The Application Of Input Hypothesis In College English Vocabulary Teaching

The acquisition of vocabulary is acknowledged as one of the most fundamental and essential components for learning a language. It seems especially important for the non-English major college students, considered as advanced English learners, to expand their vocabulary in large quantities. The study on vocabulary teaching has been ignored in the past until researchers drew their attention to it in 1980s. Researches show that the situation of vocabulary teaching is not satisfactory due to the fact that a series of issues of vocabulary teaching resulting from the conventional vocabulary teaching approaches in China needs to be resolved, such as low efficiency of teaching and difficulty in vocabulary retention. To deal with it, many teachers and researchers have been exploring in this field and bringing forward new research results.Input Hypothesis, as one of the most important theories in SLA, is widely applied in language teaching and learning. However, only a few of studies focus on the application of input hypothesis in vocabulary teaching. The present thesis points out that the application of Input Hypothesis in college English vocabulary teaching can not only enable students to acquire the vocabulary comprehensively but also enhance their lexical competence and communicative competence.The aim of this research is to attempt to provide a new perspective and approach to college vocabulary teaching based on Krashen’s Input Hypothesis. Drawn on Krashen’s input hypothesis and four principles for effective input, the present thesis suggests that the effective input of vocabulary teaching should include the following three aspects:vocabulary form input (pronunciation and word formation), vocabulary meaning input (conceptual meaning, connotative meaning, sense relation, style and collocation) and vocabulary memory strategy input. In addition, attempts have been made to design a variety of teaching activities and combine these with the effective input process for the purpose of ensuring the effectiveness of vocabulary input in class. Implications of the application of Input Hypothesis in college English vocabulary teaching have been concluded.Firstly, an overview of the status change of English vocabulary teaching has been offered as well as the historic development of it both in Western countries and in China. Moreover, the application of Krashen’s Input Hypothesis in various fields, especially in the area of vocabulary teaching has been introduced.Then, the present thesis presents a detailed introduction to Krashen’s Input Hypothesis and the important role it has played in classroom teaching. The introduction begins with the Five Hypothesis postulated by Krashen with the focus on the Input Hypothesis, which enormously influences the field of SLA. The relevant theories of Input Hypothesis are introduced in detail, including the concept and interpretation of it, the evidence for the hypothesis, the four principles of effective input and the application in classroom teaching.Based on the clear understanding of Krashen’s Input Hypothesis, the central part of the thesis is to explore the application of it in college English vocabulary teaching. The reasons and possibilities for the application of Input Hypothesis in college English vocabulary teaching have been explained, and a model has been conceived based on the Input Hypothesis, effective input principles and the content of vocabulary teaching. The input of vocabulary is divided into three parts:the vocabulary form input, vocabulary meaning input and vocabulary memory strategy input, which are combined with various teaching activities. Additionally, a detailed description of procedures for the practice of the teaching activities has been provided. Finally, conclusions of the application of Input Hypothesis in college English vocabulary teaching have been made.It is hoped that some contributions to the improvement of the current situation of college English vocabulary teaching could be made by the present thesis.