Journal of English Language Teaching

Analyzing Dictionary Search Preferences: A Study of User Behaviour

Dr C Vijayakumar

Assistant Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani)

Keywords: Dictionary use, search preference, vocabulary knowledge, learning dictionaries

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Abstract

Understanding a student’s dictionary search preferences is crucial for us to determine learner language needs. We can restructure our instructional materials and strategies for our learners. This paper reports a small-scale dictionary use survey conducted at BITS Pilani, Pilani campus. 91 engineering students from different disciplinary backgrounds have responded to a questionnaire which included items on aspects the students tend to look up in a dictionary and the purposes that determine their look up practices. The findings clearly indicate that many students rely on online dictionaries, and their search preferences are mostly determined by their need to comprehend information rather than produce it.

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