(4) Factors affecting language learning strategies. There are two factors - learner factors including beliefs about language learning, age, motivation, personality together with educational background and environmental factors.

1.3 Significance of the Study

    文秋芳's(2004) empirical research illuminates that most of studies are concentrated on the students in colleges and senior high schools. Only a few focus on middle school students, let alone elementary schools. The number of literatures that can be found in CNKI with key words “English learning strategies" is more than 3700. When I narrow down search scope by adding key words "elementary school", it reduces to 95. Besides, most of studies are from micro perspectives which refer to learning strategies of acquisition of one specific kind of language knowledge or skills. There can be two reasons for this condition. On the one hand, most researchers are clustered in institutions of higher education which means it is more convenient for them to collect the data. On the other hand, adult's sense of English learning strategies as well as performances are more explicit.

    But we have to admit that as a beginning stage of learning the second language, the performances of English in elementary school significantly influence following scholastic careers even lifetime. In consequence, the present study discusses this issue and turns the highlight to elementary schools. Here are some questions which are answered in this study by comparing the successful and unsuccessful learners in the fifth grade of  a foreign language elementary school in which pupils learn English from the first grade.

What are the current English learning strategies used by pupils?

What are the most and least frequently used learning strategies by pupils? 

What are the differences in language learning strategies between ,源Z自+751=文)论(文]网[www.751com.cn successful and unsuccessful learners?

    During my internship period in Haishu foreign language elementary school, teachers emphasize more on learning language knowledge and skills but have not noticed the importance of English learning strategies. Though some methods that teachers used contain an inclination of teaching strategies in some extent, they just use it unconsciously and don’t know the theoretical basis tangibly. This essay can not only make myself clear about the theory, put it into practice and try my best to become an eligible teacher equipped with advanced theories together with teaching capability, but also clarify the uncertainty of the theory in teachers' minds so that they can consciously infiltrate English strategies in the regular curriculums.