Abstract
This study aimed at investigating the relationship between types of dictionaries used and lexical proficiency in writing. Eighty TOEFL students took part in responding to two Questionnaires collecting information about their dictionary type preferences and habits of dictionary use, along with an interview for further in-depth responses. They were also asked to write a composition to be evaluated on their lexical proficiency. According to the results, the most frequently used dictionary type was Bilingual (E-P) Desk Dictionary (BDD) and the least favored dictionaries were Bilingual (P-E) Desk Dictionary (BDD2) and Bilingual (P-E) Mobile Dictionary (BMD). Referring to dictionaries in search of meaning during reading-writing, and after speaking-listening were the most common habits of students. Additionally, a significant relationship between the type of dictionary and lexical proficiency in participant’s writing was found. There was also a correlation between skill in dictionary use and lexical proficiency in writing. These finding entail some pedagogical benefits to enhance learners’ lexical competence by modifying the type of learners’ preferred dictionary and their habits in dictionary use.
Highlights
Today, a good command of English as an international language is essential for better functioning in both career and life
It has been found that the majority of students reported using Bilingual (E-P) Desk Dictionary (BDD) more frequently than any other type of dictionary reported in the study
The findings showed that monolingual dictionaries as well as bilingual (L1-L2) and bilingual (L2-L1) dictionaries were all useful tools for guiding language learners through looking up the relevant lexical or semantic information and learning new vocabulary in this study
Summary
A good command of English as an international language is essential for better functioning in both career and life. Huang (2003) considered dictionaries as useful, fairly common and even necessary tools in language acquisition by EFL learners. It is as an essential source, if not the main source, of information on language for all literate persons who have questions on form, meaning, and/or use of a word(s) in their L1 or in another language In a similar approach to vocabulary, Engber (1995) focused in his study on “breadth” of lexical proficiency and simultaneously “productive” vocabulary knowledge
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