The Research On Vocabulary Presentation Modes In Domestic English Textbooks

The present study examines and analyzes the word presentation modes in Englishtextbooks. The research, combining quantitive analysis with qualitative analysis, tries topresent the features and characteristics of word presentation modes objectively. Based onquantitive analysis, the present study conducts qualitative research in order to understand thegeneral features of word presentation modes in different English levels and provides statisticsfor the compiling and evaluation of domestic English textbooks. Moreover, it can also givesome implications for vocabulary teaching and learning.We find that domestic English textbooks pay most attention to form and meaning whilethey ignore spoken form, written form, word parts concept and referents associations,grammatical functions, collocations and constraints on use aspects of word knowledge. Thepresent study investigates six sets of English textbooks of intermediate and advanced levels,three sets of textbooks for each level. Finally, through counting, we find that65.2%of theactivities in English textbooks that we research focus on form and meaning. The results aredifferent from Nation’s word knowledge framework. The major findings are as follows:(1) Domestic English textbooks focus most attention on form and meaning, thengrammatical functions. However, spoken form, written form, word parts concept and referentsassociations, grammatical functions, collocations and constraints on use aspects of word knowledge receive only minimal degrees of attention although in varying amounts.(2) Among sixteen English textbooks, Advanced English textbooks covers nearly all theaspects of word knowledge, except spoken form, but still form and meaning receives mostattention in all the textbooks we examine and grammatical functions and collocations are inthe second and third place respectively. The activities in Integrated skills of English textbooksare the least and receive least attention of aspects of word knowledge.(3) Compared with intermediate level, the advanced level pays more attention to formand meaning and less attention to grammar functions. In the advanced level, constrains on usereceives a little attention while it receives little attention in intermediate level.(4) Sometimes, the activities in different sets of textbooks are based on material writers’different aims. There are a few language activities in each unit in some textbooks or someaspects of word knowledge receive little attention in the whole set of textbooks. They focusmore attention on passages’ comprehension and understanding of English-speaking countries’culture and customs.By analyzing six sets of English textbooks, we know that material writers and textbookusers believe that learning vocabulary equals learning their meanings. We need to change suchtraditional opinion. Therefore, material writers should write more activities which examine allnine aspects of word knowledge when they are compiling textbooks so as to make them knowthat learning a word means learning nine aspects of word knowledge instead of learningmeaning so that they can comprehensively master what they should learn. For teachers, theyalso need to change their traditional view in teaching vocabulary and pay attention to theteaching methods in order to lead learners’ attention to other aspects of word knowledge; sothat they can master it comprehensively and develop receptive and productive wordknowledge, combining what they learn with practice in this way.