Frontiers in Business, Economics and Management ISSN: 2766-824X | Vol. 16, No. 3, 2024 55 The Status Quo of the Use of Unit Introductions in Middle School Language Teaching Materials and Countermeasures Shiming Chen Graduate University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, 11000, Mongolia Abstract: The unit introduction reflects the concept of the editor of the textbook, and concentrates on the overall conception of the editor of the textbook on the design of the content of a unit. Although the length of the unit introduction is small, it is placed at the beginning of the whole unit and plays the role of an outline, which is of great significance for teachers' teaching and students' learning. The Ministry of junior high school language teaching materials put into use for a short period of time, and about the Ministry of Education unified version of junior high school language teaching materials unit introduction research is still little, this paper in the investigation of the Ministry of junior high school language teaching materials (hereinafter referred to as the “Ministry of” language teaching materials) on the basis of the current situation of the use of the unit introduction to put forward targeted countermeasures, recommendations. Keywords: Junior high school language, Teaching materials, Unit introduction, Status quo, Countermeasures. 1. Introduction Unit introduction plays an important role in teachers' teaching and students' learning. The language teaching materials of the unified version of the Ministry of Education have been put into use for several years since September 2017, but there are more studies on the preparation of teaching materials and fewer studies on their use. There are fewer specialized studies. This paper takes the element of the unit introduction as an entry point for research, makes suggestions for the use of the unit introduction, and hopes to draw the attention and attention of more users of the teaching materials to a certain extent, with a view to perfecting the preparation of the unit introduction and exploring the correct use of the unit introduction, so as to promote the benign development of the language curriculum. 2. The Current Situation of Unit Introduction in Junior High School Language Teaching Materials 2.1. Students' Lack of Comprehensive Understanding of the Unit Introduction Only a very small number of students indicated that they understood the reading aid system. In contrast, more than 90% of the students indicated that they had more or less understanding of the unit introduction, and the students' knowledge of the unit introduction was better. Such a result was expected by the author. Students, as learners, do not have specialized theoretical knowledge of language subjects, so they do not have a clear concept of the aid system. In addition, a small percentage of teachers indicated that they did not understand the reading aid system. The occurrence of teachers understanding the unit introduction but not understanding the reading aid system at all shows that some teachers did not realize that the unit introduction was part of the reading aid system and lacked an overall understanding of the reading aid system. Some teachers and students do not have sufficient knowledge of the relationship between the unit guide and the aiding system and lack awareness of the important role of the unit guide for teaching and learning. Most teachers and students understand the unit introduction, but some teachers and most students do not understand the aide system. The unit and other elements within the system together constitute the reading aid system, and the use of the reading aid system should be guided by a holistic concept, otherwise it will affect the effectiveness of the introduction. 2.2. Teachers and Students Are Inconsistent in Their Evaluation of the Unit Introduction From the survey data, most of the teachers who participated in the questionnaire survey were satisfied with the setup of the unit introduction of the Ministry of Education, but there are still some teachers who said they were “not too satisfied”, which indicates that there is a gap between the unit introduction of the Ministry of Education and the ideal unit introduction of the teachers, and that there is still a room for improvement in the unit introduction of the Ministry of Education. On the other hand, it is very likely that some teachers did not read the Ministry's version of the introduction thoroughly, did not compare it with the old version of the Hanyu Tutorial, and did not even realize that there were differences between the two versions of the introduction. It can also be inferred from this point that some teachers did not pay attention to the unit introduction. Students' evaluation of the unit introduction was not particularly positive. First of all, on the question of whether it is necessary to have a unit introduction, one-fifth of the students had an indifferent attitude, believing that unit introductions could be set up or not, and there was still a small proportion of students who thought that it was not necessary to set up unit introductions. Nearly 70% of the students were satisfied with the setting of the introduction in the Ministry of Education textbook. From another point of view, more than 30% of the students think that the unit introduction is not up to the standard of their satisfaction. This reminds us that we should pay attention to students' voices when preparing 56 teaching materials. The author deduces that this does not exclude that students are disturbed by other factors. For example, they are influenced by the way the teacher leads. If the teacher teaches the unit introduction of each unit in the same way, this situation will affect students' interest in learning, which in turn will affect students' evaluation of the unit introduction. Students' evaluation of the unit introduction may also be influenced by the idea of teaching to the test. Exam-oriented education makes students think that “scores” are the most important thing, and they only pay attention to the immediate learning skills or even the examination skills, and pay little attention to other things. 