The Role of Monolingual and Bilingual Dictionaries - Research Proposal Example

The Role of Monolingual and Bilingual Dictionaries in Enhancing Word Vocabulary and Improving Reading Skills Research Proposal Name Institution Course Date of Submission The Role of Monolingual and Bilingual Dictionaries in Enhancing Word Vocabulary and Improving Reading Skills Research Proposal 1.0 Introduction The ability of acquiring the skills of a language such as writing, reading, speaking and listening assists in measuring the language proficiency. Reading skill is a crucial element in mastering a language. Thus, acquiring this skill is vital if someone is interested in learning a certain language. Reading skill can be described as the ability to translate or spell a letter or a symbol, and the capability of understanding a reading material content. Understanding a reading material relies on the student’s knowledge on words definition or rather the mastery of the vocabulary. Hence, having a wider range of vocabulary helps students to understanding a language rules and techniques better. Mastering the dictionary helps in widening ones vocabulary. This means that students can improve their vocabulary and concurrently enhance their understanding by using a dictionary, thus, improving their reading skills. Therefore, dictionary is an important resource in language learning process, and it also serves as a means to improve students reading skill. Dictionary is a tool that assists students to understand a given language as well as enhancing their reading skills. This does not mean that dictionaries are the only source of linguistic knowledge but that they are one of the resources. There are 3 different types of dictionaries namely: monolingual, bilingual, and bilingualized[Maj06]. The three dictionaries can either be in the form of paper or electronic. Each type of dictionary has unique strengths and weaknesses for improving reading skills and enhancing word vocabulary. A number of researchers consider monolingual dictionaries as the most helpful vocabulary resource since they contain extensive information on semantics and linguistics. In addition to extensive information, monolingual dictionaries include L2 to L2 translation and sentence samples that second language learners can paraphrase or use directly[Den05]. A disadvantage of a monolingual dictionary is that it gives several meanings of the same word making it difficult for second language learners with insufficient vocabulary to identify the correct meaning according to the context in which it is used. Bilingual dictionaries have two advantages in that they are bi-directional and provide meanings in a very accessible way. This research will focus on monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, and their roles in enhancing word vocabulary and improving reading skills. 2.0 Problem Statement Previous studies focused on the effectiveness of dictionaries in improving cultural-specific skills in translation. Other studies focused on one particular type of dictionary in investigating their comparative effects during vocabulary acquisition. Thus, there is a clear indication that there is very little research which has been carried out on the effect of dictionaries in word vocabulary and reading skills in second language. Word vocabulary is the skeleton of language-learning; therefore, there is a need to study the role played by dictionaries to enhance vocabularies. Prior studies have warranted the significance of dictionary use in improving lexical comprehension in writing and reading tasks, and vocabulary acquisition. The purpose of this project is to investigate the role of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries in enhancing word vocabulary and improving reading skills. The study will investigate which dictionary is more useful and has a positive effect on reading skills and enhancing word vocabulary. The study will replicate ideas of prior researches to evaluate which type of dictionary is effective in relation to reading skills and vocabulary acquisition. This study will be applied on high school students whose mother tongue are Arabic and see if the electronic dictionary has a vital role in improving reading skill and enhancing word vocabulary. The research will analyze the effectiveness of using electronic English dictionary (monolingual) vs. electronic English Arabic dictionary (bilingual) in enhancing word vocabulary and improving reading skills. 3.0 Project Objectives The objective of this study is to determine the most effective dictionary in enhancing word vocabulary and improving reading skills. This study will focus on the following aspects: Comparing the effectiveness of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries in developing reading skills Comparing the effectiveness of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries in enhancing word vocabulary 4.0 Literature Review This section will present an overview of work done previously that provides the required background for this research purposes. It will concentrates on various dictionary usage topics and the impacts of dictionaries in second language learning. This section will begin with a thorough coverage of dictionary usage topics which will assist in setting the context of this research. 4.1 Studies of Dictionary Use Numerous studies on dictionary use in second language learning have been carried out. However, this research area is wide and previous studies have not conducted an extensive research on dictionary usage in second language learning. Studies regarding bilingual and monolingual dictionaries are very few, and this insufficiency is unbelievable given the significant role of dictionaries in second language learning. Nevertheless, some researches have been conducted in relation to effectiveness use of dictionary work in second language learning. According to Karbalaei & Amoli (2011), some earlier researches also dealt with the effects of teaching dictionary skills focusing on specific language tasks and investigating effects of dictionary consultation on translation tasks. Other studies have recognized the relationship between L2 learners’ profiles and L2 learners’ success in using different types of dictionaries. Many of the earlier research tend to focus on similar issues. According to Walz (1990), several researchers have laid emphasis on the effectiveness and importance of either monolingual or bilingual dictionaries by evaluating the behavior of dictionary users for different tasks of improved writing tasks, vocabulary use, and vocabulary acquisition. In most of the researches, bilingual dictionaries are considered to be less effective as compared to monolingual dictionaries due to the fact that they promote fluency by offering definitions context. On contrary, bilingual dictionaries channel learners towards single-word translation equivalents that might not be suitable in the discourse in question. According to Liou (2000), using dictionaries does not always improve comprehension because it interferes with the learner’s short-term memory and restrain them from focusing the text as a whole. However, another researcher by the name Prichard (2008) counters this argument and indicates that many studies have shown that second language dictionary use improves reading comprehension and could lead to lexical development. 