思维导图英语专业学生阅读能力有效性的研究分析

1、An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of the Mind Mapping on English Majors Reading ComprehensionA Thesis Submitted to the School of Foreign Languages Shenyang Normal UniversityIn Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of ArtsBy Wang Jingjing Under the Supervision ofAssoc

2、iate Professor Wu Jinping June 2014AcknowledgementsThere are many people who helped me in the process of my thesis writing, so I intended to show great thanks and respects to them.First of all, it is most grateful that my supervisor Ms Wu gave me so much advice and support in the process of selectin

3、g the topic and the contents of the thesis. During the completion of this thesis, Ms Wu always put forward invaluable suggestions and specific comments on my thesis.Secondly, I must give genuine thanks to all the teachers who have taught me during my postgraduate study in the field of applied lingui

4、stics. Their knowledge and lectures broadened my sight and enlightened my interest in applied linguistics.Finally, I want to express my sincere thanks to my family and my friends. Without their help and support in the process of completing the thesis, I could not finish the thesis in the end.iAbstra

5、ctReading remains a very important position among the five skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating. It is quite vital for students to become independent and efficient English readers, cultivate a good habit of reading, increase the ability of communicative competence, and bro

6、aden their insights. This thesis aims at studying the effectiveness of the Mind Mapping on English majors reading comprehension. Meanwhile, the study intends to provide a new and efficient tool for English majors in reading comprehension and for teachers in English teaching.The researcher has chosen

7、 two parallel classes of English majors in the third year of the study as subjects in the experiment, and employed the instruments of questionnaires, interview, and tests to testify the effectiveness of Mind Mapping on English majors reading comprehension. The experimental class was taught by Mind M

8、apping while the control class was taught by the traditional reading methods. From the data of tests analyzed by SPSS, the experimental class had made much more progress in reading comprehension than the control class. From the post-questionnaire and the interview, English majors showed their attitu

9、des that they were fond of using Mind Mapping and the Mind Mapping helped them enhance the reading ability.The researcher concluded that Mind Mapping had good effects on English majors reading comprehension. English majors had a deep and systematic understanding of the article, enhanced the memory o

10、f the knowledge, developed the independent thinking pattern and improved the ability of summarizing and organizing.The thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter One gave a brief introduction of the research background, stated the significance of the research, explained purpose of the study and put f

11、orward research questions. Chapter Two presented the definitionsiiof the reading and the Mind Mapping, theoretical basis of the Mind Mapping, and many researches on Mind Mapping at abroad and at home. Chapter Three gave a specific procedure and the instruments of the experiment. Chapter Four present

12、ed all the results of the experiment and according to the results, the researcher makes a discussion on the effectiveness of Mind Mapping. The last chapter summarized the major useful findings and implications for other researchers and pointed out the limitations of this study.Key words: Mind Mappin

13、g, reading comprehension, English majors, independent thinking pattern, the ability of summarizing and organizingiii摘 要在外语学习中，阅读在五种技能（听，说，读，写，译）中处于一个非常重要的地位。对于学生来说成为一名独立高效的英语阅读者是非常关键的，这能使他们养成良好的阅读习惯，增强交际能力，拓宽视野。本文目的在于研究思维导图对英语专业学生阅读理解能力的有效性，同时为英语专业学生提供一种新型有效的阅读工具，为教师提供一种有效的教学工具。本研究选择了英语专业三年级的两个平行班的学

14、生作为研究对象，利用问卷，访谈和测验的方法来证实思维导图对英语专业学生阅读理解能力的有效性。实验班利用思维导图进行教学而对照班利用传统阅读教学方法。从 SPSS 对测验的分析结果可以看出,实验班的阅读理解水平比对照班进步更大。后测问卷和访谈显示出英语专业学生喜欢运用思维导图并且通过思维导图提高了阅读能力。作者得出结论思维导图对提高英语专业学生阅读理解能力有良好的效果。在思维导图的帮助下，英语专业学生能够对文章有更深层的，更系统的了解，并且加深了对知识的记忆。学生养成了独立思考的能力并且提高了概括能力和组织能力。本文共有五章。第一章作者简单介绍了本文的研究背景，研究意义和研究目的，并且提出了研究

15、问题。第二章主要介绍了思维导图的定义，理论基础和国内外关于思维导图的重要研究。同时，介绍了阅读的定义和阅读模式及策略。第三章详细呈现了实验对象，手段及实验的具体过程和数据的分析手段。第四章呈现了实验结果并根据实验结果进行了详细的讨论。第五章对本文的主要发现和教学启示进行了总结并且指出了本研究的局限之处。关键词：思维导图；阅读理解；英语专业；独立思考模式；概括能力和组织能力ivContentsAcknowledgementsiAbstract in EnglishiiAbstract in ChineseivChapter 1Introduction11.1Background of the S

16、tudy11.2Significance of the Study31.3Purpose of the Study41.4Overall Structure of the Thesis5Chapter 2Literature review62.1Mind Mapping62.1.1Definition of Mind Mapping62.1.2Theoretical basis of Mind MappingRadiant thinkingLeft/right-brain thinkingKnowledge visualization.122.

