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摘 要

词汇知识作为英语语言知识的重要组成部分，在英语教学过程中是最为基本的环节，学生对于词汇知识的掌握程度直接影响了其听说读写四种语言技能的学习以及其情感态度与文化意识的培养。然而，初中教师与学生在英语词汇学习认知上的差异使得教学效果并不总是尽如人意。在当前《英语课程标准》的实行过程中，随着词汇量的增加以及词汇运用能力要求的提高，词汇教学面临着更大的挑战，深入探究初中教师与学生在英语词汇学习认知上的差异能够更好地帮助教师找到初中英语词汇教学过程更为有效的方式方法，从而提升词汇教学的效果。在本文中，笔者将着重研究以下四个问题：（1）初中教师对于英语词汇学习的认知是什么？（2）初中学生对于英语词汇学习的认知是什么？（3）初中教师与学生英语词汇学习认知之间的差异是什么？（4）导致初中教师与学生英语词汇学习认知差异的原因有哪些？

本研究以南京外国语学校初中英语词汇教学为例，初中英语教师与学生作为调查对象，主要通过观察南京外国语学校初一两名英语教师的词汇教学过程，分析其教学方法（如语境教学、任务型教学、支架式教学等），通过对两名教师以及抽样两名学生进行访谈，并对两名教师以及其授课的学生（约120名）进行问卷调查，了解教师与学生对于英语词汇学习的认知，最后结合词汇测试方法进行分析评价，总结出师生在英语词汇学习认知上的差异，并结合目前国内初中英语词汇教学的普遍现状，从而发现问题并给予相关建议。

关键词：对比研究；词汇学习；认知

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

摘要 iii

Table of Contents iv

List of Tables vi

List of Figures vii

Chapter One Introduction 1

1.1 Background of the Study 1

1.2 Significance of the Study 1

1.3 Layout of the Thesis 2

Chapter Two Literature Review 4

2.1 Definition of Cognition 4

2.2 Previous Studies on English Vocabulary Teaching Methods in Middle Schools 4

2.3 Previous Studies on English Vocabulary Learning Strategies for Middle School Students 5

Chapter Three Research Methodology 7

3.1 Research Questions 7

3.2 Participants 7

3.3 Instruments 8

3.3.1 Questionnaire 8

3.3.2 Interview 9

3.4 Data Collection 10

3.5 Data Analysis 10

Chapter Four Results and Discussions 11

4.1 Teachers’ Cognition of English Vocabulary Teaching in Middle Schools 11

4.2 Students’ Cognition of English Vocabulary Learning in Middle Schools 13

4.3 A Comparison of Cognition in English Vocabulary Study between Teachers and Students 14

4.4 Analysis of Causes of Differences in English Vocabulary Learning between Teachers and Students 16

Chapter Five Conclusion 17

5.1 Major Findings 17

5.2 Implications 18

5.3 Limitations and Suggestions for Further Study 19

References 20

Appendix I 22

Appendix II 23

List of Tables

Table 3.2: The Basic Information of the Subjects in This Research……………….…...8

Table 3.3.1: The Five-Point Scale…………………………………………………..…..9

Table 3.3.2: The Information of the Subjects in Interview…………...…….…...……...9

Table 4.1.1 the frequency of teachers’ answer for Q1 from questionnaire…………….11

Table 4.1.2 the frequency of teachers’ answer for Q7 from questionnaire…………….11

Table 4.1.3 the frequency of teachers’ answer for Q8 from questionnaire…………….12

Table 4.1.4 the mean score of teachers’ answer for Q9 from questionnaire…………...12

Table 4.2.1 the frequency of students’ answer for Q1 from questionnaire…………….13

Table 4.2.2 the frequency of students’ answer for Q7 from questionnaire…………….13

Table 4.2.3 the frequency of students’ answer for Q8 from questionnaire…………….13

Table 4.2.4 the frequency of students’ answer for Q9 from questionnaire…………….14

Table 4.3.1 the mean score and comparison of answers for Q7 from questionnaire…..14

Table 4.3.2 the mean score and comparison of answers for Q8 from questionnaire…..15

Table 4.3.3 the mean score and comparison of answers for Q9 from questionnaire…..15

文内表格示例:

Table 3.2 the basic information of the subjects in this research

List of Figures

Figure 2.1: The Framework of O’Malley’s Classification of Learning Strategies……..6

文内图表示例:

Figure 2.1 the framework of O’Malley’s classification of learning strategies

Learning

Strategies

Metacognitive

Strategies

Cognitive

Strategies

Social/Affective

Strategies

Advance Organizers, Directed Attention, Selective Attention, Self-Management, Advance Preparation, Self-Monitoring, Delayed Production, Self-Evaluation, Self-Reinforcement

Repetition, Resourcing, Directed Physical Response, Translation, Grouping, Note-taking, Deduction, Recombination, Imagery, Auditory Representation, Key Word, Contextualization, Elaboration, Transfer, Inferencing, Question for Clarification

Cooperation, Summarizing, ……

Chapter One Introduction

Vocabulary, as one of three basic elements of language, is generally considered as the fundamental component in English study. British linguist D. A. Wilkins (1972: 111) once said, “Without grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”. The mastery of vocabulary not only directly influences the other two elements including grammar and pronunciation, but also plays a significant role in the whole English learning process including four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), attitudes, and cultural awareness. Therefore, vocabulary teaching and learning becomes a hot issue and many professionals apply themselves to this area.

