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Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter One serves as a brief introduction to the research background, the significance of the research and the aims of the thesis as well. This chapter constitutes the starting point for the whole research.

1.1 Background of the Research
Norbert Schmitt (2 000) points o ut “ One reason t hese lexical c hunks are so c ommon t hat t hey are typically related to functional language use…Lexical chunks like these are i nstitutionalized as t he most efficient and most familiar linguistics means to carry out language functions. As such, they facilitate clear, relevant and concise language use.” The lexical approach study has become very popular and important on second language acquisition, arming to improve th e efficiency of readi ng, en large l earners’ voc abulary, and develop le arners’ proficiency of lexical chunks. We should help students grasp the combinatory possibilities of a word as far as they can. Lexical chunks being stored and retrieved as chunks can let the input and output process easier and simple. Teachers should cultivate the students’ awareness of lexical chunks and provide them chances to identify, recite and apply them fluently and correctly. Teachers should also help students choose and retrieve lexical chunks appropriately according to the particular situation. As one of the most vital parts of language skill acquisition, writing is an output skill which is closely related to the other four skills. Developing and enhancing the writing skill is a rather difficult task. To a large extent, writing is both a process a nd a product (Nattinger & De Carrico 20 00). Currently, a grim problem with Chinese learners’ English writing resides in the language expression capacity. According to the routine teaching practice, the author of the present thesis has discovered various problems present with Chinese students’ writing, such as their capacities of analyzing questions, theme digression, inefficient use of diction and content , inadequate sense of sentence patterns, and unawareness of structures, and so on. Many teachers have made efforts to train students' writing abilities, but their writing abilities are still poor or little improved. What are the possible reasons? Although the students have commanded a great number of En glish w ords a nd ha ve le arned grammar quite well, their writi ng f ails to meet the e xpectations of teaching. Why?
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1.2 Objectives and Significance and of the Research
The researcher has found that most of the students only provided simple and plain sentences without diverse d iction. Some foun d w riting too diffic ult, e ven some stude nts simply gave u p t he task. T hus, writing has become challenging in learning and teaching English, and it is t he one of t he most difficult obstacles of English education. The main objectives are to make out if L exical-Chunk Approach can improve high school students' interest level, and transform and reverse their mind-set to writing. Besides, the students who have a better understanding of lexical chunks can demonstrate more interest in writing than those who don’t. Therefore, the goal to stress the impacts of lexical chunks in the middle school English teaching is to assist students to become a great writer. We sh oul