Deep Approaches to Learning in Improving Reading Skills: A Case Study from Yunnan Agricultural University

Reading is an essential method of gaining knowledge and information for a variety of purposes including social, educational, cultural and vocational/professional. For many people, reading also involves translating information into their own language and thus adds a further dimension to the complexities of understanding the information that they read. This is the case for many university students who need to develop proficiency in reading in English for their degree qualifications. This paper reports on an a case study at Yunnan Agricultural University (YAU) that explored ways to change students' approach to learning by encouraging them to adopt a deep approach to learning in developing their reading skills in English. After a four-month training programme, a comparison of student test scores, showed that the 3P model of teaching and learning is suitable for developing the reading skills of students who are non-English majors, helping them to adopt a deep approach to learning in their reading. Through taking a deep approach to learning and changing attitudes and methods in teaching reading lecturers can effectively foster the students' reading skills and improve their achievement.