The Relationship Between Iranian EFL Learners’ Motivation and the Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies

,Motivation is an important affective variable, which has an impact on language learning. Besides, vocabulary is the building block of any language. Therefore, learners should be motivated to learn vocabulary learning strategies in order to upgrade their learning. Moreover, whether motivation affects learners’ performance in language components in particular is in question. Knowing this importance, and a few studies conducted on the relationship between learners’ motivation and vocabulary learning strategies in Iranian EFL setting, this study attempted to investigate the relationship between motivation of Iranian EFL learners and their using vocabulary learning strategy in effective learning of Vocabulary Learning Strategies. Afterwards, the types of vocabulary learning strategies used by high and low motivated learners were illustrated. To accomplish the purpose of this study, a descriptive quantitative method was designed. Fifty advanced EFL learners from 3 classes of an English language institute filled out two questionnaires adopted from Gardner (AMTB) (1985) and Schmitt (VLS) (1997). To analyze the data obtained from participants, descriptive and inferential statistics was used. The results of data analysis, then, showed that there was a positive correlation between motivation and using vocabulary learning strategies. Moreover, high motivated learners used more social, memory, cognitive, and meta-cognitive strategies than low motivated learners. Bearing the importance of motivation in learning, this study attempted to introduce the effectiveness of motivation in language learning, in particular vocabulary learning strategies. The findings provide helpful suggestions for EFL teachers, administers, and material developers concerning students’ learning