中學校 英語語彙指導上의 問題点

Abstract

This thesis presents some major topics in the field of vocabulary teaching in English at the junior high school level in Korea to try to locate the exact points of controversy and attempt to find solutions thereto. The content of this thesis centers on three parts : (1) size of the minimum English vocabulary necessary for liberated reading; (2) criteria of vocabulary selection; and (3) methods of vocabulary presentation. In the first part, reference was made to reading studies of the size of the vocabularies of native speakers of English in the United States in comparison with the size of the vocabularies suggested by the Ministry of Education, ROK, and used by a couple of the leading textbooks. In view of the number of pages of textbooks and a suggested principle of new word density, I have proposed that the size of the vocabulary in current use in Korea be doubled. In the second part, particular reference was made to the frequency count which has been the most important, in some instances exclusive, criterion of vocabulary selection. A number of dilemmas in the frequency count criterion have been pointed out and ways of getting around such dilemmas presented or proposed. Such ways are (1) preparation of two kinds of frequency lists based on spoken and written materials respectively, (2) allowance of flexibility and slight rearrangements to these lists, (3) introduction of other criteria besides the frequency count. In the final part, vocabulary presentation has been studied from two angles, i.e., introduction of new vocabulary in textbooks and teaching them in class. Several principles of new word introduction in textbooks, such as density, equidistance, and re-entry have been examined and current textbooks in Korea analized. It was found that none of these principles were observed in the textbooks analized. With regard to teaching of vocabulary through class activities, methods of vocabulary identification, recognition and expansion have been discussed. Furthermore, some problem areas covering Translation & Direct Method, sensible guessing, pro and con of picture demonstration and concept formation have been discussed rather in detail in a hope to contribute to the improvement of vocabulary teaching practices in Korea.