2.3. Teachers and Students do Not Use the Introductory Phrases Effectively Most of the teachers have the habit of using unit introductions. Most of the teacher’s guide their students to learn the unit guide, and 30% of them remind their students to learn the unit guide by themselves. Teachers' use of the unit guide tended to be as a lesson planning material, with more than half of the teachers having led their students through the unit guide in their classroom, and some never having used it in this way. More than 60% of the teachers never used the unit guide as a reference for teachers to check the effectiveness of their teaching after the lesson. Most of the teachers used the unit introduction in a single way, either as an introduction to the unit, by having the students read aloud together, or by having the students read on their own. In addition, the purpose of the survey is to investigate the teachers' intention to use unit introductions and their habits and tendency to use unit introductions. The most important part that most teachers emphasize is the unit theme, which may be related to teachers' teaching habits and experience. Only a minority of students never read the unit introduction, and more than 90% of the students had read the unit introduction. Some of them took the initiative to read it when reviewing, which is a pleasant phenomenon, showing that students know how to utilize the unit introduction for independent learning. 3. Reflections on the Current Situation of Using Unit Introduction in Middle School Language Teaching Materials 3.1. Students do Not Pay Attention to the Unit Introduction Most students lack a correct understanding of the important role of the unit introduction. First of all, influenced by teachers' concepts, most students think that the model textbook is the important part of the textbook, and the unit introduction is only the text material that introduces the text of the unit, and if there is no unit introduction, it will not affect the learning of the text. Secondly, it is influenced by the way teachers use it. Most teachers in the classroom use unit introduction is limited to read aloud introduction, read aloud in unison, etc., the way is relatively single. Over time, it makes students feel bored and uninterested in the unit introduction. Finally, may be influenced by the idea of examination, some students tend to pay attention to the content of the knowledge linked to the results of the unit introduction of this “irrelevant” “side material” do not care. 3.2. Teachers' Use of the Unit Introduction is Arbitrary Teachers' use of the unit introduction is arbitrary, and they do not use it according to the characteristics of the unit introduction of the junior high school textbook. Some teachers only ask students to use the unit introduction for self- study or never remind students to use the unit introduction. In addition, they use the unit introduction in a single way, usually as the introduction to a new unit or letting students read aloud together, which results in the simplification of the teaching materials, and thus the unit introduction can not play a good role in guiding learning. The reason may be related to the teaching attitude and teaching habits of some teachers. On the other hand, for experienced teachers, they sometimes teach in a thousand different ways with their own experience. In addition, the continuous abundance of electronic resources and the increasingly convenient means of lesson preparation have also made some teachers dependent, making them less and less motivated to study the teaching materials. 3.3. Challenges Posed by New Teaching Materials Before the ministry-compiled version of the textbook was put into use, the humanistic version of the textbook was put into use in 2001, a period of 15 years. It has not been a long time since the ministry compiled version of the textbook was put into use, and most experienced teachers are used to the way the old textbook was compiled, are not familiar with the new textbook, and have not studied the new textbook with all their heart. Some teachers will continue to use the requirements of the old textbook to guide students along with their years of teaching experience and teaching habits. Not only the introduction of the unit, but also many other aspects of the teaching materials have been adjusted, and these changes also reflect the “learning-based” concept of the teaching materials and the emphasis on the core language literacy of the Ministry of Education. Teachers should follow the pace of the Ministry's version of the textbook, change their teaching concepts, try to adapt to the changes in the new textbook, and use the concept of the new textbook to train students. 4. Suggestions for the Preparation and Use of the Unit Introduction of Junior High School Language Teaching Materials In view of the shortcomings of the unit introduction of the teaching materials of the Ministry of Education, we will put forward suggestions for improving the teaching materials; according to the characteristics of the unit introduction of the Ministry of Education and for the problems existing in practice, we will put forward suggestions for teachers and students in actual operation. 4.1. Suggestions on the Preparation of the Introduction of the Unit of the Language Teaching Materials of the Ministry-edited version The organizational form and language expression of the unit introduction directly affect the play of its guidance. Aiming at the shortcomings of the unit introduction of the 57 junior middle school language textbook of the Ministry's compiled edition, such as insufficient interest and inconsistency between the unit objectives and the direction of collaborative tasks, the author puts forward the suggestions of pursuing flexible and changeable expressions, selecting appropriate sentence types and integrating the unit objectives and unit writing tasks for the purpose of perfecting the writing of the textbook. 