61
Fraser (1999b) investigated the effects of dictionary use on word retention and
comprehension of 80 EFL learners
.
Fraser found that only 39% of the subjects
consulted
dictionaries
, of whom
55% used a dictionary alone and 45% after making an
inference about meaning
.
Interestingly, the latter group seemed to have been more
successful in getting the right meaning of words
,
and therefore exhibited almost full
comprehension (83%)
.
Fraser also found that the subjects had a retention rate of 30%
when used a dictionary alone. However, when they inferred meaning and then
consulted the dictionary, their retention has increased (50%)
.
Fraser’s study suggests that L2 learners were able to use the dictionary
efficiently
,
in that they did not use it in isolation but often after making inferences
about possible meaning. Therefore, consulting a dictionary in combination with
inferencing is the most effective strategy for recall of vocabulary and comprehension
of text
.
The studies discussed earlier have demonstrated how L2 learners behaved
using dictionaries in reading and how consulting influenced their performance
.
Research in this field suggested that
:
(a) dictionary use is a private complex activity;
(b) the users were able to determine the words to look up in a good way; (c) the
learners differed in their look-up preferences; (d) dictionary use decreases the reading
rate
;
(e) in addition to improving vocabulary, dictionary consultation enhances
62
reading performance; and (f) combining dictionary use with inferencing proved
effective for vocabulary learning.
Conclusion
This chapter has demonstrated that the use of dictionaries is a complex task
that necessitates applying certain lookup skills carefully. However, L2 learners could
manage this activity by using different lookup strategies. The choice of these
strategies seems to be correlated to the
learners’ level of proficiency, their
preferences, and origins
.
In addition, although L2 learners used dictionaries mainly while reading to
search for word meaning, they also consulted them to check other information such as
spelling, pronunciation, and synonyms
.
However, some L2 learners do not seem to be
making the most of dictionaries
,
as
some of them overused BLDs, whereas others
ignored grammatical codes provided in learner’s MLDs
.
Moreover, some high- verbal
ability learners seem to favor using MLDs more often
.
Furthermore, recent research
demonstrates that new types of reference materials, PEDs in particular, are convenient
for enhancing vocabulary development and thus L2 learning
.
63
Chapter Three
Electronic Dictionary Use
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 64
3.1. What is an Electronic Dictionary? .................................................................... 64
3.2. The Typology of Electronic Dictionaries .......................................................... 66
3.4. Electronic Dictionaries in Language Learning ................................................. 69
3.5. English learners’ dictionaries on CD-ROM ...................................................... 73
3.6. Research on Computerized Dictionary Use ...................................................... 75
3.7. Research on Electronic versus Printed Dictionary Use..................................... 77
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 83
64
Chapter Three
Electronic Dictionary Use
Introduction
In the light of their increasing popularity, electronic dictionaries have gained
widespread acceptance among students and are becoming essential reference tools
that they often use
.
Therefore, their importance in students’ lives cannot be
overlooked
.
This chapter will first provide a general overview of their typology and
the motivation behind using them in L2 learning
.
In addition, an important section
will be the review of existing research on computerized dictionaries, and CD-ROM
dictionaries in particular, as they are the main concern of the present study
.
This
chapter will finally review studies of dictionary use which rather compared electronic
dictionaries to ordinary ones regarding their effects on language learning
.
3
.
1
.
What is an Electronic Dictionary?
An electronic dictionary (ED) is a “hyper-reference” tool providing instant
access to the looked up word and any related information, with easy and direct return
routes to the target word (Aust, Kelley & Roby, 1993, p
.
64)
.
Hartmann and James
(1998) defined the term as being a language tool that makes use of computers and
similar technology to display information on-screen. They mentioned as examples of
EDs “spelling checkers and thesauruses built into word processors, . . . multilingual
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