| The English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education(2011 Edition)regulates the demand for the amount and degree of English vocabulary.It is broadly acknowledged that vocabulary is the foundation for English learning.And English vocabulary breadth and depth lay a solid foundation for learners to use vocabulary.The teaching of English vocabulary is a teaching process with form,meaning,and use of English vocabulary as its teaching contents and with the comprehension,output,and application of target English vocabulary as its teaching aims.Total physical response(TPR)is a popular teaching method,proposed by the famous American psychologist James Asher in the 1960 s.This method proceeds with language acquisition focusing on the connection between body movements and language expressions.As for teaching vocabulary through TPR,the teachers express new English vocabulary through body movements in oral imperatives.The learners observe the teachers’ body movements,try to comprehend the meanings of the target words,and express their understanding through body language.TPR attaches great importance to creating a stress-free and pleasant learning environment and emphasizing happy learning to help students improve their interest in learning English vocabulary and build up their confidence.The features of TPR are suitable for the characteristics of students in junior high school.Hence,based on second language acquisition theories,the work division of the left and right side of the brain,memory trace theory,and humanistic psychology,this paper is studying the application of TPR in English vocabulary teaching in classes in rural junior high schools.The questionnaire,experiment,and interview are mainly used to study the following three questions:1.Can the total physical response improve the interest of students in rural junior high schools in English vocabulary learning?2.What is the effect of the total physical response on the English vocabulary breadth of students in rural junior high schools?3.What is the effect of the total physical response on the English vocabulary depth of students in rural junior high schools?A Junior High School is located in Jinxi Town,Hengyang County.In this paper,an experiment was carried out for about four months on two parallel classes of the seventh grade of Junior High School,with 43 students in each class and a total of 86 students.The two classes were randomly divided into the control class and the experimental class.Students in the experimental class were taught by the TPR teaching method while the students in the control class by the traditional vocabulary teaching method.First,pretest papers and pre-questionnaires were conducted for the experimental class and the control class.Then a16-week teaching experiment was implemented.At the end of the experiment,two classes were given post-test papers and post-questionnaires,and the students in the experimental class were interviewed.Finally,all the data were collected and analyzed one by one according to the research questions of this paper.The result showed that,compared with the traditional teaching method,TPR exerts a positive influence on students’ interest in English vocabulary learning,their vocabulary breadth,and their vocabulary depth.To be specific,first,TPR stimulates students’ interest in learning new English words and English learning.Second,TPR helps students behave positively and maintain their attention in class.Third,TPR is helpful for students to cultivate their habit of learning English vocabulary out of class and the students’ autonomous learning ability has been enhanced.As for vocabulary breadth,the amount of vocabulary of students in the experimental class is larger than that of students in the control class.For vocabulary depth,the students in the experimental class have a better understanding of vocabulary knowledge than those in the control class.TPR provides a vocabulary teaching method for front-line teachers in rural areas and boosts the development of English vocabulary teaching in rural areas. |
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