Using Electronic Dictionary Strategy in Teaching English Vocabularies for EFL Students

Abstract

Modern dictionaries contain detailed information and are easily accessed and comprehended more than before. Electronic dictionaries (EDs) grow more and more important and attractive, satisfactory and well-liked for English teachers and learners at all levels. The use of electronic dictionaries in teaching English as a foreign language and in English classes has grown to be a substitute to a lot of students and teachers. For teachers, helping students to effectively use electronic dictionaries is regarded as one of the best means towards making them independent learners of lifelong language. This study investigates the effects of using electronic English dictionaries strategies to improve English learning especially vocabulary learning, 50 students of the third stage of EFL students in Geography department which is (unspecialized in English) at Tikrit university were chosen, to be divided in to two groups, control and experimental one. And the researcher allowed students in the experimental group to use electronic dictionary, while the students in control group received the traditional instruction.Post-test applied to obtain the results, and to release to what extent electronic dictionary strategies help students in vocabularies learning, a questionnaire was designed and administrated also to forty-five students to measure to what extent such strategy would help students vocabularies' learning. Results showed a significant difference between the two groups. Dictionaries using effectively contribute to improve learners' learning vocabulary. That the functions of electronic dictionaries strategy are affected experimental students' performance in achievement test. This study also provides pedagogical implications for utilizing EDs as an effective learning tool.