The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perceptions Regarding Dictionaries David Kent Inha University Abstract This survey examines factors relating to student dictionary ownership, as well as perceptions concerning dictionary use, and the quality of current dictionaries in light of likeable, dislikable, and desirable features as determined by the survey population. Data collection through the survey-method allowed for a distribution of 270 questionnaires to eight freshman classes, resulting in a return of 244 useable surveys for the study. The focus of this study’s questionnaire is three-fold, and gathers data concerning the background of the student’s dictionary(s), student’s use of their dictionary(s), and dictionary characteristics and features of relevance to the Korean EFL student. Analysis of the data allows us to see what kind of dictionary students possess, where and how they most often put their dictionary to use, and what they would like to see in an ideal dictionary. Further, the results suggest that students are active dictionary users who are aware of the shortcomings and virtues of their current dictionaries and, having consciously evaluated these aspects, will take them into consideration when acquiring a future dictionary. A discussion of survey findings culminates with recommendations on dictionary selection for University English Program (UEP) students within Korea. Introduction The dictionary has been a long time companion of many a foreign language student. It is an essential source for data concerning vocabulary items, and it is not simply a classroom tool but an object of life-long use. Yet in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms of Korea students often come without dictionaries, some even come without the text, paper, or pens. There is, however, always one student who asks: ‘Teacher, what dictionary is best for me?’ Although a seemingly simple question, the answer can be very complex. Initially then, consideration should be given to the role of the dictionary in the study and use of English, as well as to some of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of dictionary available to the Korean EFL learner. 73 The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Literature Review Varying Perceptions of Dictionary Purpose If the role of the teacher is as a ‘facilitator’ for foreign language learning in the classroom, or a conduit from which the target language passes on to the Korean student, then what is the role of the dictionary? For students, the bilingual dictionary is a preference to its counterpart (Baxter, 1980), and this choice indicates the bilingual dictionary’s role as a translator. For the English language teacher the advocation of a monolingual dictionary is the trend (Hartmann, as cited by Gu, n.d.), where the monolingual dictionary is seen as a tool that provides students meaning from contextualization and in their use of the target language. Here we see the perception of the role of dictionaries to be very different for the EFL teacher and EFL student. Many analysts have spoken on the use of various types of dictionaries in the context of EFL. (Cowie, 2000; Gu, n.d.; Koren, 1997; Thompson, 1987; Tono, 1989). Unfortunately, the current fact is that no single dictionary meets 100% of a students needs. Although learner dictionaries have put emphasis on the user’ s perspective, they may be confusing as learner dictionaries present a great deal more information than standard monolingual dictionaries (McCarthy, 1999). The advantage of a learner dictionary, in Stein’s (1989) view (in Koren, 1997, p.5) is that it provides learner centred explanations of vocabulary, and the syntactic use of terms in actual use examples. Bilingual dictionaries, on the other hand, as Aust, Kelly, and Roby (1993) illustrate, “are counterproductive because they cultivate the erroneous assumption that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the words of two languages” (cited in Koren, 1997, p. 1), and “encourage translation” (Gu, n.d.). In addition, the use of monolingual English dictionaries by EFL students can also be seen as counterproductive as these dictionaries provide circular definitions (Thompson, 1987). The monolingual dictionary also requires that students know the word, and at times exact spelling, that they need to look up. After the learner finds the term in the dictionary problems may then arise in understanding the definition, as Nesi and Meara (1994) indicate (in Koren, 1997, p.2). A benefit of utilizing the bilingual dictionary is that it allows learners to search for terms they wish to express in the target language. However, this is truly only a benefit if the dictionary provides a series of definitions, with examples, that allow the learner to scan for the appropriate meaning or term they wish to convey. The monolingual dictionary also offers advantages for the EFL student. Namely, the process of immersion within the target language when searching for and seeking to understand unknown vocabulary items, and in this manner the dictionary proves to be a useful tool in terms of providing both a means for practical use of acquired language skills and the development of lexical knowledge. 