Inquiry into Chinese Postgraduate English Teaching Objective Binli Zhao

Postgraduate teaching problems in China 1. Time-consuming and low efficiency (Cai, J. 2011; Dai, 2003; Cai, Y. 2011) Declarative knowledge Proceduralized knowledge

Postgraduate teaching problems in China 2.large classes and different English levels in one class (the number of Chinese postgraduates has grown quickly from 92,200 in 1999 to 475,000 in 2009) limited time for English lessons the passive Chinese learning style, resulting in low effectiveness in English teaching.

Postgraduate teaching problems in China 3. At postgraduate level, general English teaching is still required in the Chinese education system, which leads to a waste of time, money and intelligence ineffective teaching programs, especially for postgraduates at different English levels see no differences in the postgraduate teaching Above all, these Chinese teaching situations are contradictory to the training objective of postgraduates.

Objective of postgraduate teaching The Chinese Ministry of Education issued instructive opinions about revised postgraduate training program in 1998, which stressed the training in postgraduates ability to use English and read foreign language materials in their fields. It also advocated adopting more heuristic and seminar teaching styles and emphasising postgraduates self-study and the training of writing ability.

Empirical study 1. High school and university students questionnaire

Empirical study Note:1.interest 2. going to college 3. reciting texts, good sentences and paragraphs for writing 4. passive participants in class 5. teaching methods so-so 6. preferences for teachers explanation 7. in-class study 8. out- class study

Empirical study 2. Eight overseas Chinese postgraduates questionnaire difficult for Chinese students to read and understand academic writings expressions sometimes mislead and confuse the readers of the target language. inquiring ability and self-access language learning ability are comparatively disadvantaged

Empirical study As most overseas students bring with them linguistic, cultural, attitudinal, and academic experiences (Leki, 1992), what they actually need is help in transferring these study skills to the target language and adjusting them to a different academic environment (Jordan, 1997)

Theoretical base Constructivist theory thinks how much knowledge the learners acquire depends on the learners own ability to construct their knowledge and also suggests that learners should learn mainly by themselves under the guidance of teachers. (Jonassen, D. H. & Murphy, R. 1999)

Course setting \\\ Academic activity Academic problems Create authentic situation n Cooperative discussion Self-access learning E-learning discussion Teachers formative and summative assessment Selective course Research method Students meaningful paper construction \