An Investigation Of English Vocabulary Teaching Methods Under The New Curriculum

With the development of social economy,more and more importance is attached to English in senior high schools in China.English has become one of the compulsory courses and required subjects in college entrance examination.During the process of English study,vocabulary is the basis and most fundamental element.Therefore,vocabulary teaching is quite significant and the way English teachers teach vocabulary has a great effect on improving students' English ability.The New English Curriculum Standards of Senior High School requires a larger vocabulary and students' knowing of how to use vocabulary fluently and correctly in communication,which is a great challenge to senior school students and teachers.However,because word spelling is not tested and reading comprehension is stressed,some teachers don't think it necessary to spend too much time on vocabulary teaching.In teaching practice,they would rather spend more time in training students' reading ability and exam skills.Even if they teach vocabulary,they often lack proper theories to guide them.Therefore,under this background,it's quite necessary to do a research on vocabulary teaching methods in senior schools.Through literature review,the author found many scholars and experts at home and abroad have been doing research in this field.They have defined vocabulary and vocabulary teaching from the aspect of psychology and linguistics.What's more,they have elaborated the content,basic principles and theories of vocabulary teaching.After researching and summarizing those different literatures,according Deming Yu,there are 10 different kinds of vocabulary teaching methods,but they are used quite differently in senior schools.Due to some difficulties and challenges,some theories,though perfect in theory,are often abandoned.Thus,if's quite necessary to do an investigation on the usage of those vocabulary teaching methods.This research investigated all English teachers in Yunmeng No.1 Middle School.Some of those investigated teachers have taught English for decades with much experience,while others are just green hands with little experience.Though busy,they all were willing to be investigated and interviewed.Based on those theoretical basis and statistical analyses,the study aims to address the following three questions:(1)What's the time arrangement for English vocabulary teaching?When is vocabulary teaching carried out in senior schools?What's the percentage of the time spent on vocabulary teaching during the whole process of English teaching?(2)About the content of vocabulary teaching.What's the source of vocabulary in senior English teaching?What's emphasized in vocabulary teaching?Pronunciation,spelling,meaning or usage?(3)What are the frequencies of the ten most widely used vocabulary teaching methods?What caused the differences?Finally through data analysis and interview,the author got a fuller understanding.It is found that though vocabulary is quite important in senior English,some English teachers still don't devote enough time to it,and most English teachers only spend 30%of their whole teaching time on vocabulary teaching,which is obviously not enough;As far as the content is concerned,most English teachers can base their teaching on textbooks,few will add some out-of-class vocabulary.Nearly all English teachers emphasize pronunciation,spelling and meanings,but few will explain the relationship between those meanings and the ways of memorizing them;many teachers adopt different teaching methods,but some are still bound by the existing exam system and other objective conditions,so some traditional teaching methods,such as sound and form combination method,word formation teaching method and situational teaching method,are more widely used,while some modern teaching methods,such as communicative teaching method and direct teaching methods are less frequently used due to limited teaching conditions and tight teaching schedules.By analyzing the reasons why some vocabulary teaching methods are more adopted while others are not,plus further interviews,a final conclusion is drawn:enough attention should be paid to English vocabulary teaching.English teachers and students should spend more time on it.At the same time,teachers should study the content of vocabulary and adopt proper vocabulary teaching methods to arouse students' interest in English learning and help them enrich their vocabulary and acquire right skills of learning English,thus being able to understand and use right vocabulary to express themselves and communicate with others,which is required in the New English Curriculum Standards of Senior High School.It's hoped that this thesis can not only draw English teachers' attention,but also encourage them to try new vocabulary teaching methods and practices,breaking through the shackles of traditional teaching methods and improving English teaching quality.