74 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perception The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Types of Dictionaries The mono-bilingual dictionary (a monolingual English-English dictionary combined with an English-Korean dictionary), while experiencing some of the disadvantages previously mentioned, can also prove advantageous to the learner. This kind of dictionary allows students to access a translation from English to Korean, and therefore provides general understanding and a basic interpretation of the term. The English word can then be cross-referenced in the English-English section of the dictionary, and as a result provide an appropriate point of meaning for the student. Print dictionaries, either bilingual or monolingual, require the user to flip pages and scan text in search of vocabulary, all of which becomes a very time-consuming task. Although this can be considered a disadvantage, there may be a hidden advantage to the physical search requirements of print dictionaries. The processes of skimming, scanning, and reading are considerably advantageous for EFL students, as these abilities are essential for developing faster reading skills and the ability to more quickly process information newspaper and magazine articles contain. Print dictionaries may then assist in the development of language acquisition skills as well as improve retention, as students need to think about the term for a longer period as opposed to electronic dictionaries. Print dictionaries also provide a series of examples per headword, numerous example sentences, and allow users to view word families, and therefore exposes the learner to a larger variety of lexical components in any given search process than electronic dictionaries. Disadvantages of print dictionaries, aside from being time consuming to search through, include such things as small font size, thinness of pages (a quality issue), and differences in phonetic symbols between dictionaries (McCarthy, 1999). It is also well recognized in the EFL field that the inclusion after each headword of phonetic symbols, to illustrate the pronunciation of the word, is a poor substitute for actually hearing the term vocalized. Electronic dictionaries serve as much more than just mere word translators. Aside from being extremely portable, they are a convenience in terms of providing multi-search paths and speeding up the search process. (Perry, 1997, p.1; Yonally & Gilfert, 1995). Furthermore, they can provide antonyms, idioms, synonyms, irregular verbs, as well as store dictionaries for several languages. The convenience and speed of electronic dictionaries may also provide an immediate feeling of control over the learning environment by the student. However, there are disadvantages in using electronic dictionaries. Generally, electronic dictionaries provide access to narrow learning through presentation of the entry, and one or two translations, and therefore less information than print dictionaries. Electronic dictionaries with a small amount of memory provide serious restrictions; specific words that students need may not be contained in the dictionary David Kent 75 The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 vocabulary list, insufficient translations and examples may also lead to miscomprehension, or null understanding. Compact units make for tedious operation, and small screens make words and examples hard to review. In addition, anything electronic requires power and batteries will need replacing or recharging. A further disadvantage is that electronic dictionaries with voice capability sound very robotic, and static. This, however, may be more advantageous for students than print dictionaries, which provide clues to pronunciation via representation of headwords in phonetic script before definitions. In recent years CD, Internet and PC-based dictionaries have come onto the market as alternatives to electronic dictionaries. The largest disadvantage of CD, Internet and PC-based dictionaries is that learners need access to a computer, as well as a good command of computer skills. These types of dictionary are not very portable, and in fact may be inconvenient for a large majority of students to access. In addition, many new Internet bilingual dictionaries contain very limited amounts of data, similar to current electronic dictionaries. However, multimedia CD, Internet, and PC-based dictionaries allow students the experience of listening to a real native speaker, providing an appropriate language learning audio cue from which students may practice drill pronunciation. Most CD, Internet, and PC-Based dictionaries are easy to use, similar to that of an electronic dictionary but are able to store a much higher amount of data. As a result, many English-English dictionary publishers, such as Macquarie and Oxford, are producing CD and Internet versions of their print dictionaries. This in turn provides a powerful means of accessing all the data contained in the print version of the dictionary, with the speed of an electronic search. Further benefits include development of student computing skills, as all CD, Internet or PC-Based dictionaries require at least the ability of students to type, not only in their native language but also in English. Of all the above types of dictionaries, regardless of the advantages or disadvantages, the original student question sill remains: “What dictionary is best for me?” First, let us determine which dictionaries our South Korean English language learners possess. Then by determining where, when, and how they use the dictionaries they have, and considering what students like, don’t like, and want from their dictionary, we will be better equipped to answer the student. Method Subjects Survey participants age in range from 17 to 20, and all are studying their freshman year for the first time at a middle-ranked University in Incheon, South Korea. All survey participants are at an intermediate level of English, as determined 76 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perception The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 by University English language placement tests, and all are non-English language majors that have undertaken