“See”, “Watch” and “Look at” : Teaching Taiwanese EFL students on a corpora-based approach

• Main Authors: Hsieh, Wei Lun, 謝瑋倫
• Other Authors: Huang, Li Yi
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/85532523747948113863

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 語言學研究所 === 96 === In Taiwan, many EFL students have difficulty using the proper vocabulary at the right time. Due to the fact that Mandarin and English vocabulary are in a one-to-many semantically-corresponding relationship, and that Taiwanese EFL students are often taught to learn English vocabulary by memorizing its Mandarin equivalent, students often have difficulties choosing proper English equivalents in different contexts. Besides, the arrangement of junior high school English curriculum has made it even more difficult for students to learn vocabulary accurately. Because the improper use of vocabulary often brings about confusion or misunderstanding, a practical method is needed to cope with the concerned problems. Nowadays, Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL) has been a trend. In this study, the researcher will take “see, watch, and look at” as examples to show a corpora-based teaching procedure. Subjects are 8th graders in junior high school. The scope of the research is confined to the prototypical meanings of these verbs; it is believed that students should possess the basic knowledge about these verbs before they continue to learn other extended meanings. Before the class, the conordance lines are selected and carefully edited by the teacher to meet the needs of the course. In class, consciousness-raising tasks, combined with quizzes and complementary materials, provide students with comprehensive knowledge about the three verbs. After the activities, crucial information of the verbs is clearly exhibited, and useful methods are also presented to help distinguish the verbs. With the “context providers”, namely, the corpora, both teachers and students are provided with authentic and plentiful examples, which are often insufficient for Taiwanese EFL learners. Through the participation of these activities, students become participants and create their own knowledge. It is hoped that with the assistance of data-driven learning (DDL), EFL teachers will then be able to provide their students with not only more reliable information, but more constructive and systematic instruction.