| Vocabulary is an important part of English learning,and English vocabulary teaching is an important way for students to learn vocabulary.Isolated vocabulary teaching in English classroom will lead to the lack of semantic connection between vocabulary,making students unable to use vocabulary in context.The Spreading Activation Model(SAM)put out by Collins & Loftus is a semantic network model that makes up of connected nodes.This model is complex and malleable,and the nodes can spread among each other.Students can memorize words,improve their interest in vocabulary learning,and strengthen their confidence through the connection of vocabulary in English learning by using SAM.This study used SAM in junior high school to explore how SAM affected students’ acquisition of English vocabulary.The research questions presented in this study are as follows:1.What is the effect of Spreading Activation Model on students’ short-term memory towards English vocabulary in junior high school?2.What is the effect of Spreading Activation Model on students’ long-term memory towards English vocabulary in junior high school?3.What is the effect of Spreading Activation Model on students’ attitudes towards English vocabulary learning in junior high school?100 students were chosen for this study from two classes of a junior high school.Among them,50 students in the experimental class(EC)learned vocabulary by using the SAM.50 students in the control class(CC)learned vocabulary by using traditional method.Data were collected for this study through interview,tests,and questionnaires.After the experiment,the data were counted and analyzed with the help of independent sample t-test,and the study results show: before the experiment,there was no significant difference between EC(m=18.72)and CC(m=17.94)on vocabulary level.(p=0.328>0.05).So these two classes can be chosen as the EC and CC.In the experiment,EC used spreading activation teaching model to learn vocabulary.And after the experiment,in the immediate test,there was a significant difference between EC(m=76.12)and CC(m=71.36)on students’ short-term memory towards vocabulary(p=0.005<0.05).Second,SAM helped to strengthen students’ long-term memory on their English vocabulary.In the experiment,students were tested by delayed tests one week later and one month later.In the first delayed test,there was a significant difference between EC(m=72.18)and CC(m=67.04)(p=0.001<0.05).In the second delayed test,there was still a significant difference between EC(m=70.56)and CC(m=65.86)(p=0.002 <0.05).Finally,SAM had a positive effect on students’ attitudes towards English vocabulary learning,including cognitive attitudes,affective attitudes,and behavioral attitudes.Before the experiment,there was no significant difference on cognitive attitudes(p=0.793>0.05),affective attitudes(p=0.709>0.05)and behavioral attitudes(p=0.627>0.05)between EC and CC.After the experiment,there was a significant difference on cognitive attitudes(p=0.019<0.05),affective attitudes(p=0.000<0.05)and behavioral attitudes(p=0.002<0.05)between EC and CC.Among them,the results showed that students’ cognitive attitudes,affective attitudes,and behavioral attitudes have changed to some extent.Students showed great interest in this vocabulary memory model and SAM helped to improve students’ confidence in vocabulary learning.Therefore,during the vocabulary teaching for junior high school students,there were several implications in this study: first,teachers should use more methods that can arise students’ thinking ability.Second,teachers should master methods that can make students memorize vocabulary effectively.Finally,teachers should make students interested in vocabulary learning and be student-centered in classroom. |
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