17、1.2.4Construction theorySchema theory132.1.3The Applicable Fields of Mind Mapping142.2Reading162.2.1Definition of Reading162.2.2Main Factors Affecting English Reading182.2.3Models and Strategies of Reading222.3Previous Studies of Mind Mapping242.3.1Previous Studies Abroad24v2.3.2Previous St

18、udies at Home26Chapter 3Methodology303.1Research Questions303.2Subjects313.3Instruments313.3.1Questionnaires323.3.2Interview323.3.3Tests3Pre-test.3Post-test.333.4Procedure343.5Data Collection and Analysis40Chapter 4Results and Discussion424.1Results424.1.1Results of Questionnaires424

19、.1.2Results of Interview454.1.3Results of Pre-test464.1.4Results of Post-test474.2Discussion错误!未定义书签。4.2.1The problems of the students in reading comrehension504.2.2The Effects of the Mind Mapping towards English Majors Reading Comprehension504.2.3The Attitudes and Reflection towards Mind Mapping52C

20、hapter 5Conclusion555.1Major Findings and Implications55vi5.2Limitations of the Study565.3Suggestions for Further Researches57References59Appendix A64Appendix B66Appendix C68Appendix D69Appendix E76Appendix F77Appendix G78viiChapter 1IntroductionIn this Chapter, the researcher would present a brief

21、introduction of the background of the study, give out the reasons why the researcher would chose this topic and demonstrate the significance of the study and make a general statement of the structure of the thesis.1.1Background of the StudyThroughout the world educational focuses, no matter in theor

22、y or in practice, the study on reading is always paid attention by language educators. In terms of foreign language study, there are five skills that students need to grasp. They are the skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating. However, reading remains a very important positi

23、on among the five skills. Pang et al (2003) states thatlearning to read is an important educational goal. For both children and adults, the ability to read opens up new worlds and opportunities. It enables them to gain new knowledge, enjoy literature, and do everyday things that are part and parcel

24、of modern life, such as, reading the newspapers, job listings, instruction manuals, maps and so on. Reading is an essential and vital part for evaluating the language proficiency. In the Test for English Majors Grade 8, reading occupies a large proportion of the total scores, which is about 20 perce

25、nt. As a matter of fact, reading is the foundation for the learners to check themselves whether they have grasped language knowledge and put the knowledge into practice. It is a comprehensive skill for testing students language ability, which can identify whether language learners grasp English gram

26、mar, the amount of words and expressions, and the ability of comprehension and grasp of a wide range of knowledge. So it is very important and inevitable for students to1become independent and efficient English readers. And they need to develop a good habit of reading and increase the ability of com

27、municative competence and broaden the insights of them. Thus in the future reading, students can deepen and widen the contents of the reading materials and get more information and social knowledge by themselves, which finally helps students reach the goal of constructing their comprehensive abiliti

28、es.In China, students learn English reading by means of top-down model orbottom-up model and interactive model. As for the Advanced English class, the texts and the extra knowledge are exuberant and English majors could not grasp all the knowledge clearly and systematically by the traditional ways.

29、Therefore, more and more English majors tend to dislike this intensive reading class. So the current situation mentioned above indicates that it is the important and urgent for the scholars and the researcher in educational filed to reform English reading teaching. What really the researchers need t

30、o pay attention to is that they should deeply think how to change this situation, to arouse students interests in reading, and to reach the goal of reading actively and independently with much enthusiasm.In reality, Mind Mapping is not only an efficient way for students to give a hand in the process

31、 of analyzing their Advanced English reading texts, but also a new tool for teachers to enhance the educational effects. Mind mapping, put forward by the physiologist Tony Buzan in 1971, is a kind of tools as making use of mapping and association to visualize a radiant thinking. Based on the coopera

32、tion of left and right brains through images, colors and symbols, Mind Mapping could come to the effects of enhancing peoples understanding, boosting peoples memory, and improving spatial intelligence and creative thinking.Radiant thinking is a kind of natural thinking patterns in human beings brain

33、,2so mind mapping is one way to use maps and words to express the details of our natural thinking in the brain. Mind mapping has been applied into many different areas in many countries in recent years. It has been used in the areas of education, engineering, and psychology to gain insight on comple

34、x subjects. And also Mind Mapping could be treated as a tool of note taking and having a brainstorming individually for the students in learning. It can be used for many groups to have a planning for the work, and solving the problems in the work and presenting information to others in the meeting u

35、nder the help of the maps. Through the characteristics of visualization of Mind Mapping, people could memorize things easily and directly.1.2Significance of the StudyThis research intends to provide a new and efficient tool for both the English majors and teachers in Advanced English reading and ide

36、ntify whether the Mind Mapping has effects on English majors reading comprehension. In terms of the English majors, the purpose of the research is to improve the reading ability of the English majors and to help them develop a habit of divergent thinking with creativity, and spatial intelligence whi

