The Integration Of Implicit And Explicit Vocabulary Teaching For Non-English Major Undergraduates

Vocabulary plays a fundamental and paramount role in English which makes vocabulary teaching being recognized as an indispensable part embodied in teaching listening, speaking, reading and writing. As to the vocabulary teaching, there exist two main representative methods: implicit vocabulary teaching and explicit vocabulary teaching. Nagy (2002) advocates implicit teaching of vocabulary from context, which means the teaching of whole context comes more important than the instruction of sole vocabulary, while Sokmen (2002) claims that vocabulary should deserve explicit teaching, which requires that teachers should be endeavoring to elaborate on vocabulary for learners. However, while facing the practical classroom implementation of vocabulary teaching for non-English major undergraduates, many teachers feel confused and do not carry out the two main vocabulary teaching methods appropriately. It is an everlasting phenomenon that teachers either overlook vocabulary teaching or direct all attention on it, which arouses a lack of balance between vocabulary teaching and other teaching activities. Thus, learners gradually develop unbalanced ability in aspects of receptive vocabulary knowledge and productive vocabulary knowledge, which finally results in their incompetence in learning vocabulary and English. As both implicit vocabulary teaching and explicit vocabulary teaching have advantages and drawbacks, based on the practical situation of vocabulary teaching in non-English majors and the serious problems it caused, this paper is contriving to find out a more suitable way peculiar to them by integrating implicit and explicit vocabulary teaching effectively. It will firstly clarify the concept of vocabulary by advocating Lewis's perspective of teaching lexical items and give certain dimensions to vocabulary knowledge through analyzing and summarizing several representative categorizations, and later review the typical studies related to implicit vocabulary teaching and explicit vocabulary teaching, as well as their advantages and drawbacks, construct an integrative vocabulary teaching method of how they are integrated together with detailed pedagogical program of each step in this method based on theories as mental representation of word and Craik and Lockhart's (1972) depth of information processing theory, provide a class of in-depth vocabulary teaching under the guideline of this method.In order to prove the higher efficiency the integrative vocabulary teaching method brings to non-English majors' receptive vocabulary knowledge and productive vocabulary knowledge as compared to the current prevailing vocabulary teaching method, an experimental teaching is carried out. The research question whether the integration of implicit and explicit vocabulary teaching brings higher efficiency to non-English majors in their receptive vocabulary knowledge and productive vocabulary knowledge no matter in short time or long term retention as compared with current prevailing vocabulary teaching method (implicit vocabulary teaching) is proposed at the beginning of this research as well as the directional hypotheses, then experimental class and controlled class are set and taught by integrative vocabulary teaching method and implicit vocabulary teaching method respectively. Subsequently, the immediate vocabulary test is given to them after two weeks and delayed vocabulary test at the end of the term. The statistic results of their scores calculated by SPSS show that experimental class perform better (get higher score) than controlled class and there exists significant difference between them, which in turn affirm the research question and hypotheses that comparing with current prevailing vocabulary teaching method, the integrative vocabulary teaching method can bring higher efficiency to non-English majors in their receptive vocabulary knowledge and productive vocabulary knowledge no matter in short time or long term retention. The whole thesis consists of five chapters:Chapter 1 urgently reveals the current problems of vocabulary teaching in Chinese non-English major undergraduates and raises the importance of English vocabulary teaching, as well as the significance of this study and layout of this thesis.Chapter 2 concerns the main issues in vocabulary and vocabulary teaching, such as the studies on the definition and dimensions of word, the different perspectives to comprehend vocabulary knowledge. After commenting on these views, appropriate word definition and vocabulary knowledge dimensions will be set up in this thesis. What's more, the two major vocabulary teaching methods: implicit method and explicit method, are comprehensively reviewed to find out their advantages and drawbacks with the purpose to prove the reasonableness to integrate the two methods.Chapter 3 establishes the theoretical framework by presenting the mental stage of a word existing in learners' mind and introducing the depth of information processing theory. At the base, the author endeavors to build the integrative vocabulary teaching method as well as explain concrete pedagogical steps in this method.Chapter 4 designs the research, which begins with the research question and two hypotheses based on the problem caused by current vocabulary teaching and the aims of proposed integrative vocabulary teaching method, and then introduces the subjects who are going to be investigated and the selection of experimental class and controlled class. Besides, we also provide the informative description on test words in immediate test paper, the design and scoring of pre-test paper, immediate test paper and delayed test paper, test paper evaluation and the main procedures of carrying out the experimental teaching. What follows is the analysis of statistical data calculated by SPSS with the purpose to see whether this integrative vocabulary teaching method brings higher efficiency in experimental class than controlled class.Chapter 5 summarizes the major findings as well as the limitations of this research design, and then the implications of this thesis are got. At last, the core of the thesis will be reclarified again for the purpose of being more impressive and hopeful to trigger more thorough investigation towards this field.