The Application Of Word List Approach In Senior High School English Teaching

The word list approach refers to a vocabulary teaching and learning method with lists of words prepared in advance to assist the vocabulary acquisition process.Since the 1950 s,scholars in foreign countries have gradually carried out theoretical research and empirical research on language acquisition by the word list approach.Studies have revealed that list learning is an effective means of intentional learning.The employment of word lists can help novice language learners to efficiently acquire a large number of new vocabularies in a short period of time,which will not wear off quickly.However,most of the current research focuses on the role and influence of word list approach in foreign teaching and learning environment.There is a lack of empirical studies on the word list approach used domestically.Few people have explored or discussed the effect of word list approach in senior high school English vocabulary teaching and learning,or the connection of word list approach and English practical teaching in senior high school.In addition,the method used in most studies is quantitative analysis of collected data,and rarely combines quantitative analysis with qualitative analysis.In view of this,this study empirically explores the application of word list in senior high school English teaching and learning.This study combines quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis to discuss the effectiveness of vocabulary learning through word list approach and the individual differences among students.In addition,the target vocabulary and list used in this study are extracted by Professor Ma Guanghui with the English course vocabulary software Range.Through a week of list teaching and learning,the vocabulary level tests(pre-test,post-test,delayed post-test)will be conducted.The results of the three tests will be compared and analyzed,and 6 participants are randomly selected to analyze the individual differences in learning effects.The purpose of this thesis is to answer the following three research questions:(1)To what extent will word list approach lead to improvement in students' breadth of learned vocabulary?(2)To what extent will word list approach help students to learn new words?(3)To what extent will word list approach lead to greater lexical meaning gains in students' learned vocabulary?The statistical methods,including descriptive statistics of vocabulary tests results,independent-sample T test and paired-sample T test analysis,were employed via software(SPSS 22.0).The following conclusions were drawn from the research:(1)Word list approach can greatly improve the breadth of learned vocabulary knowledge in a short time.For those with lower vocabulary levels,the learning effect is more significant;(2)Although some students have revealed language attrition in the delay post-test,compared with the pre-test,the results of post-test and delayed post-test indicate that the word list approach is still effective to help students learn and master new vocabulary quickly;(3)The word list approach can also greatly expand the number of lexical meanings of the learned vocabulary knowledge of students.Based on the empirical findings of this thesis,it's necessary to appeal to English teachers and students in primary schools,middle schools and senior high schools to improve the practical use of word list approach in the English classroom.With the characteristics and functions,the method should be given full play to stimulate the autonomy and enthusiasm of students' vocabulary learning so as to advance the level of foreign language learning of students in primary,middle and senior high schools in China.