Efficacy of Explicit Teaching of Lexicographical Skills: The Case of Sudanese English Majors
Journal Title: International Journal of Research in English Education - Year 2017, Vol 2, Issue 3
Abstract
A substantial body of research has revealed that EFL students conceive of a monolingual dictionary primarily as a repository of definitions to the almost utter neglect of the other entry components. Since existing lexicographical Sudanese literature has uncovered an even more subsidiary role for monolingual dictionaries, further investigations were needed to verify whether knowledge and skills to tap the inexhaustible resources of the dictionary can be enhanced through direct teaching regiments. Hence, the aim of the current study is to empirically gauge the efficacy of integrating these reference skills within a conventional Enhancement Course. A dictionary pre-test was administered to two homogeneous groups attending a Study Skills Course at The University of Khartoum, Sudan. The performance was measured against a slightly modified version of the test following a tailor-made structured module presented to the experimental group. The results of both groups in the pre-test were unsatisfactory and generally congruent with the findings of the original study. Yet, statistically significant differences were registered in the performance of the experimental group regarding overall and individual entry components. In view of the importance and increasing sophistication of monolingual dictionaries, this study is yet one more proof of the pedagogical usefulness of equipping students with dictionary training as part of their syllabuses. Thus, entry composites such as definitions, phonetic and grammatical information, and diatonic and diaphasic labels shall constitute an integral part of teaching strategies in the phonology, syntax, semantic, and sociolinguistic domains.
Authors and Affiliations
Nauman Al Amin Ali
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP365644
- DOI 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.3.47
- Views 119
- Downloads 0
The Impact of Motivation on English Language Learning
This study overviews current research on the role of motivation in second or foreign language learning. Motivation is an important factor for explaining the success or failure of any complex task. In this paper, the rese...
Measuring Attitudinal Disposition of Undergraduate Students to English Language Learning: The Nigerian University Experience
The purpose of this study was to investigate the undergraduate students’ attitudinal disposition towards English language learning owing to their scholastic disposition to English language in the course of their studying...
English Pronunciation Instruction: A Literature Review
English pronunciation instruction is difficult for some reasons. Teachers are left without clear guidelines and are faced with contradictory practices for pronunciation instruction. There is no well-established systemati...
Vocabulary Teaching Techniques: A Review of Common Practices
Abundantly clear though the need for effective eclectic techniques for enhancing learners’ vocabulary learning strategies may seem, in practice, language instructors, by all accounts, tend to resort to only a few obsolet...
Assessment for/as Learning in Hong Kong English Language Classrooms: A Review
Multiple conceptualizations of the interrelation between assessment and learning yield three notions of assessment: assessment of learning, assessment for learning, and assessment as learning. This paper aims at uncoveri...