1.1 Background of the Study

Along with the practice of New Criteria for English Courses (2012), the requirements of vocabulary study have moved up to a new level which asks teachers and students to figure out more efficient and useful vocabulary teaching methods and learning strategies. Better learning strategies shape better English learners. Nevertheless, according to researches done on vocabulary learning strategies in the field of cognitive psychology, most English learners find difficulties using learning strategies appropriately. Cognition (see Chapter 2.1 Definition of Cognition) differences in English vocabulary study between teachers and students causes shifting difficulty from teaching to learning. Analyzing the cause of cognition differences will advance the correlation and combination during the period of vocabulary teaching and learning.

1.2 Significance of the Study

This thesis aims to conduct a comparative study on cognition of English vocabulary learning between teachers and students. Since junior high students haven’t got accustomed to the transformation of teaching methods from primary school to middle school, teaching and learning gap exists between teachers and students. On the other hand, New Criteria for English Courses (2012) demands that every middle school student should master 600~700 words and 50 useful expressions. As the requirement asks, students should not only know the basic meaning and spelling of a new word but master it. It needs proper learning strategies as well as teaching methods. Only figure out the cognition differences can teachers and students lessen the gap and acquire better correlation in English vocabulary study. Nanjing Foreign Language School, a well-known language teaching high school, has some specialties in teaching English. The target and innovation point of the thesis is to explore objective unique and distinct teaching methods and learning strategies for vocabulary study by setting the study in Nanjing Foreign Language School and investigating subjective attitude from teachers and students. This thesis tries to provide potential answers to the following questions:

1. What is the teachers’ cognition of English vocabulary teaching in middle schools?
2. What is the students’ cognition of English vocabulary learning in middle schools?
3. What are the cognition differences in English vocabulary study between teachers and students?
4. What are the causes of differences in English vocabulary learning between teachers and students?

1.3 Layout of the Thesis

This thesis mainly focuses on teachers’ and students’ different cognition, awareness and understanding of English vocabulary study. It consists of the following five parts:

Chapter one is an introduction to the background of the study, significance of the study, and layout of the thesis.

Chapter two provides the brief literature review for definition of cognition, and the previous studies on English vocabulary teaching methods and learning strategies in middle schools. In this chapter, classical methods and strategies are listed.

Chapter three presents the research methodology. It introduces subjects and instruments (questionnaire and interview) used in research, and further data collection required in this thesis.

Chapter four deals with the data analysis and discussions. In this chapter, teachers’ and students’ cognition will be discussed respectively. Then, a comparison of cognition differences and analysis of cause will be displayed.

Chapter five is the conclusion part. It provides major findings, limitations and suggestions for further study on cognition of English vocabulary study.

Chapter Two Literature Review

2.1 Definition of Cognition

According to Concise Oxford English Dictionary (11^th Revised Edition), the definition of cognition is “the action or faculty of knowing; knowledge, consciousness; acquaintance with a subject.” In the field of philosophy, it defines as “the action or faculty of knowing taken in its widest sense, including sensation, perception, conception, etc., as distinguished from feeling and volition; also, more specifically, the action of cognizing an object in perception proper.”

In this thesis, the author uses the general definition of cognition which is “the action or faculty of knowing; knowledge, consciousness; acquaintance with a subject.” During the study, the author will discover and compare different awareness, consciousness, feelings and sensations of English vocabulary learning between teachers and students.

2.2 Previous Studies on English Vocabulary Teaching Methods in Middle Schools

Foreign language teaching methods keep developing and improving as time goes on. One of the most traditional methods is grammar-translation method (Richards and Rodgers 2001). It appeared in Middle Ages, which emphasizes the target language grammar and its principal practice technique is translation from and into the target language. Another famous method is the direct method (Richards and Rodgers 2001). On the opposite side of grammar-translation method, it demands that only the target language is used in the classroom. Meaning is directly taught to students. Grammar is not the prior element but taught through induction. Reading and writing skills come after listening and speaking skills.

Vocabulary teaching methods mainly used today are association method, onomatopoeia method, rhetorical method, comparison method, and the context teaching method. Contextual teaching is widely practiced in present lessons. Context is of great importance for vocabulary learning. Without context, it is impossible for people to communicate because of lacking potential meaning or causing misinterpretation. The wide and common use of lexical context, grammatical context, cultural context and situational context brings a great assistance to vocabulary teaching.

As New Criteria for English Courses (2012) advocates, TBLT (Task Based Language Teaching) becomes a main teaching method. British linguist Jane Willies (A Framework for Task-Based Learning, 1996) raised three procedures of TBLT: Pre-Task (Lead-in), Task-Cycle including task, planning and reporting, and Language Focus on analysis and practice. This method claims that teacher is a guide while students are encouraged to be the leader and be positive in class. Based on Task Based Language Teaching, vocabulary study in class becomes more active, and students are motivated to take part in learning.

