A research about the vocabulary of elementary school students from 6th to 8th grades

ABSTRACT This study has been done to find out the vocabulary of graders from 6s* to 8th, to determine the vocabularies of texts in Turkish textbooks that were prepared for those graders and to compare students' vocabularies with Turkish textbook vocabularies according to grade levels and also to explore the similarities and differences between them. In order to determine students' vocabularies, total 1.726 students were asked to give written compositions by considering seven geographic regions in Turkey in total 14 elementary schools; that is to say, two schools in each region. For the purpose of being able to determine Turkish textbook vocabularies, Elit; which prepared for graders from 6st to 8th, and 6^-8* textbook of National Educational Ministry Publications have been studied. Findings have been held from the text in those books. Word frequency and its extensiveness according to students' grade levels, and word frequency lists of, Turkish textbook at each grade levels have been established. The words which were extensively used by students have been compared with frequency lists of Turkish textbooks. Commonly used words both by students and textbooks and the words that did not exist in textbooks although they were extensively used by students have been explored. We have rearranged the words of graders from 6st, 7st and 8th by gathering words according to their frequencies. The list (Appendix-28) has been suggested as a source for the ones who prepares text books and written materials of Turkish education and also for Turkish teachers. Key Words: word, vocabulary, word frequency, word extensiveness, Turkish text books.