A Study On English Vocabubary Learning Strategy In Grade Three In Shunyi District

This paper attempts to explore vocabulary learning strategies used by junior middle school Grade Three students learning English.Vocabulary is one of the most important parts in learning English. If a building is to be built, bricks are needed; similarly, vocabulary is needed for learning English. Just as D. A. Willkins, in his Linguistics in Language Teaching (1972), wrote: "Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed." (Cited in Wang, 2002: 408).In China, English is a major course for all school students, but it is essential for the junior Grade Three students, since they are faced with the challenge of passing an important examination - Entrance Examination to high schools. English is one of the subjects that will be tested.A very important reason for the present study is that studies which have been undertaken to assess what vocabulary learning strategies learners had used were mostly based on North American learners' perspectives with the lack of relevant attention to Asian learners, especially to the junior middle school students. In other words, most subjects of previous studies are English-speaking learners or Indo-European language learners.Through the present study, we will understand the pattern of use of vocabulary learning strategies among Chinese junior middle school learners and how these learners perceive these strategies to be. These findings will also suggest the directionfor current vocabulary teaching in junior middle schools in China. That is, that teacher should focus on recommending learners with memory and determination strategies that are valuable for most Chinese learners and encourage independent vocabulary learning for learners. We also discover that the perceptions of helpfulness of vocabulary strategy change with the area difference.