six years of formal English education through middle school and high school. The following table provides a breakdown of total survey participants by major. As the focus of the survey is very broad, and relates to generally determining dictionary ownership, and the perceptions of student dictionary use, and dictionary quality, there was no analysis undertaken on which kind of dictionary various major students use in comparison to students of other majors, nor the frequency of dictionary use between students of different majors in comparison to the type of dictionary they possess. So too the level of dictionary training, or lack thereof, in terms of use and skills for each student and major was not considered. Perhaps these factors can become the focus of further research on this topic, and one which would reward interesting results. Table 1 Breakdown of Survey Participants by Major Major Number of Students Electrical and Computer Engineering Mechanical Engineering Humanities Management Law Natural Science Material Engineering Nursing Social Science Information and Communication Technology Chemical Engineering International Trade Math and Statistics Others Physical Education Construction Engineering Fine Arts Education Life Sciences 38 38 30 25 23 19 17 15 13 10 9 7 7 6 4 3 3 3 TOTAL 270 It should also be kept in mind that the role of the teacher in the Confucian mind-set is, as Hofstede (1986) states, that of “an authoritative figure” or an allknowing granter of knowledge where “effectiveness of learning is related to the excellence of the teacher” seeing “students expect[ing] teachers to have all of the answers” (Cited in Joo, 1997). To have a meaning explained by a teacher, in the Confucian role, should see students come to understand the definition, and therefore of what use is a dictionary in class when the teacher is there to provide all of the answers? Students who then start actively searching for meanings of terms in dictionaries may then be placed in an undesirable position of making the teacher lose David Kent 77 The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 face. As this would indicate that, the teacher’ s explanation was insufficient for students to achieve understanding. As Joo (1997) shows “In Korean classrooms, there is a strong value that neither the teacher nor students should ever be made to lose face. The teacher is never contradicted nor publicly criticized.” So too, “students do not insult the teacher’ s effort by saying, ‘I don’t understand,’ and will nod politely even when they do not understand and attribute the difficulty to their own lack of diligence. Students will remain silent rather than exhibit poor understanding.” Data Collection A distribution of 270 questionnaires to eight classes of university freshman brought forth a return of 26 unusable and 244 useable questionnaires. The 26 unusable questionnaires were either incomplete or undertaken by international students from Mongolia or Taiwan; as this research focuses solely upon Korean students, this left a remainder of 244 surveys from which to determine the freshmen University English Program (UEP) students attitudes concerning English dictionaries and their usage. The administration of surveys occurred during class time, of the first semester, of the 2001 academic year, and collection was immediate. The language of the 12question questionnaire is English, and it consists of three sections. The first section, questions one through four, deals primarily with the background of the students’ dictionary(s). The second section, questions five through eight, concerns student use of their dictionary(s). While the focus of the final section, questions nine through 12, is upon dictionary characteristics and features of relevance to students. Students were able to understand the language of the survey, and did not encounter any language difficulties in completing the survey. The Results Dictionary Background This section of analysis determines four factors dictionary ownership, type of dictionary in possession of each student, how often students use various types of dictionaries, and where student dictionaries originate. Dictionary Ownership. This question of the survey asked students to indicate what kinds of dictionary they own. Student responses clearly indicate that all students own at least one type of English dictionary, and as will be shown later (in Table 3) some students own from two to four different styles of dictionary. The breakdown of dictionary ownership by type is shown in Table 2. 78 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perception The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Table 2 Percentage of Student Dictionary Ownership by Type of Dictionary Dictionary Type Number of Students Percent of Student Dictionary Ownership Bilingual Dictionaries English-English English-English-Korean 236 4 4 96% 2% 2% TOTALS 244 100% Dictionary Types. The data illustrated in Table 3 overwhelmingly tells us that most students have access to print dictionaries, as 91% of all students surveyed own one, with 37 students possessing other forms of dictionary (either electronic or pc-based) in addition to a print dictionary. This clearly indicates that it is well within the means for almost every student to bring their dictionary to class, as 96% of students own dictionaries they can carry (either electronic or print forms). The remaining minority (4%) exclusively rely on the use of PC-Based dictionaries, which require computers, and as a result are not easily transported into the EFL classroom. Table 3 Percentage of Student Dictionary Ownership by Style of Dictionary Dictionary Style Number of Students Percent of Student Ownership Print Only Print, as