毕业论文-高中生英语词汇学习策略的实证研究.doc

论文编号： 华南师范大学增城学院本科毕业论文（设计） 题 目：高中生英语词汇学习策略的实证研究 姓 名： 学 号： 系 别： 专业班级： 指导教师： 2011年 4月 8日 English Vocabulary Learning Strategies of High School Students-An Empirical Study A Thesis Submittedto the Department of Foreign Languages Zengcheng College of South China Normal Universityin Partial Fulfillment of the Requirementsfor the Degree of Bachelor of Arts By Tutor： April 8, 2011 English Vocabulary Learning Strategies of High School Students学位论文原创性声明本人郑重声明：所呈交的学位论文，是本人在导师的指导下，独立进行研究工作所取得的成果。除文中已经注明引用的内容外，本论文不含任何其他个人或集体已经发表或撰写过的作品或成果。对本文的研究做出重要贡献的个人和集体，均已在文中以明确方式标明。本声明的法律结果由本人承担。论文作者签名： 日期： 年 月 日学位论文版权使用授权书本学位论文作者完全了解学校有关保留、使用学位论文的规定，同意学校保留并向国家有关部门或机构送交论文的复印件和电子版，允许论文被查阅和借阅。本人授权华南师范大学增城学院可以将本学位论文的全部或部分内容编入有关数据库进行检索，可以采用影印、缩印或扫描等复制手段保存和汇编本学位论文。本学位论文属于1、保密，在_年解密后适用本授权书。2、不保密。（请在以上相应方框内打“”）作者签名：日期： 年 月 日指导老师签名：日期： 年 月 日AbstractIn recent years, researchers at home and abroad have attached great importance to the studies of vocabulary learning strategies. Accordingly, various studies on vocabulary learning strategies have been evoked both in the foreign countries and in China. Nevertheless, most of these studies focused their attention mainly on college students and postgraduates. Therefore, this study attempts to explore the training effect of vocabulary learning strategies on high school students.In this study, we first did a questionnaire investigation to look into the current situation concerning vocabulary learning strategies of high school students, and then we carried out our training experiment of vocabulary learning strategies on the chosen subjects. Through the questionnaire investigation and the training experiment, we found out that high school students tend to learn vocabulary by rote, seldom employing effective learning strategies, and that the training of vocabulary learning strategies has significant effect on the subjects vocabulary acquisition and even their overall English language learning. We hope that this study will shed some insights on the vocabulary teaching and autonomous learning in high school. Key Words: high school students; vocabulary learning strategies; training; vocabulary teaching（学生作品，文字未作修改）摘 要近年来，词汇学习策略受到了国内外学者的重视，而这在国内外也引发了一系列关于词汇学习策略方面的研究。然而，这些研究的实验对象都过于集中，以大学生和研究生为主。因此，本研究试图探讨高中生词汇学习策略的培养对其在词汇学习方面的具体影响效果。在本次研究中，我们首先通过问卷以调查目前高中生词汇学习策略的使用现状；然后我们对所选取的实验对象进行了词汇学习策略的培养研究。通过问卷调查和培养实验，我们发现：高中生在词汇学习中，很少使用有效的词汇学习策略，仍是普遍采用传统的死记硬背方法；英语词汇学习策略的培养对受试者的词汇习得及对他们的英语学习具有显著效果。我们希望本研究能为高中英语词汇的教学以及自主学习方面提供一些见解。关键词：高中生；词汇学习策略；培养；词汇教学iiContentsAbstracti摘要ii1. Introduction11.1 Rationale11.2 Aim and objectives11.3 Organization of the paper22. Literature Review32.1 Learning strategies32.1.1 Definition of learning strategies32.1.2 Previous studies on learning strategies32.2 Vocabulary learning strategies32.2.1 Definition and classification of vocabulary learning strategies32.2.2 Foreign studies on vocabulary learning strategies42.2.3 Domestic studies on vocabulary learning strategies53. Research Methodology73.1 Research questions73.2 Subjects73.3 Design73.4 Instruments73.4.1 The questionnaire of vocabulary learning strategies83.4.2 The training of vocabulary learning strategies83.5 Data collection and research method84. Results and Discussion94.1 The current situation of the use of vocabulary learning strategies94.2 The training effect of vocabulary learning strategies94.3 The subjects feedback on the training of vocabulary learning strategies115. Conclusion115.1 Major findings125.2 Pedagogical implications125.3 Limitations and suggestions12Appendix A: A Sample of Questionnaire Items13Appendix B: A Sample of Pretest of the Study15Appendix C: A Sample of Posttest of the Study17References18Acknowledgements20English Vocabulary Learning Strategies of High School Students1. Introduction1.1 RationaleStudies on learning strategies have gained great attention in the field of applied linguistics at home and abroad, and thus large quantities of literature on the study of learning strategies were published. When it comes to language learning, it has been universally believed that vocabulary, as an integral part of a language, plays a crucial role in the language learning process. Wilkins (1972: 111) once observed, “Without grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”. However, vocabulary learning is also one of the great obstacles in the process of English learning for Chinese students. Hence, researchers at home and overseas began to attach great importance to the studies of English vocabulary learning strategies. Accordingly, various studies on English vocabulary learning strategies have been evoked both in the foreign countries (e.g. Schimitt 2002) and in China (e.g. Feng 2003; Gao 2004). However, among those studies, their subjects were mainly college students and postgraduates, either English majors or non-English