An Experimental Study On The Application Of Phonics In Junior High School English Vocabulary Teaching

Vocabulary is the foundation of language which is one of the main subjects of English learning and the focus and difficulties of English teaching in junior high schools.English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education(2017 edition)specifically stipulates that high school students are required to pronounce simple words according to spelling rules.However,the vocabulary teaching method adopted by many junior high school English teachers in our country is repeatedly mechanical memory training on the pronunciation and meaning of words,which separates the relationship between pronunciation and word spelling.Teachers need to explore an effective vocabulary teaching method that conforms to English learning rules and cognitive characteristics of junior high school students.Phonics matches the English letters and letter combinations with the pronunciation of the words and establishes a one-to-one correspondence among the letters,letter combinations and word forms,which helps junior high school students to grasp the English vocabulary more systematically and completely,so that students can read and spell words correctly.Through teaching experiments,this research discusses the application of phonics and its influence on English vocabulary teaching in junior high school.The study is based on the theory of input hypothesis,transfer learning,critical period hypothesis and cognitive development.And the Class 1 and Class 2 of Grade 7 of a junior high school in Kunming are samples of this study.This teaching experiment lasted for 16 weeks in which the former is used as the experimental group and the latter is used as the control class.As for the way of vocabulary learning,the traditional vocabulary teaching method is employed in the control class,while the phonics is applied in the experimental class.This research uses tests,questionnaires and interviews as methodology to collect data when conducting the teaching experiments.The study explores the impact of phonics on the learning of English vocabulary of junior high school students from the views of word spelling,pronunciation and learning interests through teaching experiments.The main research questions on the impact of students’ vocabulary learning are as follows:(1)Does phonics promote students’ interests and initiatives in vocabulary learning?(2)Does phonics improve students’ English vocabulary spelling abilities?(3)Does phonics enhance students’ English vocabulary pronunciation?The results of research show that the use of phonics in junior high school English vocabulary teaching can promote the pronunciation and spelling ability of junior high school students,and can also enhance students’ interest in English vocabulary learning.The following three inspirations are obtained from this teaching experiment:(1)Teachers should actively learn phonics and apply phonics to vocabulary teaching.At the same time,schools should increase teachers’ use of phonics to enhance teaching efficiency and lessen students’ study pressure;(2)Complaints of students about vocabulary learning must be changed,and take the initiative to learn phonics taught by teachers which can arouse students’ enthusiasm for vocabulary learning and improve their spelling and pronunciation skills;(3)Schools should provide books related to phonics and actively hold seminars related to phonics.Through in-depth understanding of natural pronunciation,teachers can summarize the phonics,which can dramatically promote students’ English learning abilities and learning initiatives.