Some Enlightments of Level-of-Processing Theory on English Vocabulary Teaching

Abstract

level-of-processing theory proposes that whether the new information is stored in long-term memory is not determined by the length of time that it is held in short-term memory but rather by the shallowness or depth with which it is initially processed and that analysis proceeds through a series of sensory states to levels associated with pattern recognition to semantic-associative stages. On the basis of this theory, the writer presents the idea that vocabulary learning would be more efficient if the teachers put emphasis on the teaching of vocabulary and guide the students to have a deeper processing of the new words from different perspectives as pronunciation, morphology and semantics.