A Study on Students¡¦ Wrong Chinese Characters in Elementary Schools Educational Priority Area of Kaohsiung City Pao-Kuei Wu Chao-Kai Yuan Abstract This research mainly discusses the topic of miswritten or wrong Chinese characters in elementary schools within educational priority area (EPA), and collected sample based upon the gradual competence indicators set by the Educational Administration ministry for national language(Chinese) courses of the National Nine-Year Curriculum for elementary and junior high schools. Specifically, 3rd and 6th graders¡¦ Chinese writing tests were examined, and the wrong characters were categorized into three parts according to character structure, character strokes, and stroke-order. In the material analysis, the data are being processed according to descriptive statistics, product-moment correlation , and the t-test statistical methodology. The results are the following: 1. EPA¡¦s quantity of vocabulary knowledge and wrong character type has a negative correlation. 2. For EPA¡¦s quantity of vocabulary knowledge and orthographic classification, the Character-structure component, and three is a negative correlation between qubntity of vocabulary knowledge and non-structures components. 3. For EPA¡¦s orthographic classification and wrong character category , there is a negative correlation between the root of the character and characters that lacked strokes.there is a positive correlation between the the non-structures component and characters that had additional strokes.Similar character parts and characters that either had additional or less strokes have a negative correlation. 4. According to the competence indicators of the Nine-Year Curriculum, recogniction of the classification of the root of the character at the first stage is not apparent. Recognition at the second stage of the classification of the character root is more apparent, while there is a limited recognition of change in character structures. 5. Within the EPAs as the accumulation of vocabulary knowledge increases with age, it is possible to perceive gradually the characteristics of orthographic structures, but recognition development is still slow. The following is suggested based upon the research result: 1. The students¡¦ habit of using a dictionary should be nurtured, and the method of looking up a character by its character root should be encouraged. 2. In teaching new vocabulary, the character radical classification and structure principle should be used to help recognize the character. 3. It is suitable to use the ¡§ distribution practice¡¨. 4. ¡§Part teaching¡¨and the editing of character-source teaching material should be motivated. 5. Calligraphy education and using the blackboard to teach should be advocated and utilized.