The Application Of TPR Approach To English Vocabulary Teaching In Primary Schools

In the fourth part of the Guidelines for the Implementation of the English Curriculum Standard(2011),it puts forward “strengthening the guidance of learning strategies to develop students’ ability to Learn Independently” and clarifies that students can “master effective methods of memorizing and using English vocabulary”.The amount of the vocabulary that students master will directly affect their English capabilities,such as oral expression,essay writing and so on.Therefore,the research on vocabulary teaching has attracted the attention of many scholars.Their studies on the effectiveness of vocabulary teaching from the aspects of vocabulary teaching methods,teaching concepts and teaching strategies,have achieved some results.However,the traditional vocabulary teaching method is mainly indoctrination,which enables students to memorize vocabulary by rote.This method can not help students form effective learning strategies,but also greatly weaken students’ interest in learning English.In order to achieve the requirements of the curriculum standard,the author tries to use Total Physical Response(TPR)approach to teach,to see whether it could facilitate students’ mastery of vocabulary will have better results.TPR is a commonly used teaching approach in primary school English teaching.It enables students to perceive the meaning of a word through physical reactions and physical movements.This kind of teaching method is in line with the nature of primary school students’ love,which could easily mobilize their interest in learning and enhance their self-confidence in learning English.In view of the effectiveness of TPR in primary school English teaching,this paper makes an empirical study on its application in primary school English vocabulary teaching.The research questions are as follows:Research question 1: Can TPR approach affect the interest of primary students in English vocabulary learning?Research question 2: Can TPR approach enhance the efficiency of students’ memorization of English vocabulary learning?In this study,two parallel classes(86 students)of fourth grade in Shajing Central Primary School were divided into experimental class and control class,and a four-month follow-up experiment was conducted.The experimental class adopts TPR approach to teach vocabulary,while the control class adopts traditional vocabulary teaching method.Through the analysis of two questionnaires,this paper studies how TPR approach affects students’ interest of English vocabulary learning in primary schools.The effectiveness of TPR teaching method in primary school students’ English vocabulary learning is evaluated by comparing the results of pre-test and post-test in the experimental class and the control class.Based on the results of the survey,the following conclusions are drawn in this paper: First of all,TPR approach can help to change primary students’ previous attitude and methods of English vocabulary learning,and greatly enhance their interest in vocabulary learning.Secondly,TPR teaching approach conforms to the physiological and psychological characteristics of primary school students.Compared with traditional teaching methods,this approach can improve students’ vocabulary learning efficiency.