英语词汇联想的词汇教学启示

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摘要：如何学好英语一直是一个为社会所热议且复杂的问题。在英语学习中，词汇学习非常重要，尤其是对把英语作为外语的学习者（以下简称EFL）。由于准确得吸收掌握更多的英语单词对于英语学习者来说并不容易，词汇联想作为提高单词记忆和理解的策略和方法逐渐被推崇。在笔者看来，从初中开始，很多学生的英语水平开始拉大。也是因为从初中开始，对于学生英语词汇要求和难度有所增加，真正的英语学习是从初中正式拉开序幕。然而，虽然目前有关英语词汇联想对于教学的研究不少，但是针对初中英语教学的词汇联想并不多。本文旨在探讨词汇联想及其对初中英语词汇教学的启示。通过对文献的查阅和整理后，笔者对收集到的有关词汇联想的信息进行了一些相应的分析。基于这一背景以及相关研究的指引下，笔者针对以下几个问题在四周时间内完成一个实验：

（1）通过词汇联想的词汇教学是否可以帮助初中学生建立正确的认知结构，引导他们分析和总结英语词汇的规则，从而更好得记忆单词？

（2）通过词汇联想的词汇教学是否可以帮助初中学生扩大他们的英语词汇量？

（3）通过词汇联想的词汇教学，是否可以实现提高学生的英语词汇兴趣，并丰富初中英语课堂的词汇教学的目标？

实验中，安吉路实验学校初一的两个班级67名学生被作为被试，他们的英语老师是教学的实践者。其中，三班的学生作为实验组，二班的学生作为对照组。实验前，通过问卷的形式对他们做了前测调查，了解学生的词汇学习以及对词汇联想的认识等基本情况。在实验过程中，对于实验组的学生，老师采用词汇联想的方法对他们进行词汇教学；而对于对照组的学生，老师沿用传统的词汇教学方式进行词汇教学。实验后，根据从问卷以及测试所收集的统计数据和情况来看，实验组的学生在英语词汇学习上比对照组取得了更大的进步。 而总体而言，它也通过证明以上三个问题，说明词汇联想是可以在初中英语词汇教学中被采纳并有可能帮助初中学生更好学习英语词汇。  

关键词：词汇联想；初中英语；词汇教学

 

Abstract：How to learn English well has always been a hot issue and even a complication in our society. Vocabulary is of great importance in English learning, especially for English as Foreign Language learners (hereinafter as EFL). Since acquiring more English words accurately is not easy for English learners, word association is gradually recommended to improve words memory and understanding. In the author’s opinion, the disparity of different students’ English level starts at the beginning of junior English learning. However, there are few researches focus on the word association in junior high school, even if numerous studies about word association strategies have been done. This thesis aims to explore word association and its enlightenment in junior English vocabulary teaching. After a thorough literature review, the author collects information of word association and conducts some analyses accordingly. And based on the background and information from some literature, the author made an experiment for four weeks as the following questions:

(1)Can teaching by the means of word association help junior students to build correct cognitive structure, guide them to analyze and conclude the rules of vocabulary?

(2)Can teaching by the means of word association help junior students to enlarge their vocabulary?

(3)Can the aims of increasing students’ interests in English vocabulary learning and enriching vocabulary teaching in junior English classes be achieved with the help of the means of word association in vocabulary teaching?

In this experiment, 67 students of two classes in An Jilu Experimental School are chosen to be the participants, and their English teacher is the practitioner. They are divided into experimental group (class 3) and control group (class 2). Before the experiment, the pretest was made with questionnaire, which indicated the basic information of students’ vocabulary learning and their understanding of word association. During the process, students in experimental group is taught new English words by the means of word association, but students in control group is taught by the traditional teaching way. And after the experiment, according to the data and statistics collected from questionnaires and tests, it presented that students in experimental group made greater progress in English vocabulary learning than students in control group. To sum up, it proved the three questions, which means it is possible that junior English vocabulary teaching by means of word association may help students’ English vocabulary learning.

Key words: word association; Junior English; vocabulary teaching

 

Contents

 

1. Introduction-1

1.1 The Background of the Research-1

1.2 The Purpose of the Research-2

1.3 The Structure of the Research-2

2. Literature Review-4

2.1 Vocabulary Teaching in Junior High School-4

2.1.1 The Status of Junior English Vocabulary Teaching-4

2.1.2 The Problems of Junior English Vocabulary Teaching-5

2.2 Word Association-6

2.2.1 Implication of Word Association-6

2.2.2 Classification of Words Association-9

2.2.3 Related Research on Word Associative Methods-13

3. Methodology-15

3.1 Subjects-15

3.2 Research Instruments-16

3.3 Research Procedure-17

4. Results and Discussions-19

4.1 Results-19

4.1.1 The Results and Analysis of Questionnaires-19

4.1.2 The Results and Analysis of Tests-24

4.2 Discussion-25

5. Conclusions-27

5.1 Major Finding-27

5.2 Inspirations From the Research-27

5.3 Limitation of the Research-28

Reference-29

 

Through two months English teaching in a junior high school, the author found a pervasive problem of most students in the junior high school, that is, they have difficulties in English vocabulary learning, and they do not like being asked to copy English words by teachers but without great effects on memorizing vocabulary. It really calls up the author to focus on the problem, and by rethinking the English learning procedure the author herself experienced, the problem seem never disappeared in so many years. Teachers’ traditional vocabulary teaching method is so boring that even junior students can also teach themselves in that way, and the homework is also constant style of coping and dictation. 

However, it is obvious that English study is essential with the development of globalization. So learning English well can help you have more chances to connect with people from all around the world. Vocabulary is of great importance in language learning, especially for English as a foreign language (EFL)learners. The development of a rich vocabulary is an essential element in acquisition of second language (Nunan, 1991: 118). To acquire more English words as many as possible and enrich lexical size is an expectation and requirement for almost all English language learners. If there is no word, nothing can be conveyed (Welkins, 1972). What’s more, there are quantities of studies illustrating that a large lexicon can promote learners’ writing and reading abilities. The perspective that vocabulary should be put at the center of language teaching is advocated by many educators (Lewis, 1993). Thus, English vocabulary teaching should play important role in English teaching and students’ English learning. Meanwhile, in the author’s opinion, studying in junior high school should be the first period that students truly start English vocabulary comprehensively, so junior English vocabulary teaching should be noticed. 

How it is possible to help EFL learners acquire vocabulary in the aspect of junior English vocabulary teaching is a profound problem which should be under careful consideration. Last year, since the curriculum of lexicology, the author had interests in word association. And by reading and researching some theories and studies, the author concerns that English word association is possibly a language teaching and strategy that has an important role in dealing with this problem. Word association makes students focus on one concept firstly, then think about other relevant concepts, and gradually grow them to own an association field for analyzing the collections among the words, and finally give them a great command of vocabulary. In this way, it improves learner’s long-term memory and helps them remember vocabulary more quickly and accurately. 

Therefore, will word association enlighten English vocabulary teaching in junior high school? In this thesis, the author takes students in grade seven as the participants to do the experiment, and tries to explore word association and its enlightenment in junior English vocabulary teaching.