2.2 Previous Domestic Researches on Mind Mapping 3

3. Mind Mapping and Mind Mapping in English Reading 4

3.1 Definition of Mind Mapping 4

3.2 Reading 4

3.3 Mind Mapping in English Reading 5

4. Research Design 7

4.1 Research Hypotheses 7

4.2 Approaches 8

4.2.1 Questionnaire 8

4.2.2 Test 8

4.2.3 Interview 8

4.3 Procedure 9

4.3.1 Before the Class 9

4.3.2 During the Class 9

4.3.2 After the Class 9

5. Conclusion 10

5.1 Results and Analysis 10

5.1.1 Results and Analysis of the Interview for Students 10

5.1.2 Results and Analysis of the Questionnaire 10

5.1.3 Results and Analysis of the Pretest and Posttest Reading Comprehension 11

5.2 Major Findings 11

5.3 Limitations of the Research 11

5.4 Suggestions for Future Research 11

References 12

1. Introduction

1.1 Researches Background

Reading occupies an important part in the English language learning for junior middle school students. It is a major method for getting information and also one of the main tasks of learning English. There are a great number of benefits of reading. The U.S. Department of Education (2005) maintains that reading promotes better skills acquisition, superior grades, and a desirable life, as measured by income, profession, employment, and other attributes. Only when students love reading and master the pith of reading can they learn English better and easier. What’s more, reading ability has been taken as an important criterion for evaluating the language proficiency. In addition to the reading comprehension, students have to read the whole test paper and instructions of other parts. In this regard, it is especially crucial for students to develop their reading abilities.

However, reading class in China is not satisfactory. First and foremost, teachers pay so much attention to language points that reading materials are just taken as bridges for students to learn pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. In this regard, students may not be able to understand the value and importance of reading. Secondly, reading skills are neglected in the reading class. As is mentioned above, reading is regarded as an activity to learn language points. In this case, students lack the understanding of the passage as a whole. They can’t distinguish what is important and what is interferential. To put it in another way, their understandings are remained at the surface level without deep exploration. Thirdly, reading materials are always restricted in the textbooks, with students hardly reading what they are interested in and finally lose interest in English reading or even in English learning. What makes it worse is that their scores are taken as the only criterion for evaluating their reading ability, which makes the students pay too much attention to the words, phrases, sentences and grammar. Students are passive in and out of class without developing their reading interests, reading curiosity and reading strategies.