Effects of Using the Online Dictionary for Etymological Analysis on Vocabulary Development in EFL College Students

Abstract

Abstract-This study has been designed to investigate the effects of using the Online Dictionary for presenting etymological analysis of new vocabulary items in hyperlinked words to students in an online environment, using the accompanying facilities of thesaurus, encyclopedia, and web on developing vocabulary building skills and inducing positive attitudes towards vocabulary learning in EFL students of the College of Languages and Translation, Abha. The study employs a triangulation of research methods, in which two groups studying Vocabulary II, one in traditional setting (control) and the other (experimental) via the Online Dictionary's etymological analysis feature in a Blackboard environment are examined for the development of vocabulary learning skills and their attitudes towards etymological analysis. The study bore out findings in favour of the new technique of vocabulary learning, i.e., etymological analysis, powered by the Online Dictionary in improving vocabulary learning and inducing to positive attitudes towards vocabulary instruction. The results are discussed in relation to the hypotheses and against the research backdrop presented in the review of the literature. The study ends on a set of pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research.

The Impact of Online Monolingual and Bilingual Dictionaries on Vocabulary Learning

“…Studies such as the above, while demonstrating the effectiveness of online dictionaries over paper dictionaries, do not, however, compare the use of the online monolingual (English) and online bilingual (English and the user's L1) dictionary. On the whole, research studies on the use of these two categories of online dictionaries are less in comparison to the same based on conventional paper dictionaries (Fageeh, 2014).…”

“…Monolingual dictionaries in which the target words are defined in the same language, and bilingual dictionaries, in which the target words are defined in a second language, probably the first language of the user, are the two main categories that are currently popular among language learners and teachers. A third type, the bilingualized dictionary, has also been identified by researchers (Amirian & Heshmatifar, 2013;Fageeh, 2014). For the present study, however, only the monolingual and bilingual dictionary types have been considered.…”

A Review on Vocabulary Learning-Designed MALL Applications in the EFL Context

“…The measurement of the reviewed studies' effect on learners' EFLVL progress can be seen in Figure 4 and is illustrated in four aspects: knowledge, motivation, attitudes, and perceptions. The majority of the reviewed studies agree on the learners' knowledge improvement levels in various aspects of the EFLVL process in spelling (Al-Malki, 2020; (Fageeh, 2014). However, some reviewed studies reported no effects between the two modes of learning-traditional and mobile applications-in aspects of spelling and capitalization (Al-Wasy & Mahdi, 2016) or vocabulary retention (Chen & Chan, 2019).…”

The Future of Teaching English in Saudi Arabia

“…blackboard, proved to be very useful in providing Saudi EFL learners with the socio-linguistic interaction and emotional support needed to enhance their linguistic writing abilities and critical thinking skills, as well as improving their overall attitudes towards academic writing in English (Fageeh & Mekheimer, 2013). Using the Blackboard-oriented, online dictionary-based method for presenting etymological analysis of new vocabulary also proved to be more effective in developing vocabulary building skills and inducing positive attitudes towards vocabulary learning than traditional teacher-centred and paper dictionary-based vocabulary instruction (Fageeh, 2014). It was also reported by Ibrahim and Yusoff (2012) that the use of wikis in an EFL blended-format course improved the learners' speech delivery and speaking skills.…”