4.1 Results and Discussion on the Vocabulary Teaching Strategy 10

4.1.1 The Classification of the Vocabulary Teaching Strategy Adopted by the Teacher 10

4.1.2 The Distribution of the Vocabulary Teaching Strategy Adopted by the Teacher 11

4.2 Summary 19

5. Conclusion 20

5.1 Major Findings of the Present Study 20

5.2 Implications for English Teaching 21

5.3 Limitation of the Present Study and Suggestion for the future research 21

References 22

1. Introduction

1.1 Background and Objective of the Study

Vocabulary has always been an indispensable part of foreign language learning. The importance of learning vocabulary is also supported by many experts such as Rivers (1983) who noted that sufficient vocabulary acquisition is necessary for the use of foreign language since students are encumbered to employ the structures and functions for comprehensible communication because of the lacking of extensive vocabulary. Many people want to figure out how vocabulary can be learned most effectively. English class teaching is the most commonly used way for students to expand their vocabulary. However, since the class time is limited, it is impossible for teachers to teach new or difficult words in class without adopting any reasonable strategies. Therefore, using proper vocabulary teaching strategy is essential for successful teaching. It will help students to acquire vocabulary in a more effective as well as fun way.

In the 1970s, teaching strategy study mainly focused on two aspects: teacher's behavior and the teacher-student relationship. The former only gave attention to the teacher ignoring the role of the student, which led to a dissatisfactory result. And the latter developed into the strategy of cooperation between the teacher and the student in class. In the 1980s, Gagne focused his research on the changes in teaching effect, which broadened the scope of this issue. He also put forward the theories of management strategy, guiding strategy and the combination of the two. 

Actually different scholars have different interpretations about teaching strategy. American educator Smith described teaching strategy as the overall deployment of the teaching content and the overall direction for controlling students' performance. Gagne mentioned that teaching strategy involves helping students finish every homework plan by their own effort. For Gao Wen, teaching strategy is the teaching method adopted to achieve the predetermined teaching aim. Huang Gaoqing defined teaching strategy as the effective method in solving teaching problems, technological practice rule and programming knowledge. 

Despite the disparity in its definition, most experts still have reached a consensus on the significance of teaching strategy and have done plenty of researches on the application of it including the strategies applied in teaching vocabulary. And they figured out a serious of useful vocabulary teaching strategies including The grammar translation method, the direct method, the audio-lingual method, situational language teaching, the cognitive approach, suggestopedia, the silent way, the total physical response method and so on.

On the basis of former achievements, many domestic scholars also start to study the application of vocabulary teaching strategy from different sides such as cognitive psychology, cognitive linguistics, semantics stylistics and pragmatics, intercultural communication... For instance, Wu Shixiong (1996) illustrated his idea about the impact that cognitive psychology has upon memory study and English vocabulary teaching based on the new results of cognitive psychology study at home and abroad. Liang Xiaobo (2002) emphasized the great guiding function that cognitive linguistics has on present college English vocabulary teaching and stated that applying the theories of cognitive linguistics into vocabulary teaching will make a big difference. Liu Liping (1999) made a discussion about English vocabulary teaching from the aspects of lexicology, stylistics and pragmatics. Wu Liqin (2005) made systematic comparisons between cultural differences including mentality, history, religions and word formation between English people and Chinese people. Based on that, she offered some specific English vocabulary teaching methods. 小学英语词汇教学策略浅析(2):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_49734.html