A Study On The Effects Of Output Tasks And Participation Methods On Junior High School Students’ Learning English Phrasal Verbs

Many studies have proved that output can facilitate vocabulary acquisition.Phrasal verbs are a vital subgroup of English vocabulary.However,very few studies have been carried out focusing on the effects of different output tasks and participation methods on learning phrasal verbs.The study aimed to investigate the effects of two different output tasks and participation methods on the learning and retention of phrasal verbs.The two output tasks were blank filling and error correction.The two participation methods meant that the students completed the tasks in pairs or individually.A total of 52 Grade 8 students in a junior high school participated in the research.They were randomly divided into two groups,and each group consisted of 26 students,to finish the two output tasks.The research questions were described as follows:1.What are the effects of the output tasks(blank filling and error correction)and participation methods(pair work and individual output)on learning English phrasal verbs?1.1 What are the effects of the two output tasks(blank filling and error correction)on learning phrasal verbs?1.2 What are the effects of the two participation methods(pair work and individual output)on learning phrasal verbs?2.What is the retention of pair work and individual output tasks in learning phrasal verbs?2.1 Do the two output tasks(blank filling and error correction)differ from each other in terms of the students’ retention of English phrasal verbs?2.2 Do the two participation methods(pair work and individual output)differ from each other in terms of the students’ retention of English phrasal verbs?The whole study consisted of two cycles.Each cycle consisted of 3 phases:a pretest,a treatment and a delayed posttest 5 days later.To eliminate the effects of tasks and individual differences,the treatment was designed as follows.In the first cycle,half students completed the blank filling first and then the error task in 13 pairs,while the other 26 students completed them in the same order individually.In the second cycle,the students who completed the tasks in pairs in the first cycle completed the error correction first and then the blank filling task individually,and the other 26 students who formed 13 pairs completed the tasks in the same order.While students were doing the tasks,their discussion was recorded and then transcribed for further analysis.Through the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data,major findings were presented as follows:First,in terms of the effects on learning phrasal verbs,there was a significant difference between the two output tasks.The mean score for the error correction task was much higher than that for the blank filling task.It meant that error correction was much more effective than blank filling in promoting students’ learning English phrasal verbs.There also existed a significant difference between the two participation methods.Students scored much higher when completing the tasks in pairs.It showed that pair work produces a superior effect to individual output in learning English phrasal verbs.Second,in terms of the retention of phrasal verbs,both output tasks could facilitate the retention of the target phrasal verbs and they had similar facilitating effect.Error correction led to higher mean scores in the posttest than blank filling,however,no significant difference was found between the two output tasks.Pair work and individual output were both proved to be effective participation methods in the retention of the target phrasal verbs,the comparison of the students’ pretest and posttest scores showed no significant difference between the two participation methods,either.Some pedagogical implications were obtained on the basis of the findings above.Firstly,teachers should encourage output activities in classroom teaching.Secondly,teachers should not ignore the importance of individual work while emphasizing on cooperative learning.