本文是一篇英语论文，本研究设计了适合研究武汉市近五年中考英语阅读理解测试特征的分析框架，从语篇输入特征和预期回答特征这两个维度对所选试卷的命题特点进行研究，主要涉及到文本的呈现形式、体裁、题材、长度、以及所考查的阅读技能。
Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Research
The Senior High School Entrance Examination(SHSEE)is a highly significantassessment that evaluates the outcomes of students’nine-year compulsory education.As anevaluative tool,it exerts a profound backwash effect on English instruction in junior highschool,thus emphasizing the importance of ensuring the examination’s quality and validityfor effective teaching.Furthermore,the analysis of examination papers holds far-reachingimplications for educational reform and development.
Reading comprehension tests hold significant weight in various English-relatedexaminations.They play a pivotal role in assessing students’comprehensive languageapplication abilities.Reading comprehension not only constitutes a fundamental aspect ofthese assessments but also effectively evaluates students’competence to comprehend andapply language in context.In the process of learning a foreign language,reading serves as avital tool for acquiring linguistic knowledge and cultural understanding and it is a keycomponent of English instruction in junior high school classrooms.Reading competence isessential for all foreign language learners and represents a fundamental aspect of Englishteaching and learning.The English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education(2022Edition)has already outlined specific requirements for students in grades 7-9 regardingreading skills.For instance,students are expected to comprehend simple,thematicallyrelevant short texts,extract and summarize key information,and understand implicitmeanings.However,in actual learning scenarios,teachers and students often overlook theteaching and practice of these aspects and the cultivation of related reading strategies.Instead,more emphasis is placed on students’accuracy in reading tests,with more time and energyinvested in rote learning and practicing test-taking strategies.
1.2 Purpose of the Research
The present study is designed to analyze the English reading comprehension test tasksin Wuhan High School Entrance Examinations from 2019 to 2023.Based on the requirementsfor English reading comprehension outlined in the English Curriculum Standards forCompulsory Education(2022 Edition)and referring to the framework of test taskcharacteristics proposed by Bachman and Palmer in 1996,the task characteristics of readingcomprehension tests over the past five years are analyzed from the characteristics of discourseinput and expected response.To be specific,the tasks are studied from multiple dimensionsincluding genre,topic,length,form of presentation and expected response for the purpose ofcompensating for the limitations of the existing research on the English reading test,andstriving to make the evaluation of the quality of the test tasks more scientific and systematic.At the same time,based on the students’performance in the reading test,the current level oftheir reading competence is analyzed,and some recommendations are proposed for enhancingEnglish teaching,learning and English reading tests in the High School Entrance Examination.This research aligns with the requirements about reading in the English Curriculum Standardsfor Compulsory Education(2022 Edition)and adopts the framework of task characteristics proposed by Bachman and Palmer in 1996.
Chapter 2 Literature Review
2.1 Research on English Reading Comprehension Tests at Homeand Abroad
The author conducted a thorough review of literature concerning English readingcomprehension tests in recent years,both domestically and abroad.The following was asummary of the findings.
2.1.1 Research on English Reading Comprehension Tests at Home
As regards the task types,most scholars advocated for the incorporation of diverse tasktypes in tests.For instance,Bai(2021),drawing from Task-based Language Testing theoryand Language Testing Communicative theory,systematically examined the readingcomprehension section of the past five years’English proficiency exams in higher educationand proposed recommendations for task design.Regarding task types,it was suggested thattest formats included both subjective and objective tasks.Subjective tasks served the dualpurposes of assessing comprehension and evaluating students’writing skills,thus warrantinga focus on assessing language production competence.By comparing subjective and objectivetasks,Kong(2020)investigated test takers’performance difference in multiple-choice andshort-answer tasks.The study revealed that while different task types did not significantlyaffect test takers’task processes and text processing directions,they did influence textprocessing methods to some extent.Therefore,it was recommended that comprehensivereading tests combined various task types to allow test takers to utilize diverse reading skillsand strategies.
