Vocabulary learning strategies used by 6th and 7th grades at primary school in English classes

The purpose of this study is to determine the vocabulary learning strategies of 6th and 7th grades at Primary School. In this study care is shown to determine if there is any significant difference according to students? gender, the situation of going to any course and taking private lesson, academic achievement, attitude towards English lesson and the situation of their mothers? and fathers? education level in their usage of vocabulary learning strategies.This research was conducted at Gazipaşa Primary School in Bolu, during the first term of the 2007-2008 teaching year. The subjects of the study were 337 students from 6th and 7th grades. Descriptive method was used in the study. In order to search vocabulary learning strategies of the students, ?Vocabulary Learning Strategies Questionnaire? , to search their academic achievement ?Vocabulary Tests? that were developed by the researcher and for their attitudes towards English lesson ?Attitude Toward English Scale? that was developed by Erdem (2007) was applied to the students. At the end, in order to support the data with the qualitative results an interview was done with the students. At the end of the study the followings were found:The results indicated that the students generally use the vocabulary learning strategies. But they use mostly social and note taking strategies. Metacognitive strategies are used at a low level.It was found that there is a significant difference based on usage of vocabulary learning strategies between females and males in favour of female students.It was determined that there is no significant difference based on usage of vocabulary learning strategies according to their situation of going to any course.It was found that there is no significant difference based on usage of vocabulary learning strategies except from the usage of social strategies according to their situation of taking any private lesson.The results indicated that successful students in vocabulary test use note-taking and social strategies more than less successful students.The results indicated that there are significant differences based on usage of vocabulary learning strategies between the students that at higher attitude level and lower attitude level towards English lesson. The students that at higher attitude level use organization, metacognitive, social, repetition and note-taking, strategies more than the students at lower attitude level. The students at mid attitude level use social strategies more than at the other attitude level.It was found that there is a significant difference based on usage of vocabulary learning strategies according to their mothers? education level. The students whose mothers graduated from university use social strategies more than the other strategies. The situation of usage of vocabulary learning strategies doesn?t show any significant difference according to their fathers? education level.Key Words: Vocabulary learning strategies, academic achievement, primary school student, attitude.