A Comparative Study On The Effects Of Lexical Chunks Recognition And Syntax Identification On Reading Comprehension

Researches on lexical chunks have grown in number and quality in recent years, and more attention is paid to "lexical chunks" than vocabulary. A great number of researches have indicated that making a point of lexical chunks learning brings about better results in English learning. On the other hand, as an important part of traditional English teaching, the syntax teaching can not be ignored.Reading comprehension competence is regarded as an essential indicator of English proficiency, and accounting for a large proportion in CET-4and CET6. Most researches on reading comprehension are about reading strategies. These researches try to help English learners get higher grades by analyzing and deducing reading strategies. However, the present study intends to lay emphasis on basic knowledge. In English proficiency test, in order to get enough information in a limited time, the reader can not pay attention to every element during the reading process. This study is designed to probe into the effects of lexical chunks recognition and syntax identification on reading comprehension and answer the following two research questions:Research questionl:Which one has more influence on Reading Comprehension, Lexical chunks Recognition or Syntax Identification? Is Lexical Chunks Recognition more influential than Syntax Identification?Research question2:Is Lexical Chunks Recognition correlated with Syntax Identification in Reading Comprehension? If yes, positively correlated or negatively correlated?The subjects of this study are91students majoring in engineering in one class of grade2010at South West Petroleum University. The research instruments are three tests:Reading Comprehension Test, Lexical Recognition Test, and Syntax Identification Test. The passages and questions used in this research are selected from model test of CET4. Before the main test, a pilot study is carried out to analyze reliability and validity of these tests to make sure they are reliable and valid. The subjects of this research are students of Level-A. They have reached the proficiency level required in CET4. The experiment was carried out in the first semester of the subjects’sophomore year. The methodology applied in this research is quantitative research method. Through quantitative research on reading comprehension, lexical chunks recognition and syntax identification, the writer hypothesizes to obtain the results and discuss about them. Two conclusions can be drawn from the study. First, lexical chunks recognition does a lot more for reading comprehension than syntax identification. The correlation between lexical chunks recognition and reading comprehension is much more significant than the correlation between syntax identification and reading comprehension. Second, lexical chunks recognition is positively correlated with syntax identification. Lexical chunks and syntax are inseparable.Based on the results and discussions, the writer suggests that lexical chunks teaching and application should be emphasized in English teaching and learning. It is necessary to bring the importance of lexical chunks in English learning into full display, which will be beneficial to the enhancement of English proficiency.