| Vocabulary is the core of language learning.In China,most studies on EFL vocabulary learning strategies(VLS)are done with college students,while relatively few are concerned with junior middle school students.Thus,this study attempts to explore the preference of junior middle school students’ English VLS and how they are correlated with their English vocabulary test score and find out if students of different score levels differ in VLS use.The participants of this study are 80 students from a junior middle school in Guangzhou,Guangdong Province.Instruments used in this study are questionnaire adopted on the basis of Norbert Schmitt’s(1997)taxonomy of VLS,interview,and English vocabulary test.The questionnaire is designed with 5 sub-categories namely determination strategies,social strategies,memory strategies,cognitive strategies,and meta-cognitive strategies.The major findings of the study include: 1)Junior middle school students use VLS quite frequently;and the frequency of using five English VLS ranking from high to low is determination strategies,cognitive strategies,social strategies,memory strategies and meta-cognitive strategies.2)There is a significant positive correlation between VLS and their English vocabulary test score which shows that using VLS correctly can improve students’ vocabulary learning.3)Students of higher vocabulary test scores make better use of VLS.Besides,high-score students and low-score students differ greatly in using determination strategies,cognitive strategies,social strategies,and memory strategies.Teachers should encourage students to use different VLS,train them to use metacognitive strategies,and help them find strategies that suit them to improve their learning efficiency. |
