英语专业毕业论文 30577.doc

本科毕业论文（设计）题目：The Obstacles and Strategies of Words Memorization of Junior Students in Rural Areas专 业： 英 语 The Obstacles and Strategies of Words Memorization of Junior Students in Rural AreasAbstracts: The New Standard of National Curriculum requires junior students to master about 1600 words and 300 phrases in the course of their study in junior middle school. For many junior students in rural areas they can not achieve the goal required. In this paper, the author investigated students from class 10 grade 8 students in Leli middle school , Rongjiang county. Adopting questionnaire survey and class experiment, the author made the research on them. The author found some problems as follows.1) Most of students think words memorization is very boring, and they lack interest.2) There are not suitable strategies in words memorization.3) The environment of living and studying do not create a good atmosphere for words memorization.Be aimed at the research results, the author gave advice for junior students in rural areas of words memorization.Key words: words memorization; obstacles; strategies; junior students in rural areasContentsI.Introduction.1II.Research Design and Method.12.1.Purpose.1 2.2.Subjects.1 2.3.Instruments.22.4.Procedures.3III.Results and Discussion.4 3.1.The Obstacles of Words Memorization.4 3.2.Different Strategy Use.5 3.3.Comparison of New Teaching Method and Traditional Teaching Method.9IV.Conclusion.12Acknowledgements.13References.14Appendix 1.15Appendix 2.16Appendix 3.171.IntroductionAs we all know that vocabulary is the basic of a language, human thinking activity and the exchange of ideas first depend on vocabulary. Wilkins said in a book named Linguistics in Language Teaching “ Without grammar very little can be conveyed. Without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.” According to Lord,“also vocabulary is by far the most sizable and unmanageable component in the learning of any language , whether for a foreign or ones mother tongue because of tens of thousands of different meanings”（Oxford,1990,p.39）As a part of language, vocabulary learning is of great importance of language acquisition. One can not learn a vocabulary without vocabulary (Krashen,1989; Nation, 1990). Some domestic researchers also did some discussions in this field . Such as Shu Dingfang, Wen Qiufang(1996,1997), Ren Junling(1997), Cai Xin(1998), Wu Xia(1998), Wang Wenyu(1998), Zhang Ping(2001), Lin Min(2003), Gao Yue(2004). The junior students in rural areas have so mang obstacles in vocabulary learning, the problem is not only students themselves, but also the teachers teaching method.2.Research Design and Method2.1.Purpose In rural junior middle school, most of students did not learn English until they enter the middle school. It is great difficult for them to learn vocabulary without a good foundation in Grade 8. Maybe, it is easier to learn English vocabulary in Grade 7 because of the vocabulary size is small and short, in Grade 8, it is becoming bigger and more difficult. Whats more, Grade 8 is an important period of preparing the spurt for Grade 9. But for the rural students, they can not learn it well for so many reasons. The study aims at offering answers to the following research questions: Q1.What obstacles do the students have in words memorization? Q2.What kinds of vocabulary learning strategies do the students usually use ? Q3.What kinds of vocabulary teaching method can make students to improve their vocabulary learning?2.2.Subjects 46 students come from Class 10 Grade 8, Leli Middle School, which is a rural junior middle school in Leli town, Rongjiang county. All of the 46 students are from rural areas, there are 25 girls and 21 boys. Leli Middle School is the only middle school in the town, even if the home is far from school they had to go to school here, so they boarding in the school from Monday to Friday. They have six English lessons, two English morning reading and one English night study every weeks. These students do not have a strong consciousness about English vocabulary learning and do not recognize the importance of vocabulary in foreign language learning. As for the words memorization, they usually choose to use mechanical memory , but other vocabulary learning strategies are seldom used. They are average age is 14 years old which are in the puberty period, the characteristic of them is very lively and active, they always can not concentrate on the lessons. After class they can not be aware of reviewing the words they have learned. Another point which can not allow to ignored is their family, their parents also do not pay more attention to their education. The teachers in Leli Middle school almost graduates of junior colleges, their English vocabulary teaching method continue to use traditional teaching method, a great quantity vocabulary and insipid explanation make students lack of interesting of vocabulary learning.2.3.Instruments The instruments adopted are a questionnaire on vocabulary learning strategies and two vocabulary testing paper. The questionnaire is made of related reference, the record of writes interview about students, own experience of vocabulary learning. The questionnaire contains eighteen questions, from Q1 to Q16, each question have more than four choices. Q17 and Q18 students should answer these two questions by their own words. The questionnaire involves two main parts, one is the obstacles in their vocabulary learning, another is the vocabulary learning strategies they are used. The two vocabulary testing paper is based on the textbook of Grade 8, each testing paper contains 50 English words. One paper is used for investigating their vocabulary learning circumstance with the traditional vocabulary teaching method, another paper is used for investigating the effect after the new vocabulary teaching method. The score will serve as a reference for comparison the effect between the two vocabulary teaching method.2.4.Procedures In September, 2011, the author is very fortunately to be a practice English teacher in Class 10 Grade 8, Leli Middle School. Firstly, the author had the English lesson with the students, listened and paid attention to the old English teachers vocabulary teaching method. Before starting the authors lesson, she hand out the first vocabulary testing paper, giving them 45 minutes to finish it, then, collect the paper. During about 44 days, the writer try her best to use a new vocabulary teaching method to teach the students, in order to improve their vocabulary learning ability. As soon as the writer nearly finished her practice teaching period, 46 questionnaires were handed out. The author read some related references and interviewed so many students. Collecting their vocabulary learning strategies and ask about the obstacles in their vocabulary learning before the she designing the questionnaire In the last class, the second vocabulary testing paper was handed out, the author collected the score and made a comparison with the first one.3.Results