Learning strategies of fourth grade students in a primary school in Kocaeli (Pandemic time)

In Turkey, the second semester of the academic year of 2020-2021, due to the worldwide crisis of the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, witnessed a closure of schools for a period of three months and this school-closure was compensated through emergency remote teaching. In primary schools while the mode of face-to-face teaching was brought to a halt, the deliverance of lessons temporarily shifted to online teaching. Based on this situation, the present study aims to investigate and compare the foreign language learning strategies preferred by fourth grade primary school students during face-to-face teaching and after the three months of online teaching. The study also aims to examine language learning strategy differences according to students' demographical features such as age, gender, supportive courses and number of siblings. The primary school students' opinions and views on how to improve their foreign language skills are also addressed. The present study was carried out with 110 fourth grade students who were registered at a state primary school during the 2020-2021 academic year in Kocaeli, Turkey. This study was designed as an explanatory sequential mixed method, hence, quantitative data was gathered via an inventory, and semi-structured interviews were performed to collect qualitative data from the students. The quantitative data were analysed by non-parametric tests on SPSS v.23, and the qualitative data were analysed by content analysis. The present research put forth that fourth grade students have high level use of language learning strategies in general, both before and after the emergency remote teaching which was three months of online education. The study also presents various significant differences between the changing demographical groups of students. Finally, the students' opinions, their demands and demographical hindrances are explained. Keywords: language learning strategies, online education, primary school, young learners.