On The Application Of Language Transfer Theory To English Grammar Teaching In Higher Vocational College

This study was based on two classes from Xiamen Xingcai Vocational and Technical College. They were both sophomores majoring in business English. In the experimental class (Class1), language-transfer-oriented method was applied and the teacher spoke Chinese when needed, using the contrastive teaching method; whereas in the control class (class2), the traditional teaching method was used and the teacher spoke English from the beginning to the end in English grammar teaching. Data collection involved both scores of pre-test and post-test, questionnaires, surveys and interviews. The results of research reveal that the English grammar level of the students in the experimental class was improved rapidly while the students in the control class had much difficulty in learning English grammar, and the phenomenon of negative language transfer in the control class was not improved.The study is only an attempt to explore the application of transfer theory to English grammar teaching on English majors in higher vocational college. The study shows that language-transfer-theory-oriented teaching model and Chinese and English contrastive method are of great importance in developing higher vocational college English grammar study and teaching. It is expected that this research will shed light on grammar learning and teaching in higher vocational colleges and future study about language transfer.