37、ch is beneficial for the students in reading. Meanwhile the researcher aims at arousing students interests in reading so that students learn and read actively in reading by means of using the method of Mind Mapping. For the teachers sake, this research tries to bring in an effective teaching method

38、to the teachers and create a learning environment under dynamic and interactive atmosphere with the help of Mind Mapping in Advanced English teaching.Moreover, this research can add more practice of application of Mind Mapping in English reading in China. This research selected the English majors in

39、 the higher3grade as the subjects. Few researchers have ever applied the Mind Mapping into the English majors Advanced English reading class. Mind Mapping has been applied into diverse areas in many countries. It has been used in personal affairs, education, business and medicine and so on. What is

40、worth mentioning is that Mind Mapping has been applied into the reform of primary and secondary school in counties like Korea, Japan, Germany, and America and so on. Britain has brought Mind Mapping into the compulsory courses in primary and secondary school. Meanwhile, there is evidence that studen

41、ts in Cambridge University and Oxford University got good achievements by means of Mind Mapping in a short period. In Business, Mind Mapping has got many great responses from many well-known international enterprises such as IBM, Britain Oil, Britain Telecom, Poeing Company and so on. All these comp

42、anies uses the Mind Mapping to train the staff, engage in the management of products quality, and plan for the company and so on.1.3Purpose of the StudyThe thesis is to study the effectiveness of the Mind Mapping on English majors reading comprehension. Through the introduction of Mind Mapping in li

43、terature, the implementation phase of Mind Mapping in Advanced English class, the methodology in detail, the results and discussion after the experiment, the researcher tries to figure out the answers of the following research questions:1. What problems do the English majors have in reading comprehe

44、nsion?2. What is the effectiveness of the Mind Mapping on English majors reading comprehension?3. What are the attitudes and reflection of English majors towards Mind Mapping?41.4Overall Structure of the ThesisThere are five chapters in the thesis. In Chapter One, it gives us a general introduction

45、of the research background, stated the significance of the research, explains purpose of the study and put forward research questions. In Chapter Two, the researcher presents the definitions of the reading and the Mind Mapping, theoretical basis of the Mind Mapping, and many researches on Mind Mappi

46、ng at abroad and at home. In Chapter three, it gives a specific design process and the instruments the researcher intends to apply. In Chapter Four, it presents all the results of the experiment and according to the results, the researcher makes a discussion on the effectiveness of Mind Mapping. In

47、Chapter Five, it comes to the conclusion part. The researcher summarizes important and useful findings and implications for the learners in reading and points out limitations of the study and gives out some suggestions for further study.5Chapter 2Literature reviewMind Mapping is a new tool for stude

48、nts to learn in education. In this chapter, the researcher showed a specific introduction of the Mind Mapping in the aspects of definition, theoretical basis and the previous study abroad and at home. In terms of reading, the researcher explained the definition and major factors affecting reading an

49、d models of reading.2.1 Mind MappingMind Mapping is created by the famous psychologist Tony Buzan who has contributed a lot to many scholars study of the application of Mind Mapping in many fields. The definition and the theoretical basis of Mind Mapping were introduced in the following part. Many r

50、esearchers had studied the Mind Mapping in many fields.2.1.1 Definition of Mind MappingMind mapping was created by the well-known psychologist Tony Buzan who was born in London in 1942 and got several bachelors degrees including the disciplines of psychology, English linguistics, mathematics and ord

51、inary science. Tony Buzan was writer and lecturer on the study of the human brain, learning and thinking skills on the top of the world. Once he stepped into the library as a sophomore, he asked where he could find a book talking about human brain and how to use our brain. To his surprise, there was

52、 no such a book. So he began to realize that, with the increasing reading amount of the academic books, people were required to improve the abilities of thinking, creativity, memory, solving problems, analyzing and writing. Therefore, he began to read many books such as psychology, neurophysiology a

53、nd relative science. He found that if every cell of human brain and6all kinds of brain techniques could be made the most of harmoniously and skillfully all together, higher efficiency of the human mind could be obtained in the end. It is widely announced that more than 250 million people utilized Mi

54、nd Mapping worldwide in different areas. Different researchers got different explanations about the definition of Mind Mapping in different ways.Mind Mapping is an expression of Radiant Thinking and is therefore a natural function of the human mind. Mind Mapping is a powerful graphic technique which

55、 provides a universal key to unlocking the potential of the brain. The Mind Map can be applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance. (Buzan, 1993, pp. 59-60). Mind Mapping has four essential characteristics: The subject of attention is c

56、rystallized in a central image; The main themes of the subject radiate from the central image as branches; Branches comprise a key image or key word printed on an associated line, topics of lesser importance are also represented as branches attached to higher level branches; The branches form a conn

57、ected nodal structure (Buzan, 1993, pp. 59-60).After Buzans invention, many researchers applied Mind Mapping into various areas and developed their own views on the definition of Mind Mapping. Actually, scholars abroad discussed it earlier than those at home.Farrand (2002) defines Mind Mapping as a study technique in which information from a variety of sources is converted into a diagrammatic representati