An Empirical Study Of Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition And Intentional Vocabulary Learning For Junior Middle School Students

For most Chinese English learners,vocabulary learning is not only an important part but also a difficult part.Judging by the relevant literature,however,researches concerning vocabulary learning of junior middle school students are seldom seen,not to mention the empirical studies between intentional vocabulary learning and incidental vocabulary acquisition.Based on Krashen's Second Language Acquisition Theory,by means of test and interview,and with 46 students from a junior middles school in Beihai,Guangxi involved in a 4-month experiment,the present study attempts to answer the following questions:(1)How much does intentional vocabulary learning improve the students' vocabulary size?(2)How much does incidental vocabulary acquisition improve the students' vocabulary size?(3)Does there exist any significant difference between intentional vocabulary learning and incidental vocabulary acquisition in improving the students' vocabulary size?(4)What is the main means for the junior middle school students to gain English vocabulary?Findings indicate that intentional vocabulary learning can significantly improve the students' vocabulary size,and incidental vocabulary acquisition can also improve the students' vocabulary size,but there exists no significant difference between intentional vocabulary learning and incidental vocabulary acquisition in improving the students' vocabulary size.At present the junior middle school students adopt intentional vocabulary learning as the main means to obtain English vocabulary.Based on the research findings,the present thesis offers some suggestions concerning vocabulary learning and teaching from the perspectives of both the learners and teachers.