The Application Of Dual Coding Theory Based Method In English Vocabulary Teaching In Vocational Colleges

D. A. Wilkins once said that"...without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed..."(D.A.Wilkins, 1976). He considered that the vocabulary should have the same position as grammar even if it might not be the most essential element. In China, structuralism played a dominant role in second language teaching until 1970s. And it formed a tradition that the importance of English grammar and sentence patterns explaining should be stressed in the English teaching process. While coming down to vocabulary, the primary method was to read and write then remember it, which made English vocabulary learning an extremely boring activity. Nowadays, more and more researchers and scholars come to realize the importance of English vocabulary learning. So English vocabulary learning research has turned to be an important and popular part in the contemporary linguistics study. However, for most students in vocational colleges, how to remember the numerous English words is still a troublesome problem. A survey proves that the wide range of vocabulary is the biggest handicap for the vocational students. This study intends to examine whether the English vocabulary teaching method based on Dual Coding Theory(DCT) is effective or not in vocational colleges. It is a blank to apply DCT in English vocabulary field in vocational colleges. And this study aims to find an effective way which will make memorizing words not a mechanically repeated way but a dynamic mental process.This experimental study is carried out in two sophomore classes in Shandong Polytechnic. There are 100 students involved in this experiment. The experimental group(EG) consists of 45 students who are taught under the DCT-based English vocabulary learning method. And the other 55 students as the contrast with EG take part in the control group(CG) and receive non-DCT-based vocabulary teaching method. For the EG, the teacher sets a DCT-based learning model, which pays attention to both verbal and nonverbal systems. The researcher uses pictures and images to describe a concrete word and the self-generated method to learn an abstract word. In the whole teaching process, a pre-test, immediate test and a post-test are given to the 100 students to examine whether the DCT-based method can affect the vocabulary memory proficiency both in short and long terms. And the data are analyzed in the form of Independent-Sample T test and Paired-Sample T test by SPSS 15.0. And at the end of the experiment, 45 students receive questionnaire papers which aim to testify whether the application of DCT can evoke students'interests in English vocabulary learning process.It is concluded that the DCT-based English vocabulary teaching method is much more effective than the non-DCT-based vocabulary learning method. It can improve the students'English vocabulary proficiency and enable students to remember words more easily. The most important point is that it can strengthen students'vocabulary memory both in short and long terms. The outcome of the questionnaire proves the DCT-based English vocabulary learning method is more interesting and attractive. Students'interests and enthusiasm on English vocabulary learning can be excited in this process. For the pictures used to describe the concrete words are funny and unforgettable. It makes the English vocabulary learning much closer to their life. Besides, the self-generated method used to present the abstract words is well received. The discussion in this process cannot only inspire students'imagination and broaden their horizon but also practice their oral English. Students become more confident in this process. All these can arouse students'interests and enable them to focus more on their English vocabulary learning.