4.1.1. Pursuing Flexible and Varied Presentations A language textbook, no matter how ideological, scientific and inspirational it is, will not produce the best teaching results if it does not meet the students' psychology and does not stimulate their interest in learning. [[] Similarly, with the interesting unit introduction, can stimulate students' interest in learning. Flexible and varied language expression is the unit of the introduction of the performance of the interesting, but only the unit of the introduction of the interesting to play the guiding role of the unit of the introduction. Compared with the old version (Humanistic Version), the preparation of the introduction of the junior middle school textbook has made great progress, but as the students' “learning book”, it is difficult to stimulate students' enthusiasm for learning with a single language expression. In his paper “Research on the Evaluation of the Language Presentation of Chinese Textbook Reading Assistance System”, Meng Sheng categorized the presentation of reading assistance materials into the following ways: guiding, explaining, stating, questioning, and inspiring. The reading aid materials with guiding and advising nature, such as the unit introduction, generally adopt the guiding style of language expression. Part of the edition of the junior high school textbook unit introduction is no exception. The first paragraph focuses on the inculcation of humanistic spirit and the cultivation of values, using language full of literary color to guide students into the learning situation; the second natural paragraph on the learning method of the proposal, the same guided expression. In addition, part of the unit introduction also contains textual material introducing the content of the unit text, such as “This unit is an expository essay explaining things, involving climatology, geology, ecology and other fields, reflecting the spirit of truth-seeking, rigorous science.” [[]] The expression of this type of language material in the unit introduction has a clear purpose, does not have emotional coloring, and only lies in the clear and direct presentation of the content of the unit text, which belongs to the declarative form of expression. Both guided and declarative forms of linguistic and textual expressions are suitable for use in guided introductory materials such as unit introductions. If we want to achieve the diversity of expression, I am afraid that these two forms of expression are not enough. It is worth noting that heuristic expressions are also suitable for unit introductions. Therefore, in terms of the language expression of the unit introduction of the current edition of the Ministry of Education, the author puts forward the following suggestions: First, increase the number of inspirational language expressions, heuristic language expression refers to the ability to broaden the breadth of students' thinking and deepen the depth of thinking. It can be borrowed from the junior high school version of the American Language, which sets a quotation and aphorism related to the theme of the unit and full of philosophy before the beginning of each unit; the second is to use a combination of various expressions to arouse students' interest and dissipate their aesthetic fatigue. 4.1.2. Selecting the right type of sentence Education and psychology usually refer to the stage of 12- 16 years old as “adolescence”. At this time, students are experiencing rapid physiological and psychological development, contradictions in various aspects, and strengthening the sense of adulthood. Students at this stage have an unprecedented sense of equality and strive to be respected in all aspects. Therefore, the preparation of the unit introduction should be careful in the use of every word, every word, and strive to maximize respect for students. From the changes in the unit introduction, we can see that the introduction of the junior middle school textbook has made great efforts to create a “student-oriented” textbook, which is a great improvement compared with the old version of the textbook (Hanyu Zizhixiang). The personal pronouns in the introduction are no longer “you”, but “we” instead, which not only makes students clear that they are the masters of learning and naturally enter into the learning situation, but also allows students to feel an equal dialog with the editors and reach a spiritual resonance. Resonance. The change of personal pronouns seems to be a small change, but it actually reflects the concept of “student-oriented” in the textbook of the Ministry of Education. The interesting nature of the unit introduction is also reflected in the fact that the language expression is in line with the students' psychological development. The inadequacy of the ministry-edited version of the unit introduction is that the second natural paragraph of the unit introduction (part of the guide to learning methods), “This unit of study ......, pay attention to ......” language expression, in the tone is still a little directive. tone is still slightly directive. In the survey, it appeared that most students preferred the first paragraph of the unit introduction. This is most likely related to the way the two parts are presented and the type of sentences chosen. In terms of sentence types, besides declarative sentences, questions and exclamatory sentences can also be used in the introduction. As an example, regarding the unit of “Characters and Animals”, the beginning of the unit introduction of the Ministry of Education is expressed in this way: “Both human beings and animals are members of nature, and human beings are always faced with the problem of how to get along and coexist with animals. ...... Some of them express appreciation for animals and concern for their fate, and some show the contradictory conflicts between humans and animals.” [[]] And for the same theme, the unit introduction of the Su-Teaching Edition adopts a different type of sentence: “You must like animals very much, don't you? Animals, like human beings, are members of this earth family ...... What an amazing world!” [[]] The questioning and exclamatory sentences have strong emotional colors, which make students' eyes light up and stimulate their interest in reading the introductory materials. Junior high school students are curious and have a strong sense of problem, the unit introduction can use questioning sentences to guide students, the purpose is to enhance the vividness and diversity of the language, to stimulate students' interest in learning, to guide students to questioning, cooperation, inquiry, and to awaken students' internal motivation. Therefore, in view of the single expression of the unit introduction of the Ministry's textbook, the author believes that a combination of sentence types such as declarative sentences, interrogative sentences, exclamatory sentences, etc. can be used to enhance the interest of the unit introduction and provide possibilities for the guiding role of the unit introduction to be played. 