majors. Furthermore, they mainly adopted questionnaire investigation as their research methods. According to New Criteria for English Courses for General High School (2003), students who finished their high school should pass English Test Grade 8 with the demand of vocabulary being 3,500-4000 words, which is similar to that of a non-English-major college student. In the face of the contradiction between the low-efficiency of vocabulary learning and the high requirement on vocabulary size, teachers should realize the necessity of vocabulary learning strategies and train their students to employ more effective strategies, which will empower them to continue to acquire vocabulary on their own. If students could fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of various vocabulary learning strategies, they would master the effective vocabulary learning strategies so as to improve their learning efficiency. Therefore, more empirical studies which concentrate specially on high school students vocabulary learning strategies are needed and deserve more attention. For this reason, we decided to carry out a study to investigate the training effects of vocabulary learning strategies on high school students, in an attempt to help them find out their difficulties in acquiring English vocabulary and to give them some advice on the effective strategies for their vocabulary learning.1.2 Aim and objectives(以下省略)2. Literature ReviewIn this chapter, we will briefly introduce the theories and studies concerning learning strategies and vocabulary learning strategies.2.1 Learning strategies2.1.1 Definition of learning strategiesAccording to Oxford (1990: 8), learning strategies are “specific actions taken by the learners to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective and more transferable to new situations”. Learning strategies have also been called thinking skills, frames, reasoning skills, basic reasoning skills, and learning-to-learn skills. Most, but not all, of these terms focus on the rational, cognitive aspects of learning strategies (Oxford 2008: 238). Learning strategies are especially important for language learning because they are tools for active, self-directed involvement essential for developing communicative competence, and appropriate language learning strategies can result in improved proficiency and greater self-confidence (Oxford 2008: 1). Great attempts have been made to classify learning strategies. As a general concept, learning strategies have a wide range of classifications from different learning perspectives (see Rubin 1987; OMalley & Chamot 1990; Wenden 1991; Trask 1994; Wen 1996; Coady & Huckin 1997; Oxford 2008). 2.1.2 Previous studies on learning strategiesIn recent decades there were large amounts of research achievements about the studies regarding learning strategies both in the foreign countries and in China. For instance, among the foreign studies, Rubin (1975) studied the successful foreign language learners learning strategies; OMalley and Chamot (1990) proved the feasibility of learning strategies training in their experimental study, and published a number of literature works on describing foreign language learners strategies; Wenden (1991) investigated the relationship between foreign language learners strategies and autonomic learning. In China, Wen (1995) conducted the most systemic, lasting and inmost study on learning strategies and published a series of treatises; Wen and Wang (2004) conducted an empirical study on English learning strategies.2.2 Vocabulary learning strategies (以下省略)3. Research MethodologyIn this chapter, the methodology used in the study will be described, in terms of research questions, research subjects, design, instruments, data collection and research method are elaborated in turn.3.1 Research questionsTo be specific, this research addresses the following three research questions: (1) What is the existing situation of the use of vocabulary learning strategies among high school students? (2) What are the training effects of vocabulary learning strategies? (3) What useful implications of English vocabulary teaching can be drawn from the research outcomes for English teachers?3.2 SubjectsThis study was conducted in Guangzhou Nan Wu High School from January to March in 2011. It was developed as the training of vocabulary learning strategies in an effort to explore the effective strategies for high school students in their vocabulary learning and foster them to employ those strategies so that they could eventually improve their English learning proficiency. There are altogether 20 Chinese students involved in this study. Among 20 students, 11 are volunteers and 9 are required by their English teacher to attend this training experiment. Students in Grade Two and Grade Three are busier with their learning