An Action Research On English Vocabulary Teaching Based On Context Theory In Junior High School

Vocabulary is an indispensable element of language knowledge and the foundation of language skill development.Vocabulary teaching is an essential aspect throughout junior high school English teaching.The traditional method of teaching vocabulary in isolation from context leads to students? mechanical memorizing of vocabulary,which affects the efficiency of vocabulary learning.This research mainly focuses on the following three questions:(1)What effects does context-based vocabulary teaching have on students? attitudes towards vocabulary learning and on their vocabulary learning strategies?(2)How should context-based vocabulary teaching be implemented in different types of English classes?(3)What effects does context-based vocabulary teaching have on students? overall lexical performance?In accordance with the procedure of “planning,practice,reflection and adjustment,repeated practice and reflection”,the two-semester action research was carried out in a class of grade seven in a municipal junior high school in Hebei province.In regular English classes of listening,speaking,reading and writing,contextual vocabulary teaching method was adopted to guide students? vocabulary learning by creating diversified contexts in the course of vocabulary presentation,comprehension,consolidation and application.The research data were collected by means of questionnaire,interview,tests and classroom observation.Through data collection and analysis,the following conclusions are drawn: vocabulary teaching based on context theory has a positive impact on the cultivation of junior middle school students? interest in English vocabulary learning,as well as the grasp and application of effective vocabulary learning strategies.It can be seen from the improvement of students? comprehension,memory and application of vocabulary that contextual vocabulary teaching method can improve students? overall lexical performance.According to different vocabulary teaching objectives,teachers are suggested to create appropriate context in vocabulary teaching at different stages in listening,speaking,reading and writing classes,and focus on cultivating students? ability of understanding and using vocabulary in context.At the same time,with the help of extracurricular reading resources,students can use appropriate vocabulary learning strategies to acquire vocabulary effectively in the context to increase their vocabulary and to improve their lexical performance.In addition,through this research,it is hoped that junior high school English teachers can have a deeper understanding of context theory,and actively study for more effective teaching methods,which can be widely used in vocabulary teaching.