Abstract:
The dictionary is one of the common learning tools for foreign and second language
learners who use various types of dictionaries to help them work on their language
development. Yet, to my knowledge, the effects of dictionaries, either in printed or
electronic form, have never been systematically investigated in the Algerian context.
Consequently, in order to investigate whether dictionary support improves (affects) text
comprehension and vocabulary retention, this study compares readers’ foreign language
text comprehension and vocabulary retention across two dictionary conditions. Reading
time, dictionary usage (lookup frequency), degree of comprehension, and recall of words
were the dependent measures employed. The subjects of this study were 44 EFL
sophomores studying in the English Department at Mentouri Brothers UniversityConstantine 1. They were assigned two reading tasks under two conditions: using a printed
dictionary (PD) at one time and a CD-ROM dictionary (CD) at another. The presentation
mode of the reading tests was on computer screen alone. I used a piece of monitoring
software to record the subjects’ lookups in the CD-ROM dictionary condition. The
monitoring software also took notes of the time each subject needed to finish the reading
task in both conditions. The recorded information was automatically saved in log files
concealed in the subjects’ computers, and a paired-samples t-test was then conducted to
test the research hypotheses. In addition, Pearson’s correlation coefficient was computed
to examine any correlation between the subjects’ lookup frequencies and their reading
scores in both conditions. As for the vocabulary retention tests, I administered a pretest
and posttest to the subjects in both lookup conditions (paper and CD-ROM), and an
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independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare memory for words. The analysis of
information retrieved from the log files revealed that the CD-ROM dictionary enabled the
subjects to read the passage in significantly less time than the printed dictionary. It was
also found that the subjects looked up significantly more words in the CD-ROM
dictionary than in the printed dictionary. However, the results indicate that the type of
dictionary does not significantly influence comprehension, and that no correlation exists
between the subjects’ lookup frequencies and their reading scores in PD and CD
conditions. With regard to vocabulary retention, the findings revealed that printed
dictionary lookup fosters better recall of vocabulary. It was concluded that CD-ROM
dictionaries would be effective and motivating aids to reading comprehension but could be
less effective to vocabulary retention.
