2.2.3Theory of Spreading Activation Model 4

2.2.4 Theory of Constructivism and Schema 5

2.3Related studies about the application of mind mapping in English vocabulary teaching 6

2.3.1Semantic Mapping in English Vocabulary Teaching 6

2.3.2 Studies in Foreign Countries. 6

2.3.3 Studies in China 7

2.4 Mind-Mapping Teaching Approach In Vocabulary in Junior High School 7

2.4.1 Shared Characteristics of Mind Mapping in Different Learning Stage 7

2.4.2 Different Characteristics of Mind Mapping in Different Learning Stage 7

2.4.3 Basic Procedures of Mind Mapping in Vocabulary Teaching. 5

2.5 Summary 8

3.Methodology 8

3.1 Participants 8

3.2 Instruments 8

3.2.1 Questionnaire 8

3.2.2 Interview 9

3.3 Design of The Teaching Plan 9

3.3.1Analysis of Teaching Material 9

3.3.2Analysis of the Students 9

3.3.3 Basic Framework of the Mind Map 10

3.4.4 Teaching Procedures 12

3.5 Teaching implementation and teaching observation 12

4.Data Collection and Analysis 12

4.1Analysis of The Teaching Observation 12

4.2 Analysis of The Mind Mapping Work 13

4.3 Analysis of The Questionnaire 13

4.4 Analysis of The Interview 15

Conclusion 16

References

Appendix 18 

1. Introduction

1.1 Research Background and Purpose

Without grammar, you can just express little, but without vocabulary, you can convey nothing (D. A. Wilkins, 1972). A good knowledge of vocabulary is especially important to English learners. However, vocabulary teaching and learning in junior high school is for from being satisfactory in China. 

Vocabulary learning and memorizing is always regarded as an inpidual business for the students which mainly based on their after class efforts in word memorizing. Students are required to spend massive time for word dictation. however, much effort is being expended with little apparent result. Many experienced teacher found that due to the expansion of the vocabulary size in junior high school, the grasp of word is getting increasingly difficult for the students：They always fall into a bad circle of memorizing to forgetting with their rote vocabulary learning---- through teacher’s explanation and word reciting. 

With the continuous deepening of the curriculum reform in China, the ideas of new curriculum have been widely accepted by teachers. New ideas and methods have been explored and adopted in English teaching. With the development of information technology and the invention of the mind map production software, mind mapping has been used in many disciplines and achieved certain results. The application of mind mapping in English teaching has become a new research direction in the past decade (Jia Hong, 2014:298).