The Use of Pocket Electronic Dictionaries As Compared With
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THE USE OF POCKET ELECTRONIC DICTIONARIES AS COMPARED WITH PRINTED DICTIONARIES BY JAPANESE LEARNERS OF ENGLISH DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Chiho Kobayashi, M.A. **** The Ohio State University 2006 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Dr. Keiko Samimy, Adviser Dr. Alan Hirvela ___________________________________ Adviser Dr. Terence Odlin College of Education Copyright by Chiho Kobayashi 2006 ABSTRACT As L2 learners increasingly depend on electronic reference materials, it has become crucial to investigate how such materials are used and what impact they have on L2 learning. Pocket electronic dictionaries (EDs) have particularly become popular among Asian learners of English in the past decade. This study compared the use of EDs with PDs among Japanese university students. It also examined the relationships between students’ ED use and their use of lexical processing strategies (LPS; consult, infer, or ignore), their vocabulary learning, and their reading. In order to construct a complete picture, this study investigated these issues both quantitatively and qualitatively, through multiple investigative techniques. This study consisted of two phases. In Phase 1, quantitative data were collected from 279 students, using a written questionnaire on LPS use, the Vocabulary Levels Test assessing vocabulary size, and the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL assessing reading proficiency. In Phase 2, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from the 22 students selected from those who participated in Phase 1, through a follow- up interview about the questionnaire, retrospective think-aloud protocols elicited during a reading session, and two types of vocabulary tests administered a week after the reading session to assess word retention. ii The findings showed that EDs have become popular tools for Japanese learners of English; the majority of students (72% of 279 students) owned an ED, and those who owned it tended to use it exclusively, although they also owned a PD. The results indicated the complex nature of the effects of EDs. EDs appear to increase the frequency of dictionary consultation by students, particularly by low-proficiency students. In this sense, the effects of EDs on L2 use may be positive. Also, EDs may positively influence long-term L2 learning because frequent dictionary consultation is likely to cumulate in greater vocabulary learning in the long run. However, EDs may not benefit all students equally. The increase in the frequency of dictionary consultation may be accompanied by varying degrees of decrease in the frequency of inferring. Therefore, frequent dictionary consultation may result in less interaction with the textual context, particularly for some students who are not proficient enough in English or skilled enough in LPS use to take advantage of EDs. For these students, EDs may not necessarily positively influence reading comprehension or word retention. Among the pedagogical implications of these findings is the need for training in the use of EDs in order to help students make the best use of EDs. iii Dedicated to my parents iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation was possible only with the guidance, support, and encouragement of a number of people. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my committee members, my colleagues, and the instructors who shared their students for this project. Also, I would like to acknowledge my writing tutors, my statistical consultant, and my friends and family. I would like to thank my adviser, Dr. Keiko Samimy, who has supported me not only with this project but also throughout my doctoral studies. I especially appreciate her insightful suggestions and consistent encouragement, which facilitated this dissertation. I am truly thankful for her prompt attention to my many questions. I am also indebted to my two other committee members for strengthening this project with their expertise. I would like to thank Dr. Alan Hirvela for his helpful suggestions, especially in the initial stages of this project, and for his steadfast encouragement. I would like to thank Dr. Terence Odlin, particularly for his insightful comments on the drafts of this dissertation. I would like to thank my colleagues who have provided emotional and intellectual support. I am especially indebted to the members of my study group, who are good friend v of mine: Soonhyang Kim, Masataka Kasai, Dr. Yesim Cetinkaya, and Yuka Kurihara. Their critical comments on the earlier drafts helped improve this dissertation. Their critical comments on the earlier drafts helped improve this dissertation. Also, our weekly meetings motivated to me to persevere in wiring this dissertation. I also would like to thank the two instructors who shared their students for my study, Yuko Fujiwara and Rodney Dunham. I especially appreciate their extensive assistance and hospitality when I was collecting data at their universities. My appreciation also extends to two tutors at the Writing Center, Justin Pepperney and Kathryn Terzano, for improving the quality of my writing with their helpful suggestions. I am also grateful to my statistical consultant assigned to me by the Statistical Consulting Service, Yea Kang Yoon, for his long-term support, which he kindly continued to offer me even after he resigned from his position there. I would like to thank my friend, Tricia Kerr, for emotional support, as well as for formatting this dissertation. I especially appreciate that she was always willing to offer me help even on a short notice when she was busy with her own dissertation. Finally, I would like to thank my parents and my sister, for emotional and financial support, understanding, and love. Special thanks go to my mother who encouraged me to pursue this degree and constantly expressed her confidence in me. vi VITA July, 21,1969......................................Born - Nara, Japan 1993....................................................B.A. Sociology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan 1999....................................................Instructor of Japanese, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 2000....................................................M.A. TESOL, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 2002-2003 ..........................................Graduate Research Associate, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH PUBLICATIONS Kobayashi, C. (2005). Pocket electronic versus printed dictionaries: The effects of their use on lexical processing strategies. In K. Bradford-Watts, C. Ikeguchi, & M. Swanson (Eds), JALT 2004 Conference proceedings (pp. 395-415). Tokyo: JALT. Kobayashi, C. (2005, Spring). Pocket electronic or printed dictionaries? Ohio TESOL Newsletter, 29(2), 12-14. Samimy, K., & Kobayashi, C. (2004). Toward the development of intercultural communicative competence: Theoretical and pedagogical implications for Japanese English teachers. JALT Journal, 26(2), 245-261. vii FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Education Specialization: Foreign and Second Language Education Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Minor Fields: Quantitative Research Educational Technology viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication.......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................v Vita…. ............................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ................................................................................................................... xiii List of Figures................................................................................................................. xvii Chapters: 1. Introduction..............................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem.............................................................................1 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................5 Design of the Study......................................................................................6 Significance of the Study.............................................................................7 Definitions of Terms....................................................................................9 Assumptions ............................................................................................11 Limitations of the Study.............................................................................11 2. Review of the Literature ........................................................................................14 Introduction…............................................................................................14 Controversy over L2 Vocabulary Acquisition...........................................17 Reading and Vocabulary Acquisition ........................................................19 Studies on Vocabulary Learning Strategies...............................................26 Literature on Dictionaries ..........................................................................34