1、The application of context theory to vocabulary teaching in junior high schoolABSTRACTVocabulary is one of the three components of language. The present situation of English vocabulary teaching is far from the higher requirement of the new Curriculum Criteria on vocabulary. In this study, the author

2、 chooses the Shenzhen Longgang Middle School as the research object, through the actual investigation analysis the school present questions on vocabulary education, and carries on the vocabulary teaching method reform experiment in some classes in this school. Therefore, it appears to be much more s

3、ignificant and urgent to explore a practical, scientific and effective vocabulary teaching approach to improve vocabulary teaching in junior middle school. The results indicate that studentspost-test results of experiment class are improved greatly compared with that in the pretest. Besides, both th

4、e passing rate and the average score of the experiment class are much higher than those of control class. It shows that teaching vocabulary in context is able to contribute to improving studentscompetence of vocabulary application. At the same time, teaching vocabulary in context is beneficial to ac

5、tivating studentsinterest in vocabulary learning and bettering studentsvocabulary learning strategy. Keywords: context theory; vocabulary teaching; Longgang Middle School 摘 要詞匯是語言的三大要素之一。英語詞匯教學的現(xiàn)狀與新課標對詞匯的要求不高。因此，探索一種切實可行、科學有效的詞匯教學方法來提高初中英語詞匯教學顯得更為重要和迫切。本文選擇深圳龍崗中學為研究對象，通過實際調查分析該學?，F(xiàn)階段詞匯教育中出現(xiàn)的問題，并在該校一些

6、班級進行詞匯教學方法改革試驗，結果表明，studentspost-test實驗班，前測相比大大提高。實驗班學生的及格率和平均分均顯著高于對照班。由此可以看出，在語境詞匯教學有利于激活詞匯學習和改善學生的詞匯學習策略，學生的學習興趣。同時，語境理論在初中英語詞匯教學中的應用是切實有效的。 關鍵詞： 語境理論；英語詞匯教學；龍崗中學 Chapter 1 Introduction3Chapter 2 The present situation of vocabulary teaching in context in Longgang middle school52.1 learning vocabu

7、lary in context in improving their vocabulary learning52.2 The present situation of vocabulary teaching in context in junior middle school7Chapter 3 The Problems of the new words teaching in context83.1 Teaching procedures83.2 The Problems10Chapter 4 Requirement of the new Curriculum Criteria on voc

8、abulary learning method114.1 The amount of the words114.2 The crucial role of context in language teaching and learning13Chapter 5 Classification and Functions of Context155.1 The reasonable classification for context155.2 Functions of context16Chapter 6 The application of context theory in English

9、vocabulary teaching196.1 Theoretical foundation of applying context in vocabulary teaching196.2 Analysis on the questionnaire206.3 Analysis on the vocabulary test27Chapter 7 Conclusion32References34Chapter 1 IntroductionIn the field of second language acquisition second language teaching, the import

10、ance of、vocabulary present situation of English vocabulary teaching in is indisputable. However, junior middle school is not optimistic. The author discovers by the survey that it is a low efficiency and much-time task for students and teachers to learn or teach English vocabulary. Many students com

11、plain that they often forget the words they have learned lately. In addition, the method of teaching of vocabulary is boring and teacher-centered. Therefore, by the research of content theory to vocabulary teaching and learning in junior middle school, this article attempts to provide a method. It p

12、uts forth two hypotheses followed by answers to them. One question is whether the method of teaching based on the theory of context can stimulate students interest in learning English and English vocabulary in junior middle school. The other is whether it can improve students ability to apply Englis

13、h、vocabulary. and eliminate pragmatic failures in communication through the application of context theory to English vocabulary teaching in the junior middle school. Context theory has been a hot issue. Scholars and teachers have noticed the close relationship between the context and English teachin

14、g. In China, most scholar sand English teachers focus on the importance of context to、vocabulary and English teaching in the university or senior middle school. However, in the .junior middle school the role of context in the vocabulary teaching is paid less attention to, which is what this thesis e

15、xplored. As is known to all, English learning in junior middle school is the most basic stage, when students are developing their interest in English and form the effective vocabulary learning habit. Therefore, the author intends to research into English vocabulary teaching and learning in context i

16、n the junior middle school. Chapter 2 The present situation of vocabulary teaching in context in Longgang middle school2.1 learning vocabulary in context in improving their vocabulary learningThe author hopes this thesis can attract more teachers attention to apply context to vocabulary teaching and

17、 perfect the relevant research. During the twelve-+-eek experiment in Longgang Middle School, two questionnaires and two vocabulary tests were given to students in two classes by the researcher. The analysis of the scores demonstrates that the experimental class was improving rapidly in that their s