58 4.1.3. Integration of unit objectives and unit writing tasks For a long time, the relationship between “reading” and “writing” in language teaching and the proportion of the two in teaching has become a never-ending topic. From the emergence of the arrangement of the unit grouping to date, although the grouping of the unit is constantly changing. However, “reading” has always been the “main event” in the content of the textbook unit. This kind of arrangement, which neglects the elements of language ability other than reading, affects the overall development of students' language ability. The introduction of the junior middle school textbook focuses on the cultivation of reading ability, but neglects the setting of writing objectives. The content of the unit introduction can be set up with language that inspires students to think, so that students can think about why and how to read these articles, and then inspire students to think about “what to write” and “how to write” in writing. Part of the junior high school textbook unit introduction of the existence of unit learning objectives and writing tasks in the direction of the phenomenon of inconsistency. The author believes that the writing task in the unit is subordinate to the unit, belongs to the unit of learning content, and there is an intrinsic connection with the unit selection. The learning objectives in the unit introduction should be consistent with the direction of the writing task. First, to avoid the appearance of writing training is too abrupt, and secondly, to make students in the unit of study in the skills acquired in the unit of writing to apply to the unit, in order to achieve the purpose of comprehensively improving students' language literacy. 4.2. Suggestions for Teachers' Use of the Introductions to the Units of the Ministry's Textbooks Teachers should “study the teaching materials” and “understand and use the teaching materials creatively.” [[]] Such requirements should not just lie in a document, but should be translated into every teacher's teaching. [[]] Such requirements should not just lie in words in a document, but should be turned into a guide for every teacher's action in teaching. Teaching materials can only really show their value if they are correctly recognized and then correctly used. Only when teachers and students have a scientific and clear understanding of the unit introduction, and then use it correctly, can they maximize the role of the unit introduction. The author analyzed and summarized the unit introduction of the Ministry of Education through the above, combined with the actual use of the unit introduction, respectively, for teachers and students to put forward suggestions. In order to provide some inspiration and help teachers and students to use the new teaching materials scientifically and effectively. 4.2.1. Before the Lesson: Determine the teaching objectives and key points with reference to the unit introduction. The “Humanities Theme” and the “Language Elements” as the two clues in the textbook run through the unit introduction of the whole set of textbooks. The condensed humanistic theme, refined and clear learning method guidance, and clear unit objectives in the unit introduction are necessary references for teachers to prepare lessons. Prof. Wen Rumin, editor-in-chief of the ministry-edited version of the language textbook, mentioned in “The Preparation Philosophy, Characteristics and Suggestions for Use of the Ministry- Edited Version of the Language Textbook” that in order to achieve the goal of “cultivating morality and educating people”, the socialist core values are “organically infiltrated” in the ministry-edited version of the language textbook. In order to achieve the goal of “cultivating morality and educating people”, the core socialist values are “organically infiltrated” into the textbooks. This means that the editors of the textbooks have fully embodied the core socialist values in all parts of the textbooks. Therefore, when teachers use the textbooks, they should consciously study the introductions of the units in the textbooks to avoid simplifying the handling of the textbooks to a certain extent. Teachers should fully interpret the unit introduction and refer to the learning objectives set out in the unit introduction when preparing lessons. Then the unit introduction and the preparation of the text of the text guide, side commentary, etc., to determine the teaching objectives of the lesson. In addition, pay attention to the learning method aspects in the introduction. If you are using the seventh grade textbook, teachers should also pay attention to comparing the differences between different units on the requirements of reading methods. Through comparison, it is possible to know more clearly the key points of learning in the unit, and thus it is easier to determine the key points of learning in the lesson. 4.2.2. Classroom: Establishing a sense of generation and creative use of the unit introduction Teachers use the unit introduction in a single way. In order to avoid the simplification of teaching materials, teachers should determine the way of using the unit introduction according to the characteristics of the unit introduction and the needs of teaching. Teachers can use the sentences in the unit introduction as the classroom introduction, which not only stimulates the students' enthusiasm for learning, but also directly points out the theme of the text and leads the students to the right direction of learning. Teachers usually choose to lead students to read the unit introduction together at the beginning of a new unit, and let students outline the key phrases if necessary to help them learn, these are the usual ways of using the unit introduction. In addition, teachers can explore the teaching methods of the unit introduction according to the concept of the textbook and the characteristics of the teaching content, and strive to develop new and