well as Other types Electronic Only PC-Based Only 186 37 12 9 76% 15% 5% 4% TOTALS 244 100% Types of Dictionary in Use. Of all the survey subjects, who have possession of more than one dictionary (electronic, PC-Based, or print), these students still utilize print dictionaries with more regularity. This data is represented within Table 4. Actually, this may be because only a very small minority of students surveyed rely solely on the use of electronic or PC-Based dictionaries, as well as due to the previously described disadvantages of such dictionaries. David Kent 79 The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Table 4 Student Perception of the Percent of Dictionary Use by those who own more than one Type of Dictionary Number of Students Regularly using Dictionary Type Dictionary Type Student Perception of the Amount of Time they use each Dictionary Print Dictionary Electronic Dictionary CD/PC Dictionary 22 9 6 60% 25% 15% TOTALS 37 100% Dictionary Choice. The importance of the data detailed by Table 5 is that it indicates that more than half of those surveyed (58%) could weigh up the various types of dictionaries available and select one(s) that they felt could meet their study needs. Although the remaining students all have a dictionary, they did not choose the type of dictionary they own. Table 5 Student Dictionary Choice and Payment Choice/Payment Number of Students A family member chose my dictionary(s), and gave it/them to me as a gift Percent of Students 103 42% I chose my dictionary(s), and paid for it/them with my own money 83 34% I chose my dictionary(s), but someone else paid for it/them 58 24% 244 100% TOTALS Dictionary Use This area of investigation ascertains frequency with which students search for words, where students use their dictionary, for what purpose students use their dictionary, and the translation method students employ with their dictionary. 80 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perception The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Frequency of Use. Since this data indicates that a large number of students actively use their dictionary on a daily basis it can be reasonably assumed that a dictionary is a learning companion and translator, and an essential source from which students seek to gather data concerning unknown vocabulary items. This frequency of use also ties into the purpose of use and place of use for a student’s dictionary. Table 6 Frequency of Dictionary Use Frequency of Use Number of Students Percent of Students 20+ Times per day 10-20 Times per day 1-10 Times per day 1-10 Times per week >1 Time per week 15 21 103 66 39 6% 9% 42% 27% 16% TOTALS 244 100% Place of Use. Students were asked to estimate the percent of time they spent using their dictionary in several places. As can be seen, in Table 7, students indicate that they spend the most amount of time using their English dictionaries at home. In English class, dictionaries are perceived to be put to work twice as often as in other classes, while the library is nearly on par with English class usage. As may be expected only a very limited number of students estimate that they utilize their dictionaries on the move, and even fewer students indicate their use of dictionaries in places other than class, home, or the library. Table 7 Place of Dictionary Use Place of Use Number of Students who Indicate Regular use of Dictionaries in Each Place Overall Percent of Time Students Perceive Using Dictionaries in Each Place Home English Classes Library Other Classes Travelling (to home/school) Other Places 154 34 32 17 5 2 63% 14% 13% 7% 2% 1% TOTALS 244 100% David Kent 81 The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Purpose of Use. Students were asked to estimate the percent of time they spent using their dictionary for listening, reading, speaking and writing tasks. As Table 8 signifies, students indicate a higher reliance on their dictionaries when attempting to communicate in the target language in written form than in spoken form. Additionally, listening is ranked for higher use than speaking. Table 8 Dictionary Purpose of Use Average Number of Average Percent of Student Students using Dictionaries Perception of Time for Each Activity Engaged in Each Activity Purpose of Use Reading Writing Listening Speaking 168 44 20 12 69% 18% 8% 5% TOTALS 244 100% Translation Use. Each participant in the survey was asked to estimate the percent of time they spent using their dictionary for translation from English to Korean and Korean to English. As a result, students indicate that the vast majority of translation occurs from target language to native language, English to Korean. (Refer to Table 9). Table 9 Dictionary Translation Use Translation Method Average Number of Average Percent of Students Regularly using Student Perception of Time Translation Method Translation Employed English-Korean Korean-English 185 59 76% 24% TOTALS 244 100% Dictionary Characteristics, and Features The final segment of the survey establishes importance of electronic dictionaries being able to speak or pronounce words for students, most likeable features of student dictionaries, most dislikable features of student dictionaries, and student suggestions for improving existing dictionaries. 