An Action Research On English Vocabulary Teaching Based On Thematic Context In Junior Middle School

Vocabulary teaching is an important part in English teaching in junior high school.However,some problems do exist in vocabulary teaching,such as teaching words in an isolated way.As a result,it is difficult for students to keep words in mind,let alone put them into use.This approach can not contribute to the development of students’ vocabulary learning ability,hindering the improvement of students’ English.For this reason,this paper applies thematic context to vocabulary teaching to improve vocabulary teaching efficiency.The thematic context based approach is conducted by putting the word in a thematic context,helping students understand the meaning of words and the use of words.Based on the theory of thematic context,taking the method of questionnaires survey,tests,interviews and classroom observation,the paper aims to answer the following two questions:(1)What is the effect of vocabulary teaching based on thematic context on students’ vocabulary learning efficiency?(2)What is the effect of vocabulary teaching based on thematic context on students’ interest in vocabulary learning?The paper explores the effectiveness of teaching vocabulary by creating various related thematic contexts.For this purpose,the researcher has conducted a semester-long action research on teaching English vocabulary in a thematic context based approach.The participants are 50 students in a class in grade 8 in Xinyang City.Based on classroom teaching practice,the action research underwent two main rounds.In the first round of the action research,the action plan was made first,then followed by plan implementation.After the first round of action research,the researcher made a summary and reflected on the result of the action.At the beginning of the second round of action research,the researcher adjusted the action plan based on the first round of reflection,and carried out the revised plan.After the second round of action,combining the analysis of the results of questionnaires survey,tests,interviews and classroom observation,several important findings have been revealed.Firstly,it is an effective approach to apply thematic contexts to English vocabulary teaching in junior middle school.Secondly,vocabulary teaching based on thematic context method can improve students’ vocabulary learning efficiency.Thirdly,to some extent,the vocabulary teaching based on thematic context method can improve students’ interest in vocabulary learning.