Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Reasons for the Present Study
The requirements of college English curriculum are one of the important reasons forthe author to choose this topic for the thesis. According to the latest College EnglishCurriculum Requirement^ the goal of college English teaching is to enhance the ability ofstudents' autonomous learning and lifelong learning. It indicates that students shouldmaster the strategies that can boost the awareness of autonomous learning. Andcultivating skills of students' self-questioning help students pose their questions so thatthey can become independent in the process of learning. At the same time, if somestudents pose some questions, they will enjoy more delight from the process of findingquestions. It is helpful to stimulate them to find solutions actively and increase theirlearning interest. And in this way, it will not only enhance the consciousness of students'autonomous learning，but also increase their classroom participation, and then enhanceteaching effect. The existing problems in the field of questioning in class motivate the author to domore researches on students' self-questioning behaviors. As is known to all, questioning isan important tool for class interaction. Dillon (1999) shows that more than 70% of theclass time is utilized for answering teachers' questions and that the practice of questioninghas hardly changed.
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1.2 Purpose of the Study
On the basis of the previous studies, the study adopts the methods of questionnaireand interview to explore students' self-questioning behaviors in—college English class. Thecollected data will be analyzed by the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS,versionl7.0) in hope to explore the current situation of students' self-questioning incollege English class. This thesis intends to answer the following questions.
(1) What is the overall situation of students' self-questioning in college Englishclass ？
(2) What factors can influence students' self-questioning in college English Class?
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Chapter 2 Literature Review
2.1 Definition and Classification of Students' Self-questioning in Class
A clear definition of students' self-questioning in class will give us a clear picture ofwhat students' self-questioning behavior is. The classification of students' self-questioningwill help us comprehend this topic in depth. So the definitions and classification ofstudents' self-questioning in class are described in the following part. Although studies on questioning in class have been done for centuries, there is noagreement about the definition of students' self-questioning in class. Different scholarshave different viewpoints. Table 2-1 lists several definitions made by some influentialscholars in this field. To sum up, although there are different viewpoints on the definition of students*self-questioning, it is clear thai some common characteristics are found from these studies.Firstly, students' self-questioning is a conscious behavior. Secondly, the level of students*self-questioning is determined by their current knowledge and previous experience.Thirdly, students' self-questioning aims to solve their cognitive contradiction. In theauthor's opinion, students* self-questioning can be defined as a students' consciousbehavior that is used to solve problems.
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2.2 Theoretical Foundation
The theoretical foundation of the thesis involves constructivism theory and Krashcn'Input Hypothesis. The detailed information will be discussed in the following pari. Constructivism is one kind of the cognitive psychology concerning the human mindand learning. The most influential scholar in constructivism is Piaget. He pays attention tothe nature of learning process. His cognitive developmental theory is the theoreticalfoundation of constructivism. In his theory, he indicates that cognitive development is aprocess of maturation within genetics and experience interact, and the main assumption ofconstructivism is that individuals are actively involved from birth in constructing personalmeaning, which is their own personal understanding from their experiences. In otherwords, students are mainly responsible for their own learning in constructivist learningtheory. Students can leam something from their own experience and current knowledge.To some extent, whether a student can pose question or not is determined by their currentknowledge. Therefore, students' questioning can be considered as a process ofconstructivism.
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Chapter 3 Research Design....... 14
3.1 Research Questions....... 14
3.2 Subjects .......14
3.3 Instruments....... 1 5
3.4 Data Collection .......17
3.5 Data Analysis 17Chapter 4 Results and Discussions .......18
4.1 Overall Situation of Students' Self-questioning in College English Class....... 18
4.2 Classroom Observation .......31
4.3 Factors Influencing Students' Self-questioning in College English Class....... 32
Chapter 5 Implications.......40
5.1 Implications for Students....... 40
5.2 Implications for Teachers....... 42
5.3 Implications for School Management .......45
Chapter 5 Implications
5.1 Implications for Students
Forming corrcct English learning belief can motivate the awareness of students'self-questioning in college English class. According to data of Table 4-2, some studentsthink that questioning is teachers' business in class. Obviously，they think that teachersshould be performers of questioning in class. However, According to humanism, studentsshould play a dominate role in learning. Students should assert that teachers are not theabsolute authority. Students themselves are responsible for their English learning. Thesethoughts will enhance stuuenls' classroom participation and make students understandtexts clearly and deeply. Therefore，students should be encouraged to challenge teachers'authority and put forward questions zealously. Changing thinking-set can activate students' thoughts. Rigid thinking occurs whenan individual is unable to consider alternatively the current situation, or have noinnovative solutions to a problem. The rigid thinkers' viewpoints always depend on their-activities，beliefs or things that happened before.
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Conclusion
The primary purpose of the study is to investigate the overall situation of students’self-qiiestioning in college English class, and explore the factors affecting students'self-questioning. In this study, both quantitative study and qualitative study are adopted.The author gets the data from the responses to Students' Self-questioning in CollegeEnglish Class Questionnaire. 142 non-English major undergraduates from GuangxiNormal University participate in the study. Besides, an interview for teachers has beendone. Four English teachers are chosen from the investigated classes. From the foregoinginvestigation and analysis, the two research questions proposed at the beginning of thispaper can be answered and major findings are illustrated as follows:The first research question answers the overall situation of students’ self-questioningin college English class. Generally speaking, the ability of students' self-questioning staysat a relatively low level. To be specific, in terms of awareness of students' self-questioning,consciousness of students' self-questioning is clear and strong. With regard to the quantityof questioning, students pose few questions in class. In the aspect of types of students*self-questioning, the four categories types are involved, but meaning of key words andanalysis of key sentences are preference for students.
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Reference (omitted)