On The Effectiveness Of Association In Second Language Vocabulary Learning

Vocabulary learning is essential to language acquisition, whether the language is first, second, or foreign, while it suffered neglect for a long time since traditional foreign language teaching put much emphasis on grammar. Fortunately, interest in its role in second language (L2) learning has grown rapidly in recent years and specialists now emphasize the need for a systematic and principled approach to vocabulary to both the teacher and the learner.The thesis is intended to provide an answer to the question frequently encountered by Chinese students of English ---"How to learn words and keep them longer in minds?"from cognitive perspectives. Studies on memory, information processing, depth-of-processing hypothesis, and spreading activation model of mental lexicon show that vocabulary learning is a process of association and connection in various forms. Whether in the discovery of a word meaning, or the consolidation of this information in memory, or the retrieval of the word knowledge and putting it into practical use, learners have to make full use of various kinds of knowledge in both the foreign language and their mother tongue with the help of association and connection. There is an associative mechanism in the course of second language vocabulary learning. Inspired by related previous theories and empirical studies, the author constructs a conceptive model --- an associative lexical network which is to weave related lexical items into certain networks via association such as word-formation, semantic relation, etymological information of words, mnemonic devices, etc. In this way, learners'mental lexicon displays an enormous super-network, which consists of countless sub-networks on different hierarchies. When a new word comes into a sub-network, it sets up connection with words around it. This helps fix the target word in a suitable position. At the same time the related ones are recollected, thus gaining new insights while reviewing previous materials.In order to testify the effectiveness and feasibility of the newly built model, the author conducts a series of empirical research experiments. The research wants to find out whether association learning strategy can enhance overall students'lexical knowledge including the high proficiency (HP), intermediate proficiency (IP) and low proficiency (LP) learners on a short term; whether association learning strategy has a positive effect on the lexical knowledge of learners on high, intermediate and low proficiency levels respectively in a long run; and which level of learners benefits most from association learning strategy in vocabulary learning. Firstly, questionnaires are distributed to subjects to discover the most effective vocabulary learning strategy assumed by them ---"learning in context". Secondly, two-phase experiment is carried out. During the first phase, instructions on the same target words are given to the two groups of learners applying associative network and learning in context, and an immediate posttest is conducted. In the second phase, two-month experimental teaching is carried out and a delayed posttest is conducted. 120 non-English major freshmen at China University of Petroleum (Qingdao Campus) have been selected as subjects of the experiment. Quantitative and qualitative methods are employed throughout the study. SPSS is used to analyze the raw data quantitatively. Questionnaire and interview, as qualitative methods, are used. Results of the research show that the strategy of association has improved the high proficiency and intermediate proficiency learners'lexical knowledge on a short term basis though the improvement is not significant, and"learning in context"works better than association learning strategy for low proficiency learners in a short time; association learning strategy is helpful for the vocabulary learning of overall learners on the long term basis; learners on intermediate proficiency level benefit most from association learning strategy in their receptive learning and productive use of vocabulary. The thesis finally reveals some pedagogical enlightenment, and suggests future study respectively.Although associative network does improve L2 vocabulary learning, like any other learning strategy, it has its own limitations. Therefore, instructors should cautiously apply it to suitable learners as well as suitable words.