flexible ways of using the unit introduction. The author believes that first of all, we can use the form of activity class to set the theme word for the unit. Part of the edition of the unit of the introduction did not set the theme word of the unit, some people think that this is the shortcomings of this edition of the unit of the introduction, but the author believes that this is reflecting the characteristics of the flexibility of the textbook, giving teachers an opportunity to play and space. Teachers can try to choose a suitable unit, in the completion of the entire unit of teaching and then read the unit introduction, and let the students discuss, in the classroom to express their views, set the theme word for the unit. Students in the process of discussion not only deepen the understanding of the unit's theme ideas, but also exercise to improve students' language skills. Secondly, remind students to outline the key words of the unit introduction. The unit introduction of the Ministry of Education generally includes the theme of the unit, learning methods, and the objectives of the unit. Teachers can remind students to outline the contents of these three parts, which not only makes students have a clearer understanding of the unit introduction, but more importantly, makes the learning direction of the unit clearer. 59 Third, it is used in combination with other elements of the reading aid system. The unit introduction in the textbook is closely connected with the text introduction and side comments in the unit, and teachers can use these elements in connection with each other when teaching. 4.2.3. After the Lesson: using the unit objectives in the unit introduction for teaching reflection Most teachers do not use the unit introduction for teaching reflection. In the author's opinion, the content of the unit introduction of the junior middle school language textbook of the ministry-edited version includes unit objectives, so the unit introduction should be used as a reference for teachers to reflect on teaching after class. The communication of humanistic themes and the arrangement of language elements in the unit introduction of the ministry-edited version of language teaching materials are regular. The objective of the academic period is a big goal, which often guides the direction of the whole academic period. The linguistic elements in the introduction of the unit are the refinement of the knowledge and ability requirements in the part of the “objectives of the academic period” in the standard, which is conducive to the teachers' clear perception of the objectives and directions of each unit. Therefore, the detailed and clear objectives of the unit introduction can be a valuable basis for teachers to conduct self-assessment after completing the teaching. Teachers can check whether their teaching objectives have been achieved and whether their teaching methods are appropriate, and then make adjustments according to their own teaching situation in order to achieve a higher level of teaching. 4.3. Suggestions for Students' Use of the Unit Introduction of the Ministry's Textbook 4.3.1. Comprehensively recognize the unit introduction and establish a correct view of teaching materials The results of modern psychological research show that the process of student learning is a multi-directional interaction between students and teaching materials, teachers and the environment. Students' understanding of the teaching materials will affect the effectiveness of the use of the materials. The unit introduction, which is a reflection of the editor's intention in the textbook, is something that students often ignore in their learning. Therefore, students should recognize the role of the unit introduction and set up a correct concept of the teaching materials in order to realize the value of the teaching materials. 4.3.2. Reasonable use of unit introduction to improve self-learning ability First of all, use the unit introduction for pre-study. The unit introduction of the ministry-edited version of the language has condensed unit themes, clear unit objectives and refined learning methods. When students utilize the unit introduction for previewing, they carefully read the humanistic theme part of the unit introduction, and initially think about and perceive the ideological theme of the unit text. The reading process pay attention to observe the introduction of the unit learning objectives, and try to read the text in accordance with the learning methods suggested in the unit introduction, the initial grasp of the unit learning direction. Secondly, the use of unit introduction for self-study. Students should grasp the connection between the unit introduction and the various elements of the reading aid system of the Ministry of Education textbook. Make full use of the unit introduction, the text guide, side comments and so on for self-reading lessons. In addition, the language of the unit introduction of the textbook is beautiful, which is a model of text expression and a good model for writing, so students can savor it and accumulate writing materials from it. 5. Conclusion Unit introduction plays an important role in teachers' teaching and students' learning, and is an indispensable and important part of the textbook. Front-line teachers should pay attention to the unit introduction, respect the status of the unit introduction, help students set up a correct view of the teaching material, use the unit introduction creatively, and explore more scientific and flexible ways of using the unit introduction, and students should set up a correct view of the teaching material on the basis of the reasonable use of the unit introduction to improve self-learning ability. References [1] Zhu Shaoyu. The development trend of language teaching materials [J]. Journal of Shangrao Teachers' College, 1997(02):62. [2] Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. Compulsory education textbook-language (the second book of the eighth grade) [M]. Beijing: People's Education Press, 2016:27. [3] Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. Compulsory education textbook-language (first book of seventh grade) [M]. Beijing: People's Education Press, 2016:95. [4] Hong Zongli. 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