristicsofboysandgirlswhichhaveimpactontheirEnglishlearning.Generally,boys’intereststendtocovermoreareaswhilegirlsliketofocustheirinterestsonsomeaspectsrelatedtotheiractivitieswhattheyaredoing.Ifyougotobuytoyswithachild,youwillfindthatboyisinterestedinmechanicaltoys,suchastoygun,toycarandsoon,whilethegirllikesbeautifuldolls.Aftergoingbackhome,theboywillaskyousuchquestions:“Howthetoyismade?”,“Whythetoycanmove?”,butthegirlwillputthebeautifulldollinaplacewhereshethinksitnice.Thisdifferrencereflectedinlearningisthatboysusuallylikesicencewhilegirlsisinterestedinart,forexample,Englishlearning.Additionally,differencesincharacteristicsbetweenboysandgirlscausedifferencesinEnglishlearning.Forboys,theyareindependent,carelessandtendtobeimpulsive.Onthecontrary,peoplewillimpressonthecarefulness,strongconscientiousnessofgirls.Andthesecharacteristicsofboys’arebadforlearningEnglishwhilethesecharacteristicsofgirlsarehelpfultoEnglishlearning.Intelligenceandnon-intelligencefactorsaffectEnglishlearning,andthegenderdifferencesisbondtocomeforthintheEnglishlearning.AndthefollowingpartwillanalyzegenderdifferencesintheabilityofEnglishlearning.3GenderdifferencesintheabilityofEnglishlearning3.1DifferencesonthebasicknowledgeofEnglishBasicknowledgeofEnglishmainlyinvolvesthesethreeaspects:phoneticsymbols,vacabularyandgrammer.GirlscanspeakoralEnglishmorefluentlyandmoreclearlythanboys,sotheabilityoforalimitationofgirlsisbetterthanboys.Andthesoundsutteredbygirlsappeartobemoreclearandmoreacute.DuringtheEnglishlearning,therearemanygrammeticalrules,andmorevacabulary,expressionsandidioms.AllthesemustbememorizedbyEnglishlearners,especiallyforchinesestudents.SotoomuchmemorizationisthefeatureofEnglishlearning.StudiesbyH.StumpfandRichardLynnhavedemonstratedstatisticallysignificantmedium-andshort-termmemoryadvantagesinwomen.girlsisgoodatmemorizinginflexibllywhileboysdowellinunderstandingandmemorizing.Therefore,boyshaveabiggervocabularythangirls,aswellasinthemasteringofgrammer.3.2DifferencesontheabilityoflisteningandreadingListeningandreadingareformsofinputtingoflanguage,thedevelopmentoftheabilityofliaseningandreadingishelpfulforimprovingtheabilityofoutputtingoflanguage.Listeningteststheabilityofidentifyingthesounds,analyzingthevacabularyandthededucinglogically.Theabilityofhearingofgirlsisstrongerthanboys,especiallyindistinguishingandpositioningsounds.Girlsaresensitivetosounds,andusuallyinthelisteningtestofEnglish,theycangetagoodscorethanboys.Whetheryouarefamiliarwiththebackgroundinformationrelatedtotheredingmaterials,andwhetheryouhavealargevacabularyaremainfactorsthatwillproduceinfluenceonreading.Amongthetwofactors,backgroundinformationismoreimportant.Boyshaveagoodcommandofvacabularyandgrammerandtheyaregoodatanalyzingthedifficultlanguageandhavestrongcomprehension.Additionally,boyshavevariousinterestsandarefimialiarwithbackgroundinformationofdifferentareas,whichwillbehelpfulforthemtopredicttheauthor’intentionanddecreasethedifficultyoflanguageandmakethemfinishreadingcomprehensionsuccessfully.Therefore,boysarestrongerthangirlsontheabilityofreadingcomprehension.3.3DifferencesontheabilityofspeakingHallidayonceanalyzedthelanguagefromtheviewoffunctionalgrammerandhethoughtlanguageisaformof“