Date of Award
5-2015
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Degree Name
English: Teaching English as a Second Language: M.A.
Department
English
College
College of Liberal Arts
First Advisor
Choonkyong Kim
Second Advisor
Shawn Jarvis
Third Advisor
Isolde Mueller
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Abstract
Vocabulary is the most essential part of language proficiency (Carter & McCarthy, 1988). As ESL students develop their understanding of and expressive ability in English, it is increasingly important that they employ language learning strategies to deal with the unknown words that they encounter. Dictionaries are one learning strategy that students can use to help them acquire new vocabulary knowledge. Their use is acknowledged as a beneficial strategy for both understanding words in context and using them productively in speech and writing. However, in order to utilize dictionaries well, students need to know how to use them effectively. Unfortunately, little research exists about students’ actual use of dictionaries (Luppescu & Day, 1993).
In order to address this lack of research, this study investigated ESL students’ use of as well as opinions about dictionaries as well as the training they receive in their classes related to dictionaries. Data was collected through four parts, including observation, interviews, and questionnaires. Twenty ESL students from varying levels of a university’s IEP performed a glossary creation task in pairs in which they created vocabulary glossary items for five to ten new words that they selected from a reading. The task involved observation and video-recording. This was followed by an audio-recorded stimulated recall interview for one pair from each of three levels. Two separate questionnaires delivered to the student participants as well as teachers from the program were also used. The questionnaires asked about dictionary use habits as well as preferences with and their knowledge about dictionaries.
The results showed that, while the student participants reported that they used a combination of book and online dictionaries, they overwhelmingly relied on online dictionaries. The participants also were selective in the information they used from dictionaries, often including only information about definition and examples in their glossaries. The findings of this study indicate that teachers should incorporate ongoing training about online look-up sources into their classes as well as to train students in how to utilize the rich information provided in dictionary entries. Learning about how to use information about part of speech and collocation can benefit students as they develop their productive language abilities.
Recommended Citation
Wolter, Lori A., "Dictionary Use and Preferences of L2 English Learners in an Intensive English Context" (2015). Culminating Projects in English. 14.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/engl_etds/14
