On The Comprehensive Improvement Of Oral English-From The Perspective Of Second Language Acquisition

This thesis investigates how to improve students'oral English in an effective and comprehensive way from a perspective of theories in second language acquisition and cognitive psychology, which focuses on the three main aspects of oral English--- fluency, accuracy and complexity.In the paper we will observe the current situation of students'oral English learning in China and find out the exact internal and external factors that hinder the development of learners'oral English. The theories in second language acquisition and cognitive psychology will help us to find out an effective and comprehensive way to improve students'oral English.It is originated in the survey that in current schools and colleges some teachers over-emphasize the fluency of students'oral English and only focus on communicative purpose. They ignore the accuracy and complexity of students'oral English. Meanwhile, the majority of students adopt various communicative strategies (i. e. avoidance) to ensure success of communication. However the frequent use of communicative strategies and the teachers'tolerant attitude towards errors lead to the fossilization of students'language competence during oral English learning.Conversely, some teachers who see error corrections and preparing students to take tests as their major instructional responsibilities over-correct students'mistakes and errors. They emphasize the accuracy of students'oral English too much. Consequently when students speak English, they are anxious of making errors and their confidence will be reduced, which is disadvantageous for students to improve oral English. The thesis is based on task-based approach instruction, trying to investigate a comprehensive way to improve students'oral English, and it mainly attempts to answer the questions as follows:1. In the process of information process model, can memory-based system (lexical chunks) really help students to improve the fluency of their oral English?2. In face of errors that students make during speaking English, to what degree can teachers correct them? What is the appropriate role of teachers? 3. Can task-based approach (TBA) provide a comprehensive way to improve the fluency, accuracy and complexity of oral English to the largest degree?In the process of information process model, memory-based system (lexical chunks) can help students to improve the fluency of their oral English. When output is produced, their attentional resource between meanings and forms is competed. Memory-based system can help them to ensure oral fluency to a great degree. Moreover, forms are important in oral English as well, so it is necessary for teachers to guide their attentional resource to ensure comprehensive improvement of oral English. Whether from the objective perspective of theories in second language acquisition and cognitive psychology or from the subjective perspective of college students in the questionnaires, task-based approach can maximize the probability that all three above goals can be achieved. During task-based class, the expectation that all three goals can be achieved not only needs advanced theories in second language acquisition, but teachers'and students'joint efforts as well.Pre-task, during-task and post-task phases in task-based approach can activate both teachers and students to balance language meanings and forms so as to meet College English Courses'Teaching Requirements issued by Ministry of Education of China and enable college students to improve oral fluency, oral accuracy and oral complexity in an effective way.