An Application Research Of Scaffolding Teaching Method In English Vocabulary Teaching In University

With development of international communication and increasing frequency of cooperation, English has played an important role in international communications, and more and more attention is given to the cultivation of English learning ability, especially for the words learning. English is a required subject for university students in China. However, for a long time, the improvement of students’ words learning ability has always been a challenge for university teachers in China. Traditional vocabulary teaching method focuses on the forms and use of the words, regardless words instruction in particular situations. It has a bad effect on English words learning ability.Scaffolding teaching is based on the social constructivism. It is developed under Vygotsky’s theory, which named ―zone of proximal development‖. It is a teaching method to provide appropriate assistance during the learning process when the learners meet difficulties. The learners need to decompose the complicated tasks into simple tasks with the help of capable people or adults. The learners can also rely on the concept framework, which was offered by capable people, and then accomplish the tasks. During the learning process, the ability to accomplish the tasks will be improved. When the learners have the ability to accomplish the tasks, the scaffolding help should be removed. That is to say, the adults and capable people don’t need to provide any help. The learners should prepare the next zone of proximal development.In order to prove the rationality of this teaching method in university, the author conducted an experiment between two classes; Students in these two classes are in the similar level. One is the experimental group under scaffolding teaching method, and the other is the control group under traditional teaching. After one semester, through tests and a questionnaire, the author finds that there is a distinctive difference between the two groups– the experimental group overpasses the control group in the tests of vocabulary size and English proficiency. After analyzing the questionnaires and experiment results, the author has confirmed the two hypotheses put forward before the experiments, namely, scaffolding vocabulary teaching is helpful for learners to promote students’ independent learning ability, it also stimulates the students’ motivation in learning English.