82 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perception The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Importance of Electronic Dictionary Speaking Functions. Subject responses to the importance of electronic dictionaries being able to speak or pronounce words is measurable by the Likert-type scale found in Question 9 of the survey. By far this data indicates that students who use electronic dictionaries, or students who wish to purchase one, consider the speaking component of such dictionaries as a valuable tool. Table 10 Importance of the Speaking Component of Electronic Dictionaries Importance Rating Number of Students Percent of Students Really important Important Not important Depends on cost 20 137 83 4 8% 56% 34% 2% TOTALS 244 100% Likeable Dictionary Attributes. The open-ended style of Question 10 shows that almost one-third of all students like the fact that their dictionaries contain a large number of headwords. Students also like the layout of their current dictionary along with the example sentences that it provides. A number of students also like the ease of use and user-friendliness of their dictionary, readability, and the paper and print quality of their dictionary. A very small minority of students like the portability of their dictionary, and the dictionary’s ability to pronounce the words. A very small proportion of students don’t know what they like about their dictionary, and an even smaller number of students like the fact that their dictionary was cheap. Table 11 Likeable Features of Dictionaries Likeable Features Amount of vocabulary Layout, and example sentences Easy to search Colored terms, paper, and print quality Easy to use Don’t know Portability Can speak Cheap TOTALS David Kent Number of Students Percent of Students 76 46 32 27 27 20 9 5 2 31% 19% 13% 11% 11% 8% 4% 2% 1% 244 100% 83 The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Dislikable Dictionary Attributes. Almost half of all students surveyed dislike the bulkiness of their current print dictionary. Alternatively, almost no student dislikes their electronic dictionary, although keep in mind only a limited number of students surveyed actually possess one of these dictionaries. The data also indicates that students are either satisfied with their dictionary, don’t know what features they dislike, find that their dictionary is difficult to use, or that it does not contain enough vocabulary to meet their needs. While a larger number of students dislike the poor paper quality of their dictionary, in some cases indicating that it often tore while they were searching for terms; other students found that provided explanations for terminology are outdated, or inadequate, for them to gain an understanding of the term in use. A more limited portion of students state that the font size of their dictionary is too small for them to read without strain. An even smaller grouping of students thought that the cost of their dictionary is too high for what it provides. Table 12 Dislikable Features of Dictionaries Dislikable Features Number of Students Percent of Students Weight/thickness Outdated/unclear explanations Poor paper quality Difficult to use Don’t know Low amount of vocabulary Nothing Small font size Expensive Electronic 118 22 20 14 14 14 14 13 10 5 48% 9% 8% 6% 6% 6% 6% 5% 4% 2% TOTALS 244 100% Desirable Dictionary Attributes. Asking students what they want to see in a dictionary, although an openended question that allows for various responses, brought forth data that shows students evaluating differing aspects of their dictionaries and perhaps contemplating what to look for in a future dictionary. Of concern to a high percentage of students was the physical portability of dictionaries. On the same level as portability was another student concern, the illustration of text-based examples. Other concerns for students involve having a dictionary that is easier to search. Students also consider a larger number of explanations per term as valuable. So too students desire a 84 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perception The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 dictionary that possesses a larger number of headwords, although it is not clear from the survey if this relates to specialized technical vocabulary or common terminology. Students also seek a dictionary with improved layout, including better print and paper quality. Although a limited number of students are unsure of what features they would like to see in dictionaries, other students, although also a limited number, are certain that dictionaries should be able to speak, or that they be cheaper. A very small number of students also consider a PC-Based dictionary as viable. A few students also indicate that they would like to see a ‘Konglish’ section incorporated within current dictionaries. Table 13 Desirable Features in a Dictionary Desirable Features Illustrations/pictures for examples Increased portability Larger number of examples Don’t know Larger number of headwords Improved layout, and quality Can speak Easier to search CD/PC-Based Dictionary Cheaper price Incorporated Konglish section TOTALS Number of Students Percent of Students 51 51 34 28 24 24 13 13 2 2 2 21% 21% 14% 11% 10% 10% 5% 5% 1% 1% 1% 244 100% Discussion An important point of note is that all students surveyed own at least one English dictionary, and indicate that they tend to use it on a daily basis, although looking around classrooms of students who participated in the survey it’s clear that not every student brings their dictionary to English class. So why is it that we as teachers aren’t seeing all our students with dictionaries in class? Portability may be a factor, as students dislike the bulkiness of their current dictionary (refer to Table 12) and would like a more portable one (see Table 13). So too trends of dictionary use may be a factor with most students utilising their dictionary at home, and less commonly in class and the library (indicated by Table 7). A further possibility may be that of frustration where low proficiency students, unable to find suitable definitions, refrain from using a dictionary (Gu, n.d.). It should also be remembered