An Analytical Study Of Vocabulary Knowledge Of Senior High School English Textbooks From The Perspective Of Vocabulary Exercises

Vocabulary is one of the basic elements of language, and it is essential to human communication and language learning. “Without grammar, little can be conveyed.Without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed.” Vocabulary is often regarded as the number one concern for English learners. For Chinese English learners, textbooks are their major sources of vocabulary learning. Therefore, how the vocabularies are presented in the textbooks is very crucial for English learning. In the English textbooks, the vocabularies are presented by the way of lists, sentences, texts,exercises, synonyms and antonyms,etc, which shows different aspects of vocabulary knowledge.Based on Nation's(2001) framework of vocabulary knowledge, this study observes and analyzes two versions of currently used English textbooks in China—People's Education Press(PEP) version and Beijing Normal University Press(BNUP)version for senior high school students, examining the exercises and drills concerning about vocabulary knowledge in them, targeting to explore which aspects of the vocabulary knowledge receive the most attention and which the less and which gains the least attention. The research questions are :(1) What are the general characteristics of vocabulary knowledge presentation in form, meaning and use in high school English textbooks?(2) What is the percentage arrangement in receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge use in high school English textbooks?(3) What are the differences among different grades of vocabulary knowledge?(4) What are the differences of vocabulary knowledge of the two versions of senior high school English textbooks?By means of quantitative study, the following conclusions are drawn:In terms of characteristics of vocabulary knowledge in form, meaning and use,meaning receives the most attention with the ratio of 57.74%, followed by use(44.94%), and the form comes the last(10.12%). These three elements are further divided into nine aspects of vocabulary knowledge: spoken form, written form, word parts, form & meaning, concepts & referents, associations, grammatical functions,collocations and constraints on use. Among these aspects of vocabulary knowledge,form & meaning occupies 38.99%, receiving the highest percentage. Exercises about grammatical functions gets 34.52% attention, ranking the second. Associations obtains 13.99% attention, wining the third place. Other six aspects of vocabulary knowledge receive very little attention.Secondly, exercises for receptive vocabulary knowledge are the major exercises which gains overwhelmingly attention for about 84.52%, and the rest belongs to productive knowledge.In the third place, different grades of textbooks contain different characteristics.In terms of form, meaning and use, meaning gains the most attention in every grade and use ranks the second, form decreases from 20.33% in Grade 1 to 7.53% in G2 and to only 2.4% in Grade 3. Within the nine aspects of vocabulary knowledge, G1 and G2 focuses prominently on form & meaning. G3 has a special preference on grammatical functions. What's more, the percentage arrangement of receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge of different grades follows the same trend with the overall results, that is, receptive vocabulary obtained the larger occupation and productive knowledge belongs to the minority.The two versions of senior high English textbooks(PEP and BNUP) share a lot in common and also share a lot differences. The attention paid to form is almost the same in PEP and BNUP, both of them receive roughly 10% attention. PEP version pays more attention(67.39%) to meaning while BNUP concentrates more on use(52.52%). The difference between the receptive and productive knowledge is also the same with the overall result.Thus, this study appeals the material writers, teachers and learner themselves to hold a more complete view of vocabulary knowledge, suggesting that every aspects of vocabulary knowledge should be noticed during the process of teaching or material composing or when the learners are learning.Finally, the author offers some suggestions to the existing problems, the pedagogical implications for future vocabulary learning and teaching, and points out the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.