than those in Grade One, so the subjects are all Grade One students selected randomly from Nan Wu High School. These students were divided into two groups: the experimental group called class A and the control group named class B, each class consisting of 10 students with different English levels. Before and after the Spring Festival, both classes were taught by us with different teaching methods. The class periods of two classes were the same, which are altogether about 70 hours.3.3 DesignThis study was a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design. We first made a questionnaire containing 34 items to investigate the existing situation of the use of vocabulary learning strategies among high school students; and then the training of vocabulary learning strategies was conducted to train the students to use the effective vocabulary learning strategies in their vocabulary learning. Before and after the study, the subjects were required to finish a pretest and a posttest about their vocabulary size and strategy use.(以下省略)4. Results and DiscussionIn this chapter, detailed information obtained from the study will be presented in terms of the statistical methods (Han 2000), and all the results and findings in the study will be discussed in detail.4.1 The current situation of the use of vocabulary learning strategies According to the analysis of the questionnaires (see Figure 4-1), we can easily find that few of them reached E choice, the value of the category “always true” in the five-point scale. What s more, D choice was reached by only a few of the students, while most of them chose C which stands for “sometimes true” in the five-point scale.The results of the questionnaires indicate that high school students still prefer to learn vocabulary in the traditional way. They seldom apply effective strategies or have adequate awareness of strategy use while learning English words; instead, they learn vocabulary by rote and forget in a short time. So they would easily get tired of vocabulary learning and gradually lose their patience, and eventually have little or no interest in English learning.（以下省略）5. ConclusionIn this chapter, an overall conclusion will be given after discussing all the data and statistics in Chapter Four. First of all, the training effects of vocabulary learning strategies will be summarized. Then based on the findings, pedagogical implications are suggested so as to boost learners vocabulary learning and improve their English learning efficiency. Finally the limitations of the study and suggestions for future studies will be shown and discussed.5.1 Major findingsAfter the observation of the statistics and results in this study, It can be summarized that: (1) The students still prefer to learn vocabulary through the traditional way, namely, learning vocabulary by rote, thus they seldom employ effective learning strategies in their vocabulary learning; and (2) vocabulary learning strategies training of high school students does have significant effect on their vocabulary acquisition and even English learning. However, no significant training effect of vocabulary learning strategies is shown on those students whose English test marks are under 60. This is to say, this kind of strategies training applies to the students who have mastered some required vocabulary and have a general concept of the English learning. The training of vocabulary learning strategies can indeed enhance those students vocabulary learning so that they could eventually improve their learning efficiency of English.5.2 Pedagogical implicationsBased on the findings stated above, it is suggested that our English teachers should be aware of the fact that vocabulary learning strategies are of vital importance to empower students to learn vocabulary with a greater efficiency. As an old saying goes, “Better to teach a man to fish than to give a man a fish.” Teachers should consciously develop students effective strategies to learn vocabulary and improve their ability to learn English autonomously. Only in this way can a student learn the English words effectively and autonomously, leading to make rapid progress in their English language learning. (以下省略)References 1 Wang Wei. 2012. A Voice from Women: The Feminist Interpretation on To the LighthouseD. The Degree of Master of Arts . Northwest University.2 Shang Xiping. 2013. An Analysis of Virginia Woolfs Theory of AndrogynyD. The Degree of Master of Arts . Liaoning University.3 Ma Zixui. 2007. On Woolfs Feminism-An Analysis of Lily Briscore in To the Lighthouse D. The Degree of Master of Arts . Tangshan College.4 Dornyei, Z. 2001. Motivational Strategies in the Language ClassroomM. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.5 Hedge, T. 2002. Teaching and Learning in the Language ClassroomM. Shanghai: Shanghai Forei