Research Of English Vocabulary Teaching In Senior High Schools Guided By Constructivism

As three main essentials of language, vocabulary is the brick to build language and the entia of phonetics, meaning as well as grammar. While using the language, vocabulary is the main carrier to convey information, and plays an irreplaceable role in communication. The lack of vocabulary directly influences the ability to manage basic language skills.Vocabulary is one of the fundamentals of language, which is, however the biggest issue to Chinese students. In this way, vocabulary teaching is an important link in English teaching in senior high school. With China’s development with the outside world, English teaching in senior high school is required higher, which is demonstrated in 《New Curriculum Standards》. In it, the amount of vocabulary to be grasped is notably increased, the level, enhanced too. To senior high students, the forming of good learning habits and managing reasonably effective vocabulary learning strategies, will not only improve their studies but nurture their independent learning capabilities, which lay the foundation for their future development and lifelong learning. Though not all vocabulary being learned in class, in the primary stage of learning, class teaching still plays an important role. Fortunately, constructivism provides us with theoretic foundation in the stage of students in learning and accumulating their vocabulary.Based on O’Malley&Chamot(1990) and Oxford(1990) catalogues of vocabulary learning strategies, the author of this thesis designed a vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire which was administered to100high school students in an attempt to investigate the following question:the learning conceptions and characteristics of vocabulary learning strategies of senior high students.In doing so, the author has referred relevant fruit of researches on vocabulary learning strategies and put forward the teaching method of vocabulary learning strategies of senior high students. As a result of this research, the author believes that if the learner could use some strategies freely, learn and remember some vocabularies skillfully will benefit their understanding and knowledge of vocabularies, and the whole system of English learning as well.There are five parts of this thesis. The first part is the introduction of this thesis, illustrating the background, framework as well as the signification of this research. The second part states the definition, classification and achievement on researches of vocabulary learning strategies. In combing the constructivism theory, the author puts forward the importance of vocabulary learning and the necessity of researches on vocabulary learning strategies. At the same, the author looks back on the relevant researches in China. The third part is a questionnaire, which is surveyed on students in a senior high school in Liaoning province and on interviews with several English teachers. The fourth part explains in detail the English vocabulary learning strategies that are appropriate to senior high students based on the outlook of knowledge, of study and of teaching of constructivism combing the praxis of the author. And the fifth part draws the conclusion and points out the insufficiency of this research and put forward suggestions to the future research of this issue.