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Title
Iranian EFL Learners’ Most and Least Frequently-used Vocabulary Learning Strategies: The Relationship to Success and Gender

Author
Hassan Soodmand Afshar (Ph.D.)
Bu-Ali Sina University, Iran

Bio Data
Hassan Soodmand Afshar is assistant professor in TEFL at Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan. He is also Cambridge ESOL Centre Exams Manager for IR056 as well as a Cambridge international Oral Examiner. He is the author of some books and articles in TEFL and has presented both in and outside the country. His research interests include vocabulary learning strategies, ESP and materials evaluation, teacher development, and oral language assessment.

Abstract
Attempts were made in this study to investigate the vocabulary learning strategies most and least adopted by Iranian EFL majors. The relationship between gender and overall strategy use was also dealt with in the study. To
reach both ends, 328 Iranian EFL majors completed a background questionnaire (BQ), consisting of personal information such as name, age, sex, etc and a Likert-scale vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire (VLSQ) containing 45 statements. The participants were then divided into good and poor learners (who, in total, formed all learners) based on their academic records (i.e. their total GPAs) and the results of a placement test. As a way of validating data collection procedure, the data obtained from the VLSQ was triangulated by randomly interviewing some participants from all the three groups. The results of descriptive statistics and rank-ordering indicated that three out of five most and five least frequently used strategies were commonly shared by both good and poor as well as all learners though their positions sometimes varied in the respective Tables. Also, the results of independent samples t-tests indicated that male participants and their female counterparts were not statistically significantly different on the mean reported frequency of overall strategy use. The possible reasons why all groups commonly used some strategies most or least frequently and the likely relationship between gender and overall strategy use as well as the pedagogical implications of the study are discussed in details.

Key Words: Gender, Good learners, Overall strategy use, Poor learners, Vocabulary learning strategies.