Abstract:

This study aimed to unearth and compare students’ and teachers’ perspectives in relation to the perceived importance, use and instruction of vocabulary learning strategies (VLS). A total of 548 ninth grade students studying at ten different Anatolian high schools in Antalya, Turkey and 56 English language teachers working at these schools participated in the study. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire based on Schmitt’s (1997) taxonomy of VLS. Following a validation process and conducting confirmatory factor analysis, further statistical analysis was carried out. The results indicated that the students and teachers who ascribed a higher level of importance to VLS used and taught them to a significantly larger extent. The study found no statistically significant difference between the levels of importance attached to the use and instruction of VLS by the students and teachers. However, teachers’ frequency of strategy instruction appeared to be significantly higher than students’ frequency of strategy use except for cognitive strategies. Therefore, it was concluded that while teachers reported actively teaching a wide variety of VLS, students implemented the strategies to a more limited extent. Based on the results, it was recommended to explore the reasons for this discrepancy between the students and teachers.

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