An Empirical Study Of The Effect Of The Conceptual Metaphor On College English Reading Instruction

The Conceptual Metaphor, from the perspective of cognitive linguistics, proposed that the metaphor is conceptual; it is a method of thinking, as well as of recognition. Applying the theory and research fruits of Conceptual Metaphor, the paper conducts an empirical study among non-English majors from a local university, aiming to investigate the effect the Conceptual Metaphor having on the college reading instruction. The paper tries to answer:(1) Can the college English reading instruction from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor facilitate the improvement of Chinese learners’reading comprehension ability?(2) To the Chinese learners with high-level and low-level in English learning, is there any difference in their English reading comprehension proficiency after the college English reading instruction from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor?(3) Can the instruction and the learning materials applied in the experiment be accepted by Chinese learners?(4) To the Chinese learners with high-level and low-level in English learning, is there any difference in their acceptability in terms of the instruction and the learning materials applied in the experiment? Based on the fact that there is no significant difference between the two parallel classes in which the subjects engaged in the experimental instruction, the two parallel classes are the control group and the experimental group respectively and successively during the two different phases of the experiment which aim at different learning targets. By applying SPSS17.0to compare the scores of reading comprehension gained in the immediate tests after different instructing treatments, to compare the scores of reading comprehension gained in the pretest and retention test, and to analyze the data collected from the questionnaire, the paper generates the following conclusions:(1) the reading instruction from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor can facilitate the improvement of Chinese learners’ reading comprehension ability. There are significant differences between the scores gained in the pretest and retention test.(2) To the Chinese learners with high-level and low-level in English learning, there are some differences in their English reading comprehension ability after the reading instruction from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor. The learners in high-level group achieved significant progress after the experimental instruction and those in low-level group achieved some progress, and the scores gained by those with high-level are still significantly higher than those with low-level.(3) The instruction and the learning materials applied in the experiment are accepted by Chinese learners, especially the learning materials.(4) To the Chinese learners with high-level and low level in English learning, there are some differences in their acceptability in terms of the instruction and the learning materials applied in the experiment. The learners with high-level hold much positive attitude towards the experimental instruction and the learning materials while the learners with low-level are not the same.The paper tries to provide some experimental data and implications in college English reading instruction from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor in order to help learners improve their reading proficiency and reduce the chance of mistakes or errors while reading in foreign languages.