A Study of Integrated Vocabulary Teaching in a Senior High School

• Main Authors: Wen-tsair Huang, 黃文財
• Other Authors: Hsiu-chieh Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2001
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/22689394405868721784

碩士 === 淡江大學 === 西洋語文研究所 === 89 === Title of Thesis:A Study of Integrated Total pages:104 Vocabulary Teaching in a Senior high School Key Words:integrated vocabulary teaching, senior high school Name of Institute:Graduate Institute of Western Languages and Literature, Tamkang University Graduate Date:June, 2001Degree Conferred: Master of Arts Name of Student:Wen-tsair Huang黃文財Advisor: Hsiu-chieh Chen陳秀潔 Abstract: Many high school English teachers in Taiwan give little classroom attention to vocabulary teaching, assuming that students will learn words incidentally. Although studies demonstrate that vocabulary can be acquired indirectly through reading, the question still remains: Does vocabulary instruction make a difference (Huang, 1996; Taylor, 1990; Zimmerman, 1997)? This empirical study was designed to explore some possibly effective learning strategies to strengthen learners’ word power. Thirty-six members in the English club at a senior high school at Taipei, mostly in their first academic year, participated in this study. The subjects were firstly asked to fill out a questionnaire for assessing their needs and aptitudes toward language learning and to sit for a pre-test. Based on the result of the pre-test, the subjects were equally divided into two groups; a control group (Group A; n=18), and an experimental group (Group B; n=18). Each lesson lasted 50 minutes. This teaching integrated first with the introduction of some memory strategies. Second, some perceptual sets with cartoons and creative pictures. Third, a general idea about English history. Fourth, some visually semantic images. Fifth, some cultural background knowledge with American body language. Last but not the least, classical Baroque music was provided at the beginning and the end of each period during instruction to reduce learners’ foreign language anxiety. The results of the study showed that the integrated teaching procedures could facilitate vocabulary learning for the participants. Most of them took positive attitudes toward the experiment.