Abstract
Rote memorization of vocabulary has long been a common way for Chinese students to learn lexical items. Cultural, educational background and traditional teaching practice in China are identified to be the factors that contribute to many students’ heavy reliance on memorization as their sole approach to vocabulary learning. In addition to rote memorization which has been proved useful and effective in the Chinese ELT context, this paper suggests that students be presented with vocabulary learning strategies and be taught how to build vocabulary through other useful learning methods.
Highlights
Vocabulary is by far the most sizeable and unmanageable component in the learning of any language, whether foreign or one’s mother tongue
Many foreign language teachers who had once worked in China observed that there is a heavy reliance on rote memorization, and Chinese approaches to learning English vocabulary seem fixed on memorization of lists of individual words
Asian students were found to rely on rote memorization strategies for vocabulary task
Summary
Vocabulary is by far the most sizeable and unmanageable component in the learning of any language, whether foreign or one’s mother tongue. Many students of English in China readily admit that they experience considerable difficulty with vocabulary, and they identify vocabulary as their greatest single source of problem in learning English They often complain: There are so many words to learn I can not remember them; Those faster reading materials are full of words I don’t know. 2. Memorization of Vocabulary as a Focus of Lexical Learning “Vocabulary is not explicitly taught in many second language classes, and students are usually expected to learn vocabulary on their own without much guidance. For most Chinese students, learning English means memorizing a certain number of words a day and reciting as much of the book as possible. Many foreign language teachers who had once worked in China observed that there is a heavy reliance on rote memorization, and Chinese approaches to learning English vocabulary seem fixed on memorization of lists of individual words
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