A Study On The Application Of Mind Map To English Vocabulary Learning In Senior High School

Vocabulary learning is one of the most significant parts in the process of English learning.However,it is a challenge for senior high school students to learn and memorize English vocabulary efficiently.Under this circumstance,learning vocabulary only by traditional vocabulary sheet takes much time with poor efficiency.As a kind of visualization tool,Mind Map has been used in many fields.By organizing lear-ning contents effectively and associating the knowledge of new and old in a reasonable way,it can enhance the memorizing effect.This research focuses on the application of Mind Map to English vocabulary learning in order to verify the following research questions.1)Can the application of Mind Map to English vocabulary learning improve students' short-time memory of vocabulary?2)Can the application of Mind Map to English vocabulary learning improve students' delayed memory of vocabulary?3)What effects does Mind Map have on students' learning strategies and learning habits?The resear-ch was carried out in two parallel classes of Z Middle School for over two months,whose instruments were questionnaires,vocabulary dictation tests,interview,Mind Maps of English vocabulary and traditional vocabulary sheets.First of all,the two parallel classes were divided into experimental class and control class.Mind Maps of English vocabulary were applied to the former while traditional vocabulary sheets were to the latter.Two different questionnaires were distributed to the students in experimental class before and after the research in order to learn the difference in their learning habits and learning strategies.Secondly,vocabulary dictation tests were conducted in both classes during the research,whose purpose was to know the memorizing effect of Mind Map.Thirdly,the interview was conducted at the end of the research.Then the software SPSS 20.0 was used to analyze the data of vocabulary dictation tests and questionnaires and the interview was recorded.The following findings are concluded through the analysis and discussion of the collected data.Firstly,students applying Mind Map to vocabulary learning achieve higher scores on immediate vocabulary dictation tests than those who memorize words by traditional vocabulary sheet.Secondly,students applying Mind Map to vocabulary learning achieve higher scores on delayed vocabulary dictation tests than those who memorize words by traditional vocabulary sheet.Thirdly,Mind Map does have a positive effect on developing good learning habits and utilizing learning strategies.Also,students hold positive attitudes toward Mind Map and believe that it increases their interest.Therefore,the research results serve as a reference for English learners and future researches.