The Application Of Context Theory To English Vocabulary Teaching In Senior High School

Context plays a very important role in vocabulary teaching. The study of context theory provides rich theoretical basis for context-based vocabulary teaching. This paper introduces the context theory to English vocabulary teaching in senior high school. The author reviews the research achievements of the domestic and foreign experts and scholars on the context theory and vocabulary teaching, and expounds the function of context theory on vocabulary teaching. Considering the feasibility and the limitation of high school English classroom teaching time, the author has a detailed division of context and the context is divided into cultural context, situational context, lexical context and grammatical context. The author also discusses the application of the four aspects to English vocabulary teaching. When Senior One starts, some students and all the English teachers in the high school where the author teaches English receive students questionnaire and teachers questionnaire. According to the result, the author has a deep understanding of the context theory’s application situation to English vocabulary teaching and also finds a common problem existing in vocabulary learning. And the problem is that students mechanically memorize words according to the word list rather than use context strategy to understand and memorize words. In addition, the author gives the students in her two classes a vocabulary test and a competence test and knows that the current situation of their command of vocabulary and their English comprehensive ability are almost the same. The author then conducts a semester teaching experiment research. She adopts context-based vocabulary teaching to teach vocabulary in one of her classes, namely, the Experimental Class. And she also uses the restrictive function and interpretative function of context on vocabulary teaching and combines the four aspects of lexical context, grammatical context, situational context and cultural context trying to find effective methods of English vocabulary teaching. Then at the end of the first term, the students also take a vocabulary test and a competence test. After analyzing the tests results, the author finds that the average score, the highest and lowest score, and the percentage of the excellent students and the students who can pass the test of the Experimental Class are higher than those of the Controlled Class. Through this experimental research, the author finds that context-based vocabulary learning is helpful to enlarge students’ vocabulary, develop their ability of accurate vocabulary acquisition, improve their ability of guessing a word’s meaning in the context and finally improve their English comprehensive ability.