A Study Of Mind Mapping Based Vocabulary Teaching In A Primary School

With the accelerating pace of globalization,the role of English learning has been highlighted.Vocabulary and vocabulary learning has always been serving as a pivotal part of English learning.It gains the importance that it deserves in the field of language teaching.However,traditional methods fail in providing such efficient learning for learners as they give too much importance to recitation and repetition and neglect the inner interest and efficiency of learner.Mind mapping was firstly proposed by Tony Buzan in 1960 s.Due to its role of demonstrating logical and hierarchical relations to further realize the visualization of conceptual representation,mind mapping has been considered as a visual and graphic tool to help learners to consider from a holistic and overall perspective and further develop radiant thinking.The experiment is carried out under the theoretical framework of Knowledge Visualization,Information Processing Theory and the Brain Science.This study aims to investigate whether mind mapping teaching mode can improve students’ vocabulary learning competence and enhance students’ interest in vocabulary learning.Ninety participants participated in the teaching experiment,coming from two classes of Grade Four of a Primary school in Shenzhen.One class randomly selected is used as the experimental group.While the other class,which includes the same number of students,is used as the control group.The two groups can be regarded as homogeneous,since all the factors concerning students’ English learning showed only slight difference before the teaching experiment.Mind mapping teaching mode being used in the teaching experiment was Five-step teaching.It includes ‘introducing the topic,brainstorming,personalizing the mind map,cooperative learning,assessment’.The teaching experiment lasted for eighteen weeks and the thesis attempts to explore the answers to these two questions:(1)Can mind mapping enhance primary school students’ interest in English vocabulary learning?(2)What effects will mind mapping have on primary school students’ vocabulary learning competence?During the teaching experiment,the experimental group received the mind mapping teaching while the control group received the traditional teaching mode.Vocabulary level tests,questionnaires and interview were applied into this empirical study and the data from two vocabulary tests are analyzed by SPSS 19.0.Excel was used to analyze the results of two questionnaires.In this process,six subjects from the experimental class were interviewed to further support the results of the experiment.Data analyses indicate that the experimental class participants achieved statistically significant and substantially higher improvement than students in the control class.Specifically the main findings are: 1)mind mapping can significantly enhance the primary school students’ interest in English vocabulary learning.On one hand,as a visual knowledge tool,mind mapping integrates elements such as nodes,graphics,lines and colors to attract students’ visual attention,which has changed the monotonousness of conventional vocabulary teaching and learning method.On the other hand,mind mapping technique enhances students’ awareness of autonomous learning,participation and cooperative learning;2)mind mapping can help students extract and reproduce more words and expand vocabulary.The results of the vocabulary test show that after a semester of experiments,the vocabulary level of the experimental class is significantly better than the control group.Based on the findings of the study,this paper puts forward the implications.Finally,the author points out the limitations of this study and puts forward some pedagogical implications on mind mapping applied to the teaching of English vocabulary.