An Experimental Study On Presentation Modes In English Vocabulary Teaching And Learning

Based on the theories of elaboration and mental lexicon, the present study has investigated and tested, by use of experiments, the different effects of English vocabulary teaching and learning by adopting 3 different presentation modes. 58 freshmen have been selected as subjects and 45 English words have been chosen as materials for the experiments. In the experiments, subjects have been given two tests (namely the short-term memory test and the long-term memory test) one hour and one week after the relevant presentation utilizing a certain presentation mode respectively. Finally, SPSS (the Statistical Package for Social Sciences) has been adopted to analyze the data. Data analyses reveal the following major findings: (1) In the short-term memory tests, the vocabulary learning and retention effects decrease gradually: Presentation Modeâ… has the best effect while Presentation Mode â…¢has the worst one, and Presentation Modeâ…¡lies in the middle; (2) In the long-term memory tests, the effects of vocabulary learning and retention increase progressively: the retention quantity by utilizing Presentation Modeâ… is the minimum, the one when adopting Presentation Mode â…¢is the maximum, and that by using Presentation Mode â…¡lies between the two; (3) The mean scores of the subjects'short-term memory tests are variant, but the variation between any two presentation modes has not reached a significant level yet; (4) In the long-term memory tests, the test scores by using the three presentation modes are variant, and the variation degree between group 1 and group 3 has reached a significant level; (5) There is a significant difference between the two tests by using each presentation mode. However, the memory-fading tendencies by using the three presentation modes vary: the memory-fading quantity by using each of the first two modes is bigger than that by using the third presentation mode, and thus the memory-fading tendencies of the first two presentation modes develop much more sharply than that of the third one. Supported by the major findings, relevant analyses and discussions, we are able to reach the conclusions of the study: (1) In English vocabulary teaching and learning, a close relationship exists between presentation modes and vocabulary learning and retention effects. Different presentation modes will surely produce different vocabulary learning and retention effects; (2) Providing example sentences in presentation influences vocabulary learning effects. By utilizing the presentation modes that involve providing example sentences, students'vocabulary learning and retention effects in the long-term memory tests are better than those by using the presentation modes without providing example sentences; (3) The ways of providing example sentences in presentation influence the vocabulary learning and retention effects as well. Generally, the effects will be better when learners make their own example sentences than when the sentences are hastily and randomly provided by their teacher.