Examining the conditions of using an on-line dictionary to learn words and comprehend texts

Abstract

This study investigated three look-up conditions for language learners to learn unknown target words and comprehend a reading passage when their attention is transferred away to an on-line dictionary. The research questions focused on how each look-up condition impacted the recall and recognition of word forms, word meanings, and passage comprehension. The participants were 84 first-year Japanese medical university students. The recall and recognition of word forms and word meanings, and passage comprehension data were analysed using the Rasch model. Probabilities of p<.05 were considered measurably different for the sample population used in this study, and probabilities of p<.003 were considered statistically significant and generalizable to a larger population. Overall, the results suggest three findings with regard to the on-line dictionary study. First, if only the results that were statistically significant are considered, there might be two conditions to learn words and comprehend reading passages: the spell condition seems to be best for learning the forms and meanings of words, and the control condition for promoting passage comprehension. Second, if the results that were both statistically significant and measurably different are considered, the spell, click, and control conditions might promote the learning of word forms, word meanings, and passage comprehension, respectively. Third, however, the click condition might promote both the learning of word meanings and passage comprehension because its effects were measurably higher to the spell condition on these measures. The results are consistent with the type of processing-resource allocation model for learning the forms and meanings of words and cognitive load theory for comprehending reading passages.

Evaluating the Vocabulary Coping Strategies of L2 Readers: An Eye Tracking Study

“…The participants used the dictionary more than other vocabulary coping strategies; they accessed the dictionary link nearly 80% of the time. As described below and suggested in previous research (Dilenschneider, 2018), the dictionary may have been accessed more frequently than it would have been otherwise because words were looked up with a click of the mouse. However, in previous research also involving Japanese participants who accessed a dictionary by clicking, less than half of unknown words were looked up (Prichard & Matsumoto, 2011).…”

“…In contrast, glosses or dictionaries that can be accessed with a mouse click are fast and easy to access, which could reduce cognitive load and increase comprehension (Dilenschneider, 2018). However, increased usage does not always lead to greater reading outcomes because words are often looked up when not necessary (Koyama & Takeuchi, 2007).…”

“…The resource. Many studies have compared the use of different kinds of dictionaries, including bilingual versus monolingual, and print, electronic, and online dictionaries (Dilenschneider, 2018;Dziemianko, 2010Dziemianko, , 2012Liu, Fan, & Paas, 2014). Print dictionaries take longer and require more effort to access (Chen, 2010;Koyama & Takeuchi, 2007), which could distract the reader from focusing on the text and contribute to cognitive load.…”

Unraveling Contradictions: Which Glosses Facilitate Reading Comprehension Among ELLs, and Why?

“…Studies comparing glossing conditions for the sake of vocabulary acquisition alone often encourage the interruption of text for deeper processing of words encountered. Consequently, the same mechanism that may lead to gains in degrees of vocabulary knowledge of targeted terms may also hinder comprehension of texts, a notion borne out in several studies finding gains in vocabulary acquisition alongside relatively lower comprehension scores or vice versa (e.g., Akbulut, 2007;Çakmak & Erç etin, 2018;Cha, 2007;Cheng & Good, 2009;Dilenschneider, 2017;Hamdi, 2015;Zarei & Mahmoodzadeh, 2014;Yanguas, 2009;Zolfagharijjooya, 2013). For this reason, studies of vocabulary acquisition alone were omitted to focus solely on how glosses impact reading comprehension.…”

“…For instance, Tü rk and Erç etin (2014) and Akbulut (2007) Of 26, only four find no advantage of glosses to aid in reading comprehension. Nevertheless, in three such studies (i.e., Dilenschneider, 2017;Hamdi, 2015;Zarei & Mahmoodzadeh, 2014), experimental conditions required participants to leave the field of text to access word meaning, and one additional study, Cha (2007), does not describe the procedures their participants took to access meaning for glosses, despite the importance of gloss location in identifying advantages for the glossing of texts-when individuals are removed from reading for a long period of time for the sake of accessing word meaning, text comprehension may be jeopardized. These studies are described in more depth within their respective areas of foci.…”