that almost half of the students did not choose the type of dictionary that they own. As a result the dictionary these students possess may be inappropriate for their study needs, or one which the student doesn’t like and therefore doesn’t want to bring to class or actively use for study purposes. David Kent 85 The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Since the majority of students surveyed access their dictionaries in the domicile, it is assumed that this is for the completion of homework tasks, such as reading major texts, which are in English, or for the completion of written reports and various assignments. This clearly illustrates that the perception, and actual use, of the dictionary by students is not that of a classroom tool but that of a learning aide. As the high use of dictionaries for the English to Korean stream of translation supports the notion that survey subjects use dictionaries for internalizing the language, as for less than a quarter of dictionary use for translation students are active in search of terms they wish to communicate. As McCarthy (1999) states “we use the dictionary as a metacognitive tool – it is part of a strategy for problem solving”. Although as students indicate a higher reliance on dictionaries when writing and reading, and therefore as a tool to inform them of the meaning of terms that are unfamiliar, students could use either bilingual or monolingual dictionaries for this purpose. Yet, almost all students possess bilingual dictionaries and as a result use their dictionary in order to ascertain a one-to-one correspondence between English and Korean words, which is, as Aust, et. al. (cited by Koren, 1997, p. 1) considers, one of the disadvantages for using a bilingual dictionary. Although it should be noted that Critchley (1998) indicates, in reference to research by Luppescu and Day (1993), among students who employ learning and look-up strategies, “it has been shown that students who use a bilingual dictionary learn more vocabulary than students who read without a dictionary”. Research conducted by Tono (1989) also “support[s] the idea that a significant difference in performance [for the better] exists between reading comprehension with dictionaries and that without”. What is interesting is that the average percent of time students indicate for the use of dictionaries in English class is almost the same as that for the use of dictionaries in the library; these figures are also similar to the percentage of students who possess both print and electronic dictionaries. Although not verifiable from the survey, this may indicate that students often leave their dictionaries at home, and the same number of students that bring dictionaries to school (for use during self-study periods in the library) also tend to bring dictionaries for use in class, which then highlights the notion of ease of portability as being an issue for the use of student dictionaries on the move between classes and around campus. Although the amount of time spent using English dictionaries in classes other than English is perceived to be lower, this may be the result of Korean lecturers explaining the written material in the native language, as well as the common practice of providing students with translations or glossaries of important terms and definitions found in the courses English language textbooks. Students indicate that they most like the fact that their current dictionary contains numerous headwords although students do wish that their current dictionary contained more terminology, although it isn’t clear if this is in terms of common terminology or specialized vocabulary. Students also indicate liking the layout of the 86 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perception The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 dictionary they posses along with the example sentences that it provides. A number of students also like the user-friendliness of their dictionary in terms of searching, this also extends to other respondents who find their dictionary easy to use and still others who like the readability provided from colored terminology and the paper and print quality of their dictionary. A small minority of students indicate liking the portability of their dictionary, as well as the fact their dictionary can pronounce headwords. This, however, relates more to the fact that only a minority of students possess solely electronic as opposed to print dictionaries, and as a result, this preference may in fact be higher than indicated by the survey. A consistently low number of students also indicate throughout the survey that cost is a factor concerning dictionaries. What is important to understand from this is that it shows that most students rank quality and convenience much more highly than cost. As a very small minority of students consider price to be a factor in selecting a dictionary, evidence then indicates that this would not impinge upon the selection of dictionaries such as electronic ones with the speaking feature. Indeed, the speaking component of electronic dictionaries may weigh heavier as an asset for non-English speaking majors, as most of these students may have difficulty in reading and pronouncing the phonetic script that follows headword entries in print dictionaries. Hearing the word aloud also allows for a physical auditory connection with a term, and for EFL students this provides a method from which they can then drill the pronunciation of previously unknown vocabulary. The weight and bulkiness of current print dictionaries is a major concern to students, and clearly ranks as the most dislikable feature of their current dictionary, and this explains why students indicate a desire