Comparing The Effects Of Description Presentation Mode And Perception Presentation Mode On Primary School Students’ English Vocabulary Learning

In language teaching and learning,vocabulary is very important,because it is almost throughout the whole process of language learning,especially in primary school.However,the learners in primary school usually have some problems in vocabulary learning.Besides,a lot of students have little interest in vocabulary learning.Therefore,this study compares the vocabulary learning effects of description presentation mode and perception presentation mode on pupils’ immediate and delayed retention of vocabulary.It focuses on the following questions:(1)Which has a better effect on primary school students’ English vocabulary immediate learning,description presentation mode or perception presentation mode?(2)Which can better promote the primary school students’ English vocabulary delayed retention,description presentation mode or perception presentation mode?This study used quantitative and qualitative methods.The research participants were one hundred Grade Four students,chosen from an ordinary primary school.Each class had fifty students.One class used description presentation mode,and the other class adopted perceptive presentation mode.Before the experiment,the two classes had a vocabulary test.After the experiment,the two classes received an immediate test at once.Then,after a week,they had a delayed test.The qualitative study employed two semi-structured interviews.One interview was for the students.The six interviewees were chosen from two classes.In each class,the three students represented higher,medium and lower English level.The students were interviewed one by one in the form of free discussion.The other interview was for the teachers.Five primary English teachers were chosen to talk about their understanding and opinions about vocabulary presentation modes.The major findings of the study are presented as follows:Firstly,in terms of immediate learning,it seems that the students mastered the vocabulary a little better by using description presentation mode than those by using perception presentation mode,even though there was no significant difference between the two modes.From the interview,it is found that no matter what level the student was,he or she hardly liked the boring description presentation mode.Though they memorized some new words in class,they would forget many of the words a week later.Secondly,with regard to delayed retention,significant differences were found between the effects of the two kinds of English vocabulary presentation modes,and the students taught in perceptive presentation mode performed better than those taught in description presentation mode.From the interview,students believed that they can master the words by using all kinds of sense organs,such as auditory sense,visual sense,tactile sense,and taste sense.Then,they can have fun learning vocabulary and memorize the words better.Therefore,this kind of presentation mode was more welcomed.Teachers in the interview agreed that they needed professional training about vocabulary presentation modes and then they could choose suitable presentation modes to get a better effect of vocabulary teaching.The study provides some implications:teachers should choose their own useful vocabulary presentation modes in their daily teaching according to different contents,specific students and different teaching objectives.Besides,description presentation mode and perception presentation mode both have their own advantages and disadvantages.They are complementary to each other in fact.