On The Negative Transfer Of Chinese Grammar In The English Grammar Teaching In Senior High Schools

Since1950s, language transfer has become a heated topic. Many scholars have been analyzed it in various ways. It can be divided into two categories:Positive transfer emphasizes on the similar aspects between the native language and the foreign language, it can improve students’ learning. However, negative transfer highlights the differences between the native and the foreign language. It’s a disturbance for students to learn a foreign language.Chinese and English have little in common because their sources are varied. They have dissimilarities both in systems and features. Therefore, English grammar, as mediation between the input and the output of English, is severely influenced by the negative transfer of Chinese grammar. In the last few decades, almost all the senior high school students started to learn English from primary schools or kindergartens. After more than nine years’ learning, they have already formed a basic understanding of English; however, they still make grammatical mistakes in the multiple-choices and compositions. Since1950s, many scholars have done many studies on language transfer in the universities and higher vocational colleges, but few have been done in senior high schools. The research aims to study the negative transfer of Chinese grammar in the English grammar teaching in senior high schools. The experiment lasted from September to December,2013. Two classes were selected. One class is the experimental class with the contrastive teaching method. The other class is the control class with the conventional teaching method. After four months’ experiment, the data are collected and analyzed. Data collection contains two parts:the questionnaire in the experimental class both before and after the experiment; the test scores and the details of the grammatical error categories both in the pre-test and the post-test. The outcome of the research shows that the students in the experimental class have improved in English grammar, while the control class hasn’t improved much.The research aims to find the causes of the negative transfer of Chinese grammar in English grammar teaching in senior high schools and the effective teaching strategies...