for a more portable one. On the same level as the aforementioned concern was the desire for illustration of text-based examples. Interestingly though a text version of a dictionary with illustrations will naturally be larger, and therefore a weightier product, than current print dictionaries, unless, of course, the number of headwords is lowered. This may also show electronic dictionary publishers that what students also want to see represented on the screens of such dictionaries are graphic representations of the meanings, and examples of terms. This is something that software for a portable digital assistant (PDA) can handle more easily than the current electronic dictionaries available to students. While almost no student who owns an electronic dictionary dislikes it, aside from the ongoing cost of replacing batteries and the robotic sound of spoken terminology produced by the product, it must be remembered that only a limited amount of students surveyed actually possess one of these dictionaries. Ease of searching is another desirable feature that students say a dictionary needs to possess, and again the electronic version of dictionaries are easier to search than print versions and this response may be due to the fact that most students surveyed own only print versions of dictionaries. Students also value seeing a higher degree of explanations per term, which indicates that students wish to gain access to a series of various uses of the terms they search for as well as the meaning. The quality of their current dictionary David Kent 87 The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 was another concern for students, in terms of thin pages tearing, font size causing eye-strain, and outdated or inadequate explanations of headwords leading to null understanding. These points may signify why students wish to have a larger amount of headwords, more examples provided for each headword, and a dictionary with a clearer layout that is easier to search and use. This also points toward further reasons, along with weight and bulkiness, for why students don’t use their dictionary more often, and tend to leave it for use only within the home. Other desirable features that students would like to see in a dictionary include speaking features as well as the ability to use a PC-Based dictionary. This is interesting as it goes against the concept of portability, although it is in line with the concepts of providing a greater degree of headwords, increased examples of term usage, ease and speed of use, and illustrations for terms. Incorporation of a ‘Konglish’ section into current dictionaries was also desirable for a few students. This last point is also fascinating as most students are not even aware that they are using Konglish terms, “even students who know the English sometimes don’t use it, and other students continue to use Konglish even after they know the English term” (Kent, 2001, p. 13). Conclusion The response then, to the students’ question “What dictionary is best for me?” should be answered in reflection of current desires and actual dictionary use, as well as in regard to the advantages and disadvantages of the types of dictionary available. As such, comparing differing types of dictionary allows for the most viable use of more than one dictionary as a better option for students. In this manner, the use of two dictionaries can see one cover the disadvantages of the other. As students overwhelmingly use their dictionary while reading, or for translation, a bilingual (English-Korean Korean-English) dictionary would suit this purpose best. Such a dictionary can then be augmented with a monolingual (EnglishEnglish) learner or standard dictionary to provide students with a well-rounded understanding of definitions. As the bilingual dictionary will allow them to gain a general understanding of the term in the native language, while the monolingual dictionary explanation will put the term into context through illustration of a higher amount of example sentences (something students desire) as well as immersing the student in the target language. In addition to the style of dictionary, the type of dictionary (electronic, print, or PC-Based) needs consideration. It must be remembered that, currently, print dictionaries assist students in learning terms, whereas electronic dictionaries assist students in finding words. As such, the most adequate dictionary combination for students may be an electronic bilingual (English-Korean Korean-English) dictionary, and a print monolingual (English-English) dictionary. This sees the print dictionary 88 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perception The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 fit with student desires for a high degree of examples listed per headword; while the electronic dictionary fits with student desires for portability, ease of searching, and perhaps also an increased amount of headwords. Ultimately however, the choice of dictionary should be one that students like and enjoy using, one that provides them with the things they think they want from a dictionary, and also one that provides functionality and is adequate to meet their lifelong study needs. It must be remembered that no current dictionary will fill the 100% needs of a student. This is clear from student responses which show the features they would like to see in an idealized dictionary; those features being electronic, so portable, with both English-Korean translations and English definitions and examples, with more headwords, with an option to see word families as well as individual words, along with auditory pronunciation with less robotic delivery, and so on. It is therefore the authors recommendation that