2.3 Previous Studies on English Vocabulary Learning Strategies for Middle School Students

With the growing awareness of the significance of vocabulary learning strategies, more and more studies focus on this topic. This section will introduce previous studies brought by scholars on English Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS) based on English Learning Strategies.

In the field of learning strategies, the theories of O’Malley and Oxford are considered as acknowledged and persuasive ones. With the theoretical support from information-processing theoretical framework, O’Malley and Chamot (1990) laid out three major types of strategies: metacognitive strategies, cognitive strategies, and social/affective strategies. The detailed classification of three types of strategies is listed below:

Figure 2.1 the framework of O’Malley’s classification of learning strategies (O’Malley and Chamot 1990)

Learning

Strategies

Metacognitive

Strategies

Cognitive

Strategies

Social/Affective

Strategies

Advance Organizers, Directed Attention, Selective Attention, Self-Management, Advance Preparation, Self-Monitoring, Delayed Production, Self-Evaluation, Self-Reinforcement

Repetition, Resourcing, Directed Physical Response, Translation, Grouping, Note-taking, Deduction, Recombination, Imagery, Auditory Representation, Key Word, Contextualization, Elaboration, Transfer, Inferencing, Question for Clarification

Cooperation, Summarizing, ……

Like the ESL students, the foreign language students “reported using far more cognitive strategies than metacognitive ones” (O’Malley and Chamot 1990: 127). Beginners relied most on repetition, translation and transfer, while advanced learners used inference more.

Oxford (1990) used the term “direct strategies” to refer to the cognitive strategies, and “indirect strategies” to the other two strategies: metacognitive strategies and social/affective strategies. In Oxford’s view (1990), direct strategies (cognitive strategies) consists of memory, cognitive, and compensation strategies. Three subcategorized strategies for metacognitive strategies are centering your learning, arranging and planning your learning, and evaluating your learning. Oxford (1990) held more detailed items for social/affective strategies: asking question, cooperating with others, and empathizing with others for social strategies, and lowering your anxiety, encouraging yourself, taking your emotional temperature for affective strategies.

Chapter Three Research Methodology

The purpose of this chapter is to present the details of the specific methods used in this research, the reasons for the choice of research methods, and collected data and statistics that will be analyzed in following chapters. It mainly presents the subjects, instruments and data collection in this research. Then, it explains the quantitative and qualitative method, and viability and reliability of the research methodology.

3.1 Research Questions

This thesis aims to conduct a comparative study on cognition of English vocabulary learning between teachers and students. The researcher uses questionnaire and interview to figure out potential answers to the following questions:

1. What is the teachers’ cognition of English vocabulary teaching in middle schools?
2. What is the students’ cognition of English vocabulary learning in middle schools?
3. What are the cognition differences in English vocabulary study between teachers and students?
4. What are the causes of differences in English vocabulary learning between teachers and students?

3.2 Participants

In this research, two English teachers and their Junior 1 students in Nanjing Foreign Language School were treated as the subjects. The teachers were informed that their lessons would be observed for this research and all their lessons were done as usual. All 120 participants finished the questionnaire, and 4 of them took part in the interview. The basic information of the subjects is listed as follow:

Table 3.2 the basic information of the subjects in this research

The total number is 120. Among them 56 students (47.5%) are male while 63 students (53.5%) are female. All 118 students are Junior 1 students in Nanjing Foreign Language School. 2 teachers participated in this research; one is male and the other is female.

3.3 Instruments

In order to figure out different cognitions of English vocabulary learning between teachers and students, the researcher employed questionnaire and interview as the two major instruments to collect the data for study. The instruments were both conducted in Chinese for more accurate results. This research applies the combination of quantitative and qualitative method by using these two instruments and makes the result of study more valid and reliable.

3.3.1 Questionnaire

A questionnaire was designed to discover teachers’ and student’s general cognition and understanding of English vocabulary learning. This questionnaire (see Appendix I) is modified according to Oxford’s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning for their validity and reliability. The five liker-scale response is used as follows:

Table 3.3.1 the five-point scale

As a major means to collect statistics for research, this questionnaire is delivered to all 120 participants and involved different aspects of vocabulary teaching methods and learning strategies, and awareness and understanding of vocabulary study. This questionnaire plays a prominent role in the research for its accuracy and validity from both teachers’ and students’ point of view.

3.3.2 Interview

The researcher used interview as the second instrument of this study to get more specific and subjective information about teachers’ and students’ cognition, awareness, and attitude of vocabulary teaching methods and learning strategies. For each interviewee, five major questions were involved in a 30-min casual interview (see Appendix II). Four participants were randomly selected in this interview, two teachers and two students, two are male and two are female. Two students were chosen in two different classes, and one did well in study while the other was in the intermediate level. The information of the subjects is listed in the table below:

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