The Experimental Study Of Focus-on-form Instruction In Junior High School English Vocabulary Teaching

Whether teaching English should focus on forms or meaning is a question, and this question is still on debate. When this question was being discussed, Long put forward his own theory, that is, focus-on-form instruction in 1991. Since it was proposed, it has drawn widely attention both at home and abroad, especially in foreign countries. There havw been a lot of researches done by scholars and researchers. Until now, they have got great achievements in foreign countries. Focus-on-form instruction not only takes account of a communicative language classroom but also pays attention to forms of language. This theory overcomes the problem that some teachers teach English words without context and communication. Vocabulary is an important part in learning English, but in China, some teachers teach English words with ignoring context and communication, so focus-on-form instruction was selected to teach English words. Focus-on-form instruction not only emphasizes the importance of meaning but also pays attention to forms.This thesis combines focus-on-form instruction and English vocabulary teaching in junior high schools, uses focus-on-form instruction as a tool to guide vocabulary teaching, and is to find out whether using focus-on-form instruction as a tool to guide vocabulary teaching is better than common methods.Ninety-six junior high school students coming from two parallel natural classes were selected as participants. One class is the experimental class in which focus-on-form instruction was employed while the other class is the control class in which common instruction was applied. Every week, two classes have the same learning time-7 English class periods. And the two classes have the same English teacher to make sure the result of this experiment will not be influenced by the other factors.Before the experiment, a vocabulary test was carried out to test the level of two classes. This experiment lasts one term. In the middle of the term, a mid-test was carried out, and in the end of the term, a post test was carried out. With the help of SPSS software, the result was analyzed. The present study draws a conclusion that focus-on-form instruction can promote the students’ vocabulary learning effectively and focus on form instruction is more effective.