An Application Exploration of Meaningful Learning Theory in Secondary School English Grammar Teaching from a Core Competency Perspective

Abstract

In the context of ongoing English curriculum reform, secondary school English grammar teaching is increasingly expected to move beyond mechanical rule memorization to foster students’ core competencies. However, many classroom practices still emphasize form-focused instruction, which may lead to fragmented grammatical knowledge and limited language transfer ability. Grounded in Meaningful Learning Theory, this paper adopts a theoretical and practice-oriented perspective to explore how Meaningful Learning Theory may be applied to secondary school English grammar teaching under the core competency framework. Through theoretical review and problem-oriented analysis of current practices, this study suggests ineffective grammar learning may largely stem from insufficient integration between new grammatical knowledge and learners’ existing cognitive structures. On this basis, several pedagogical strategies are proposed, including activating prior knowledge, constructing meaningful learning contexts, facilitating knowledge integration, and enhancing grammar transfer. It is argued that applying Meaningful Learning Theory may enhance students’ grammatical understanding and support the holistic development of their English core competencies.