and Discussion3.1.The Obstacles of Words MemorizationTable 1N1N2PLack of interest462963.04%Vocabulary less important462554.34%Do not review 463269.56%Easy to forget464393.47%Do not find an effect learning strategies464597.82%N1=the total number of students N2=the number of who choose this point P=percentageFrom T1, we can see clearly that there are five big obstacles in their vocabulary learning:3.1.1 They lack of interest. From Grade 7 to Grade 8, the vocabulary size is becoming bigger and more difficult, great number of English words make students spend a lot of time in remembering them but have unsatisfied results, they feel that words memorization is very boring. Another reason is the traditional vocabulary teaching method, to read the new words after teacher, listen to the teacher explain the words one by one and make notes, whats more, the teacher usually teach the words of whole unite to students before starting a new unite. Such great number of words make students difficult to accept, so that they lose the interesting of learning vocabulary.3.1.2 They do not realize the importance of vocabulary in foreign language learning. In many students opinion, grammar is the most important element to get a high score in the examination. But they ignore that learn a foreign language including listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary, writing and reading comprehension. However, vocabulary is the basic element of other five parts.3.1.3Do not review. Most part students is boarded in the school, every day they have night self study from 7:30 pm to 9:30pm. The author find that, teachers always use this two hours complete their lessons which they can not finish in the daytime, so that students do not have the chance to study or review the subject what they want. At 10pm, they should go to bed and all of the light should be turned off. The only 30 minutes they must get water from a regular place, they should wash themselves but have no more time to review what they have learned in the daytime after night study. After class, they would like talking with classmates, playing basketball, or doing something else besides reading book. They learn the new words in the class, put the books away after class, and then forget them quickly.3.1.4 Easy to forget Almost students have the biggest obstacle in vocabulary learning, it is easy to forget the new words. The students can remember the new words which the teacher first teach them, but that is just a short memory, students will forget them quickly without regularly reviewing. A new word should be repeated from memory more than 3 times that can be really remembered. As for the teenagers, they have a good memory in this period. Only if review the vocabulary regularly everyday, other parts of English learning will improve quickly.3.1.5 Do not find an effect learning strategy. During the authors research, she found that the rural junior middle school students employ a wide range of strategies. But just mechanical memory is sometimes used by them, the others are seldom used.According to the above information, there are 97% students who do not find a suitable vocabulary learning strategy, it becomes the biggest obstacle in vocabulary learning. In order to help students to solve this problem, some effective vocabulary learning should be found for students.3.2.Different strategy useTable2N1N2PPronunciation Strategy46510.87%Word-structure Strategy4636.52%Association Strategy46613.04%Repeating Strategy46817.37%Classification Strategy4600Making Plan4624.35%Guessing to the content46817.39%Mechanical Memory461328.26%Combining with the speaking circumstance4612.17%N1=the total number of students N2=the number of who choose this point P=percentageFrom T2 we find that the mechanical memory strategy in common use by the subjects, and no one choose the classification strategy. They would like to use repeat strategy, guessing to the context and mechanical memory. Their vocabulary learning strategy is single and unchanging. Hope the nine learning strategies are useful for improving vocabulary learning.3.2.1 Making a plan Making a plan is very important for any language learner. Firstly, establishing a plan about how many new words should be learned everyday. Secondly, how long should be taken to review new words and old words after class. Last, doing a vocabulary test regularly to exam the effect of vocabulary learning.3.2.2 Pronunciation strategy It is the primary strategy of words memorization. It means that people can spell a word by the pronunciation of letters or letter combination. So, vocabulary reading is significant. When read the word should pay attention to divide the syllables, and read the word in a regularly rhythm. For example, “com-pu-ter, ani-mal,con-si-der, vege-able” and so on. Another example, studying the pronunciation of words combination “ee”, by the way of concluding the wprds :“meet, sheep, sleep etc.” let student realize the regular pronunciation of /i: /, so that students can easily to spell the word “feet” by the pronunciation.3.2.3 Word-structure strategy Spelling has a big influence on words memorization. It is necessary to learn the word structure. A word contains root, prefix ,suffix. It is a good method to enlarge the number of vocabulary. For example, “- un,- dis” stands for negate, such as “dis-like, un-happy, un-necessary, ect.” “- ant, -er/or” stands for people, such as “assist-ant, applicant is made of apply-cant, work-er, sell-er, act-or, ect.” Another word which is formed by two independent words, such as “man+kind=mankind, black+board=blackboard warm-hearted, ect.” Remembering these regular pattern, words memorization is become easier.3.2.4 Association strategy Association strategy aims at according to associate the words which students have learned to help memory the new words. For example the word “never” we can look letter “n” as a mountain, we have ever been to somewhere, but there is a mountain which cannot climb over stands for letter “n” in front of “ever”, “never” means have no even been to somewhere. Another example, “on the tree” and “in the tree” this two phrases, we can associate by the characteristic of most fruits are round, the letter “o” is round, like apple, pear and other fruits we should use “on the tree”, other things or person which have no relationship with tree should sue “in the tree”. Association strategy establishes a relationship between image and vocabulary, change the abstract material into specific, the learner can memorize vocabulary by comprehension.3.2.5 Repeating strategy Repeating strategy is one part of mechanical memory which is widely used among the students. During a long period, the traditional vocabulary teaching method always be used by teachers. The teachers ask students to recite the vocabulary again and again. Mechanical repeat is actually one of efficacious method for beginners. But a vocabulary is not made of single word, there is relationship between word and word, meaning and meaning. When we use this method should try to