2.2 Research on English Reading Competence at Home andAbroad
By searching the literature related to English reading competence at home and abroad,itwas found that the research on English reading competence mainly included the connotationof reading competence,the relevant factors affecting the development of reading competence,and the cultivation and improvement of reading competence.
2.2.1 Research on the Connotation of English Reading Competence
Reading competence includes the requisite skills for effective reading,with itsinterpretation varying based on different research perspectives on reading.As thecomprehension of reading continues to evolve,there is no consensus in the academiccommunity on the definition of reading competence.Therefore,based on different researchperspectives,domestic and foreign scholars have different definitions of foreign languagereading competence.
Foreign scholars started their research on reading competence earlier and analyzed thecomponents of reading competence more comprehensively.Rumelhart(1994)defined readingcompetence from the perspective of reading process,and he believed that reading competencecould be regarded as the communication between the readers’visual organ and the brainschema.Alderson(2000),from the psychological point of view,believed that readingcompetence was the psychological and behavioral characteristics that readers exhibited whilereading different materials.Nuttall(2002),from the perspective of reading performance,suggested that reading competence generally referred to the“explicit”competence that couldbe assessed through tests.
Chapter 3 Theoretical Framework.........................................21
3.1 Bachman and Palmer’s(1996)Framework of Task Characteristics..................21
3.2 English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education(2022 Edition)................24
Chapter 4 Research Design....................................29
4.1 Research Questions...........................................29
4.2 Research Subjects................................30
4.3 Research Methods...........................................30
Chapter 5 Results and Discussion.........................35
5.1 Results and Discussion of Task Characteristics of Reading Tests............................35
5.1.1 Characteristics of the Discourse Input.....................................35
5.1.2 Characteristics of the Expected Response...................................45
Chapter 5 Results and Discussion
5.1 Results and Discussion of Task Characteristics of ReadingTests
The task characteristics of the reading comprehension tests in 2019-2023 Senior HighSchool Entrance Examination in Wuhan were analyzed from two perspectives:discourse inputand expected response.The characteristics of input mainly included the genre,topic,lengthand presentation form of the texts and the characteristics of expected response mainlyincluded the assessed reading skills.
5.1.1 Characteristics of the Discourse Input
According to Bachman and Palmer(1996),the input refers to the form and content ofreading materials.The materials of the English reading tests often come in various forms,including linguistic formats as well as non-linguistic formats such as charts and illustrations.The length of the materials also holds significance in the perspective of form.Furthermore,the topic and genre of the reading test represent crucial aspects worthy of consideration.Therefore,combined with the curriculum standards,this section provided a comprehensiveanalysis of the discourse input characteristics,with a specific focus on the genre,topic,length,and presentation format of the texts.
Chapter 6 Conclusion
6.1 Major Findings of the Research
Based on the framework of task characteristics developed by Bachman and Palmer(1996),this study was designed to explore the characteristics of English readingcomprehension tasks in Wuhan Senior High School examination over the past five years fromthe perspectives of discourse input and the expected response.Specifically,four key aspectsfrom the discourse input dimension were analyzed:genre,topic,length of reading materials,and presentation form.The reading skills of expected response dimension were also primarilyinvestigated in the tests.Additionally,student’scores in the reading tests were collected foranalysis and discussion.The analysis of students’reading competence mainly focused on theirmastery of different reading skills as well as their test performance in passage reading ofvarious genres.
First and foremost,in terms of the discourse input,the genres of reading material werediscussed.The English reading tests conducted in the past five years included three types ofgenre,expository writing,applied writing,and narrative writing.Notably,narrative writingconstituted the largest proportion,followed by applied writing and expository writing;however,argumentative writing was absent during this period.With respect to the topic,the15 reading comprehension articles covered a wide range of topics,including a total of 12different topics aligned with the curriculum standards.Furthermore,these articles exploreddiverse topics that were closely intertwined with students’daily life and study.Additionally,there was a well-balanced distribution of topics,facilitating a comprehensive and objectiveassessment of students’reading competence.In terms of the length of reading materials,Passage A had an average of approximately 157 words,whereas Article B averaged around250 words and Article C averaged about 342 words.
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