18、cores were better than those in the pretest? Lean while, students changed their attitudes towards English vocabulary learning and they were milling to use some Never learning strategies. Moreover, the mean scores of experimental class were much better than those in the control class. This result sho

19、ws that learning vocabulary in context is helpful to Longgang Middle School learners in improving their vocabulary learning. To be specific, it can improve the students interest in vocabulary learning and exerts a positive influence on developing their vocabulary learning strategy and their abilitie

20、s on the application of vocabulary. All of these prove that the approach of applying context theory in vocabulary teaching in Longgang Middle School to improve students learning strategies is practical and effective.More and more English teachers and scholars have a clear understanding about the pro

21、blems that exist in、vocabulary learning and teaching in the junior middle school. For example, students show: that an effective learning method about vocabulary learning is difficult to get. while they often forget some words spelling and dont know how- to apply the words or phrases, especially the

22、collocation of the words. It is the problem that leads to the pragmatic failure in the communication with other speakers, with the development of reformation in the English teaching, the responsible English teachers and scholars have devoted much time to the research on vocabulary teaching and come

23、up with some understanding that teaching vocabulary in the context is likely to arouse the students interest in vocabulary learning, they will work hard to master the different kinds of meanings of vocabulary to improve the ability of communication in English.It is doubtless for all the teachers and

24、 learners of English that the mastery of vocabulary plays a crucial role in both languages teaching and learning. Sound, grammar and vocabulary are three essential elements of a language. Among them, vocabulary is the dominant one. Vocabulary is the carrier of both sound and grammar. Vocabulary is l

25、ike bricks to the whole building. Without vocabulary, any language is conceivable; without vocabulary, we cannot communicate with each other; without enough vocabulary, it is impossible for language learners to make progress in the four traditional foundational language skills of listening, speaking

26、, reading or writing. Many linguists who engage in researches on foreign language teaching (Such as Mc Carthy, 1990) have this kind of opinion. Harmer (1990) points out “If we compare language structure as the sketch of language, vocabulary is the thing that provides important organs as well as bloo

27、d and flesh.” Wilkins (1972:111) argued that “without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.” Language learners can spare little time to master the grammar, but it is impossible for them to grasp all the vocabulary even through their whole life. 2.2 The pres

28、ent situation of vocabulary teaching in context in junior middle school In order to get full materials and know much about the current situation of vocabulary learning and teaching in junior middle school, the author observed some English classes in No.7 middle school in Dalian Developing Area for t

29、wo weeks. Except for this instrument, questionnaires were given to 51 English teachers in No.7 middle school, No.4 middle school and No.3 middle school in Dalian Developing Area. All of the questionnaires handed out by the author were collected and proved to be effective. 10 questions were put in th

30、e questionnaire, which involved teachers attitude to vocabulary teaching, methods of vocabulary teaching (see Appendix A). Meanwhile, the author also interviewed some middle school students (see Appendix C). The interview is mainly focus on students attitude and learning strategy about vocabulary le

31、arning. Through the interview and analyzing the results of the questionnaires (see Appendix B), we can see that there are still many problems existing in vocabulary teaching in middle school today. Chapter 3 The Problems of the new words teaching in context3.1 Teaching procedures Nowadays, the teach

32、ing method of teacher-centered,examination-oriented, and grammar-based still dominates the vocabulary teaching in most of the English classes. Boring and dull are still the words we can use to describe the vocabulary teaching. Most of the English teachers today still pay little attention to the cult

33、ivation of students ability to learn vocabulary actively and independently. Most of the teachers follow the teaching procedures as below when they teach the new words. Firstly, students read the whole word list after the teacher. Then the teacher corrects the pronunciation b, the teacher chooses som

34、e basic words to explain the usage by paraphrasing, giving examples, comparison, differentiation, or giving Chinese equivalents and so on c, students memorize new words according to the word list and their notes. d. For the teacher, dictation and spelling are the frequently used ways to test student

35、s mastery of the new words.The teacher teaches words out of context. The teacher is used to sparing too much time on explaining the knowledge and usage of the new words so as to neglect the language context and the actual use of the words. Students only remember lots of meanings and examples of the

36、new words. “Only in a certain context, can words be given life and easy to remember and used appropriately”(Lu Shuxiang1975) . So learning words in isolation directly leads to influence the long-term memorization of the new words for students. Therefore, teachers always complain about so many mistak

37、es appearing in students speaking or writing. Furthermore，the teacher finds that although they make great efforts in vocabulary teaching, students still cannot have a good understanding of many reading or listening materials or communicate freely with others using the words properly in English . Mos

38、t of teachers pay no attention to the reappearance of the new words purposely. Nation pointed out that some students can remember a new word as long as they meet it once. However, for most of the students, seven times appearing is needed to remember a new word. If we learn words not for the exam, si