a combination of dictionaries be used by students; both a print English-English monolingual dictionary for target language immersion and increased amounts of examples and headwords, combined with an electronic English-Korean Korean-English dictionary for general understanding of terms, increased portability, quick searches, and auditory cues for pronunciation. References Baxter, J. (1980). The dictionary and vocabulary behaviour: A single word or a handful? TESOL Quarterly,14(3), 325-336. Cowie, A.P. (2000, July 8). The EFL dictionary pioneers and their legacies. Kernerman Dictionary News. Retrieved May 5, 2001, from http://www.kdictionaries.com/newsletter/ kdn8-1.html Critchley, M.P. (1998). Reading to learn: Pedagogical implications of vocabulary research. The Language Teacher Online, 22(12). Retrieved May 05, 2001, from http:// langue.hyper.chubu.ac.jp/jalt/pub/tlt/98/dec/critchley.html Gu, P.Y. (n.d.). Dictionary and vocabulary learning: A brief review. Retrieved May 03, 2001, from the Peter Yongqi Web page at the Lingnan College Web site: http://www.ln.edu.hk/ eng/info/gu/dictionary.htm David Kent 89 The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 Joo, Y.S. (1997). Teaching the grammar of narratives to Korean EFL students. Retreived April 24, 2001, from Modules to Teach Grammar from Discourse, Journal of English Grammar on the Web, 1 at the Georgia State University Web site: http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/ issue1/joo.htm Kent, D. (2001). English Alive! Inha Times, 38(179) 12-13. Koren, S. (1997). Quality versus convenience: Comparison of modern dictionaries from the researcher’s, teacher’s and learner’s points of view. TESL-EJ, 2(3). Retrieved April 24, 2001, from http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/tesl-ej/ej07/a2.html Linguistics Department of Macquarie University. (2000). Macquarie Dictionary. Retrieved April 26, 2001, from the Macquarie Library Web site: http:// www.macquariedictionary.com.au McCarthy, C.P. (1999). Applied linguistics series: Using the pedagogical dictionary as a resource. Retrieved May 5, 2001, from the Forum for English Language Teachers in Ireland Web site: http://indigo.ie/~sdblang/personal/papers/resource.htm Oxford English Dictionary. (2001). OED Online. Retrieved April 26, 2001, from the Oxford University Press Web site: http://www.oed.com Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (1999, March 31). Samsung Develops Wireless Internet Phone [Announcement]. Retrieved May 18, 2001, from http://samsungelectronics.com/news/ general/ngene_0207.html Thompson, G. (1987). Using bilingual dictionaries. ELT Journal, 41, 282-286. Tono, Yukio. (1989). Can a dictionary help you read better? Retrieved May 5, 2001, from the Yukio Tono Web page at the Lancaster University Web site: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/ postgrad/tono/userstudy/help1989.html Perry, B.C. (1997). Electronic learner’s dictionaries (ELDs): An overview of recent developments. CALL EJ. Retrieved June 20, 1997, from http://www.lc.tut.ac.jp/callej/Perry.html Yonally, D., & Gilfert, S. (1995). Electronic dictionaries in the classroom!? Bah, humbug! Internet TESOL Journal, 1(1). Retrieved June 20, 1997, from http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/Articles/ Yonally-ElecDict.html Ziv, M. (1994). Bilingual electronic dictionaries – A blessing or a curse. English Teachers’ Journal. Retrieved June 20, 1997, from http://ietn.snunit.k12.il/biling.htm 90 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perception The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 APPENDIX A: Dictionary Use Survey 1. Do you own an: English-Korean dictionary? Korean-English dictionary? English-Korean Korean-English dictionary? English-English-Korean dictionary? English-English dictionary? 2. What kind of English dictionary do you have? ( ( ( ( ( ) Yes ) Yes ) Yes ) Yes ) Yes ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ( ( ( ( ) No ) No ) No ) No ) No Electronic, Paper/Book, CD/PC-Based. 3. If you own more than one English dictionary, what percent do you use each one? ( %) Electronic ( %) Paper/Book ( %) CD/PC-Based 4. Who chose your English dictionary(s)? ( ) A family member chose my dictionary(s), and gave it/them to me as a gift. ( ) I chose my dictionary(s), and paid for it/them with my own money. ( ) I chose my dictionary(s), but someone else paid for it/them. 5. How often do you look up a word in an English dictionary? ( ) 20+ times per day. ( ) 10-20 times per day. ( ) 1-10 times per day. ( ) 1-10 times per week. ( ) > 1 time per week 6. Where do you use an English dictionary? ( %) In English classes. ( %) In other classes (to understand textbooks, etc). ( %) In the library. ( %) On the bus, subway, and so on. ( %) At home. . ( %) Other places 100% TOTAL David Kent 91 The Korea TESOL Journal Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall/Winter 2001 7. When do you use an English dictionary? ( %) Listening (university lectures, TV, radio, conversations …) ( %) Reading (books, Internet, newspapers …). ( %) Speaking (searching for words you want to say). ( %) Writing (searching for words you want to write). 100% TOTAL 8. How do you use English dictionaries for translation? ( %) From English to Korean. ( %) From Korean to English. 100% TOTAL 9. Some electronic dictionaries can speak, or pronounce, words. How important is this feature to you? ( ) Really important. ( ) Important. ( ) Not important, just cool. ( ) Depends on the cost. 10. What features do you like about English dictionaries? 11. What features don’t you like about English dictionaries? 12. What features would you like to see in a dictionary? 92 Korean University Freshmens’ Dictionary Use and Perception