doing”notaformof“knowing”.Inotherwords,itisnotenoughtoownlanguageknowledge,moreimportantly,itistousethelanguage.Forlanguage,oralisthefirst.Thedifferencesoncharacteristicsbetweenboysandgirlsleadtothedifferencesonthewayofcognition.Ingeneral,boysareimpulsiveinthewayofcognition,bugirlsarecarefull.Therefore,boysdaretospeakwhattheywanttoexpressandtheypayattationtotheinfluencyoftheEnglish,astheresult,theycandeliverthelanguageinformationwell.Duetothecarefulness,girlsisinclinedtolookforpreciseoralEnglish.Thisislikelytohindertheefficiencyofmessagedelivering.Consequently,boyshaveadvantagesinsocialcommunicationofEnglish.4Teachingstrategiesondifferentgender4.1EncouragingstudentstomakethembefullofconfidenceForBritish，Englishistheirnaturallyacquiredlanguage.TheyhearEnglishallaroundthemfromthemomenttheyareborn.TheyunderstandalotofEnglishbeforetheycanevenspeak.ThisisofcoursedifferentfromthesituationwhereaChinesepersonislearningEnglishinChina.ForChinesestudents,Chineseistheirmother-tonguelanguage.Tosomeextent,duetothelackofideallanguageenvironment,itislikelyforthemtoloseconfidenceinEnglishlearning.Whateveronedoes,oneshoulddoitwithconfidence.Ifonehasnoconfidence,thereislittlepossibilitythatonecanachieveanythingwhenfacedwithhardships.Manypeopleallknowthis.Thus,ononehand,teachersshouldencourageeachstudentstobefullofconfidence.TheyfirstshoulddiscardtheideathatgirlslearnEnglishbetterthanboysandtreatboysandgirlsequally.Intheclass,teachershouldmakebothboysandgirlsfeelconfidentandmakeboysbelievethattheycanstudyEnglishverywellthroughtheireffortdespitethattheyareregardedtohavelesstalentoflearningEnglishthangirls.MakestudentsknowthattheimprovementoftheEnglishistheacourseofaccumulation,justasanoldChinesesayinggoeslikethis:athousandmiletripbeginswithonestep.Ontheotherhand,studentsmustbuidupstrongselfconfidence.Asaproverbsays,“Wherethereisawill,thereisaway.”Aslongaslearnershaveconfidence,theycanlearnEnglsihwell4.2Makingfulluseofstudents’non-intelligenceabvantagesandintelligenceabvantagesBoysisconsideredtobeinferiortogirlsinEnglishlearning,butboyshavetheirownandvantages.GirlshavemoreinterestonEnglishratherthanboys,andalsohaveahigherlaerningefficiency.Therefore,inEnglishteaching,teacherscanchoosetoencourageboystofosterstrengthsandcircumventweaknesses.Sinceboysisgoodatcomprehension,teachercanhelpthemtolearntheEnglishgrammerfirstandformaframeofgrammer.Andonthisbasis,letthemmemorizewordsandexpressionsandtypesofsetencestocultivatetheirinterestandhabitofmemorizing.Forboys,theyareeagertoprovethattheyareexcellent.Andtheyalsohopetobepraised,becausetheylikethatsuccessaftercompetingwithothers.Iftheyenjoythissmallsuccess,theywillbefullofmoreself-confidenceandsotheywillbegintobeinterestedinEnglish.So,forteachers,theyshouldprovidesomecompetitioninclass,forexample,requringstudentstellastoryaccordingtoacertainpictureandthebeststorytellerwillbegivensomerewards,orgivingprizetothestudentwhocangetmorescoresinatest.Ifaboywantstoownthejoyofsuccessandprovehisability,hemuststrenghtenthemselveincomprehensiveabilityofEnglish.Inthisway,teacheralsocanmakeboysrealizetheirvalueandmakethemlikeEnglishandthenrealizethegaolofteaching.Inclass,teachershouldencourageboystopractisetheiroralEnglishandalwayspraisetheirprogress,evenasmallprogress.Thismethodcanbringthemgreatconfidence.Somepeoplesaythatinterestisthemostactivefactorsinlearning,andhastheemotionaltendencyanditisthemostimportantfactorthatcaninspirelearningmotivationandleadstudentstostudyhard.Asforteachers,leadingstudentsbeinginterestedonEnglishisessentialinteaching.4.3UsingthemethodofcomparingwithsomeexcellentpeopletoimproveoneselfPsychologistthinkthatthebehaviorsofpeoplearedrivenbytheinnermotivationanddemandswhichmakepeoplecontroltheirbehaviorseffectively.Eachonewantstosurpassothersandbecomethebest.Mostofpeopleadmirethoseprominentpersonandconsiderthemastheirexamplesandhopetobethesameasthemthroughlearningfromthem.Inthisway,onewantstoprovideareferencestandardforhimself.Oncehesetoneashisexample,itmeansthathesetsagoalandwillstudyhardtoachiveit.Therefore,settinggoodexamplesamongstudentscanencourageotherstoimprovethemselves.Throughcomparingwiththoseexcellentstudents,theywillfindwhattheyarelackingandwhattheyshoulddotosomeextent,certainly,theywillfindtheirownfeatures.Concequently,theywillimprovethemselves.4.4DogroupworkthatmixmanandfemaleandmakethemhelpandlearnfromeachotherGrouplearningcancreateafavorableatmosphereforthestudentstodeveloptheirimaginationandcreativity.Inclass,teacherscanchoosetodividethestudentsintoseveralgroupsandaskthemtoaccomplishsometasksthroughcooperativelearning.Sincethestudentscanhavearelativelyprivatediscussionwiththeirgroupmembers,theywillfeelfreetopractisetheiroralEnglish.Theycannotonlyhelpeachothertoimproveincorrectpronunciationortorectifygrammaticalmistakesbutalsodrawoncollectivewisdomandabsorballtheusefulideas.BoysandgirlshavetheirownadvantagesinEngkishlearing.Itnothardtofindthattheycanlearnfromeachother.Dogroupworkthatmixboysandgirlscanmakethemabsorbothers’advantagestomakefordisadvantagesoftheirown.Boyscanhelpboysimprovetheabilityofreadingandcomprehension,andgirlscantellboyshowtodowellinEnglishlistening.Therefore,thecompletionofthetaskisfacilitatedandthestudents’Englishlearningefficiencyisgreatlypromotedthroughgrouplearning.Duringgroupwork,thestudentscanacquiresomenewknowledgethroughtotallyfreedivergentthinking;thustheirindependentthinkingability,imaginationandcreativitycangetintofullplay.Inaddition,whenthestudentsfinishthetasksassignedbytheteacher,theywillhaveasenseofaccomplishmentandwillsurelyexperiencethegreatpleasureofsuccess.5ConclusionItcanbesafetocometotheconclusionthatgenderdifferenceshasaimportantimpactonEnglishlearning.ThefactorsthathaveimpactongenderdifferenceincludePhysicalfactorsandPsychologicalfactors.GenderdifferenceinEnglishlearningshouldcausetheattentionofteachersandeducators.InordertolearnEnglishwellandeffectively,studentsshouldhavetotakepositiveattitudetowardslearningandteachersshouldteachinaneffectiveway.ItisgenerallyacceptedthatlearningEnglishisdifferentfromlearningothersubjectsbecauseitisaforeignlanguagewhichchinesestudentsknowlittleaboutit.Asforstudentsthemselves,theyshouldfindpropermethodtolearnEnglisheffectivelyaccordingtotheirowncondition.Althoughboysandgirlsarediferentinmanyaspects,theyhaveownadvantagesanddisadvantages.Aslongastheylearntousetheiradvantagestomakeuptheirdisadvantages,theywillsucceed.Asforteachers,theyshouldkeepagoodrelatio