39、xteen times appearing is needed. Therefore, in order to make the students grasp the words, it is necessary to improve the reappearance of the words. Nevertheless, most of the teachers neglect the reappearance of the new words purposely. The low reappearance frequency of the new words is another impo

40、rtant reason that results in the fact that the students forget the words easily. 3.2 The Problems Analyzing the results, we can see that English vocabulary has become a heavy burden for most of the students to memorize and understand. English is just one of their subjects. They think English vocabul

41、ary is time-consuming. They are tired of spending too much time memorizing vocabulary. Even if they work hard on vocabulary, they find that the result is far from satisfactory: they will soon forget the words that they think they have remembered well; they still have great troubles in using the word

42、s freely and flexibly during writing and communicating and they still fail to appreciate or understand the text when they are reading even though they think they have got a large vocabulary bank. As a result, more vocabulary does not contribute to improving students language ability as we wish. In a

43、ddition, they are lack of proper learning strategy and method. For most of them, their text book is the main source of acquiring vocabulary. Although they know learning vocabulary through actual use and practice, more than half of them have not developed a good habit of memorizing vocabulary. Howeve

44、r, the most terrible thing is that some of them have lost their interest in learning English because of the boring vocabulary. Chapter 4 Requirement of the new Curriculum Criteria on vocabulary learning method4.1 The amount of the words With the implementation of the new Curriculum Criteria in our c

45、ountry in 2001, how much vocabulary do the middle students need to master? The new curriculum criteria made specific provision. The third, forth, and fifth level in the new curriculum criteria are the respective goals that the students of Grade 7 to Grade 9 in junior middle school should reach. Amon

46、g them, the general descriptions of the vocabulary goals for Level 5 are as follows: From the description above we can see that the new Curriculum Criteria raise higher requirement on vocabulary than before. For junior middle school students, this is not a small case. Except for the increase of the

47、vocabulary, the new Curriculum Criteria put forward the higher requirement on the application of the words. The general objective of the new Curriculum Criteria is to cultivate students overall linguistic competence including language knowledge, learning attitude, learning strategy and cultural cons

48、ciousness. As for language teaching, the new Curriculum Criteria demand that the teacher should train listening, speaking, reading and writing skills comprehensively. As for the language skill, the new Curriculum Criteria demand that students should be able to get information in English, express the

49、ir thoughts and attitude and grasp some basic skills of sociality in English. On the aspect of learning strategy, the new Curriculum Criteria point out that it is more important to study students learning strategy than to only focus on teaching. The aim of teaching is to teach less and less in the f

50、uture. That means the teacher should teacher how to learn and cultivate students self-oriented learning ability. The target of teaching is to provide support and guidance to students English learning. After the study of new curriculum, we find that it puts forward higher requirement on vocabulary th

51、an before. As far as the amount of the words is concerned, it has been increased greatly. The old text book requires students to master about 1200 words. We can see from the table above that in Grade 7, vocabulary has been more than 1000, which is equal to the amount of the words of the whole three

52、years in junior middle school in the old text book. However, there exists a gap between the text book of middle school and that of primary school. The new Curriculum Criteria require students to grasp 600-700 word and about 50 idioms after graduating from primary school. Actually it cannot be achiev

53、ed for most of the students. We can imagine after the students go to Grade 7, only the amount of the words will be a big obstacle, let alone the other requirement on vocabulary. Therefore, its easy for students to lost confidence and interest in English. Nobody will object to the opinion that the co

54、mmand of right amount of vocabulary is the most important criterion to our foreign language proficiency; it is one of the central roles in learning a second language (Lewis, 1993). With the development of the society and carrying out of the new Curriculum Criteria, English is not the necessity for e

55、xamination; It has turned into a tool to exchange information, so the final vocabulary teaching objective is to help students learn how to acquire vocabulary on their own in their future life. We can see from authors survey above, there are many problems in vocabulary teaching. 4.2 The crucial role

56、of context in language teaching and learningThere is still a long way to run to achieve the final vocabulary teaching objective. Therefore, as an English teacher, exploring an effective way to improve our vocabulary teaching is a necessary and urgent issue. Only by this way can English teaching reac

57、h the higher requirements of the New Curriculum Criteria. With the development of applied linguistics, linguists have been gradually aware of the crucial role of context in language teaching and learning. More and more linguists have begun to devote to the study of context in vocabulary teaching. Co

58、ntext has been a popular research issue in modern linguistics. Regretfully, although in recent years, some linguists and researchers have conducted some researches on this subject, most of them are in concerned with the use of context in vocabulary teaching in senior high school and college. The study about the use of context in vocabulary teaching in junior high school is paid less attention to. Nevertheless, we all know junior middle school is a very important basic period for students to lay a solid foundation for