College English Vocabulary Learning And Teaching Assisted By Computer And Internet

Effective second language vocabulary acquisition is particularly important for college students as EFL learners who frequently find their lexicons impoverished despite years of formal study. One of the biggest challenges for College English teachers is to help students acquire the immense vocabulary they need in the short time available for their language instruction. The development of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has created the need and opportunity for investigating the effects of computer and Internet on vocabulary acquisition. This thesis sets out to probe into the application and effectiveness of this interactive vocabulary teaching approach with the help of two experiments.The author reviews the theoretical basis of second language vocabulary acquisition and instruction, analyzes how computer and Internet influence the vital elements of vocabulary acquisition process --- input, interaction, attitudes, motivation, etc., and looks closely at some important vocabulary learning strategies. It is revealed that, compared with traditional pedagogy, computer and Internet assisted vocabulary instruction displays a number of remarkable advantages --- the rich course content and colorful modes of demonstrations are full of attraction to students and prove to be convenient and effective. Most significantly, in the CALL and Internet environment, students are motivated to learn enthusiastically and autonomously so that the learning process becomes student-centered. To investigate how this environment works on vocabulary acquisition, the author carried out two experiments to test its long-term and short-term effects respectively. The results demonstrate that this pedagogy is evidently superior to traditional teaching, not only in students'vocabulary acquisition, but also in their knowledge of English culture and command of integrated language ability. Applications and implications are then discussed, concerning the choice of teaching materials and tools and the organization of classroom and extracurricular activities. The author hopes that the teaching approach introduced in this thesis could be of certain help to vocabulary instruction in College English courses.