4.2 L2 Learners Dictionary Use Learners are influenced by a number of factors in dictionary usage, and a research conducted by Omar & Mansor (2005) indicates that most of them do not look up words at random. According to Prichard (2008), advanced learners are less likely to use a dictionary if the meaning of the unknown word is easily understood. More proficient learners normally use other vocabulary strategies rather than relying exclusively on dictionaries. Other variables such as task also influence learners reading and vocabulary strategies. For instance, in a translation task, learners are supposed to understand each and every word, while in reading a general comprehension, learners can ignore some unknown words and use the dictionary more strategically. When learners are reading for pleasure or to improve fluency, they are not expected to often use a dictionary. Another variable that influence the use of a dictionary is the type of dictionary to be used. Learners tend to use dictionary more frequently when utilizing web-based or electronic dictionaries instead of printed dictionaries. Other variables that may influence learners to use dictionaries include learning style, learner motivation, the type of word and text, and the time learners have to read[Joe90]. 4.3 Advantages of Using a Dictionary Dictionaries help a lot especially in providing the definitions of words. According to Omar & Mansor (2005), the main purpose of a dictionary is providing the meaning of a word, checking on the correct vocabulary, pronunciation and correct spelling. The use of dictionaries by L2 learners assists them in improving their learning ability. According to Liou (2000), the use of dictionaries help students to improve their learning ability, no matter the language there are studying. In his research, he also concluded that students’ achievement in answering comprehension questions is also improved when using a dictionary. Consulting a dictionary in order to determine the meaning of unknown words is very important for vocabulary learning. When L2 students have access to the meaning of unknown words, they recall substantial number of those words. An important aspect of consulting a dictionary is that it helps in verifying the accuracy of a self-generated inference that facilitates later recall of words. Therefore, consulting a dictionary is a potential productive strategy for learning new words and enhancing reading comprehension. 4.4 Problems when Using Dictionary According to a research conducted by Omar & Mansor (2005), the use of dictionaries in high school is not satisfactory. The research also found that teachers for second languages do not make full use of dictionaries when teaching in class. On the other hand, students find difficulties while using dictionaries. Some of the problems they experience include difficulty in searching for the classic word and root word, too many meaning of the root word, and pronunciation problems. 5.0 Research Approach/Methodology This section will address how the research will be carried out, and methods to be used to gather the required information. This section will also address the limit of the study and the data needed to collect. Justification of the methods used to collect the data will also be addressed in this section. Both qualitative and quantitative data collections methods will be applied in this research. Participants of this research will include people who have prior knowledge concerning the use of dictionaries including my instructor. A test will be carried on high school students. Questionnaire method of data collection will be the qualitative data technique to be used in this research. The advantage of this method is that, the researcher gets various responses on the same issue from different correspondents/participants[Mar071]. This helps the researcher to identify biting issue easily on the subject he/she is researching about. The reason why I have chosen this method of data collection is that it has succeeded in many researches, and I believe it will not fail on this one[Isa98]. The questions that will be included in the questionnaire form will address the interest of this research, and nothing outside the boundaries of this research will be asked. The questionnaire test will be presented to 40 students using a PowerPoint as follows: The students will be given a passage and asked to find the meaning of some words. 20 students will be using the monolingual dictionary, while the other 20 will be using bilingual dictionary, then they will leave their work with the presenter. The next day they will be asked to identify the meaning of the words they searched the day before without using the dictionary. The study will investigate those who used the Electronic monolingual dictionary vs. those who used the bilingual to see who keeps the word meaning in memory more effectively. The test will investigate which dictionary is more effective in enhancing word vocabulary and to investigate which is more effective in word family to enhance vocabulary. One on one interview will be done to some of the participating students so that they can help me understand how the dictionaries helped them to remember the words they had used. Since I am assuming that the whole group of the students had once used both types of the dictionaries, I will also ask them which of the two dictionaries they find most helpful in enhancing their word vocabulary and improving their reading skills. I will formulate questions which will address my problem statement and use them during the interview of the participating students. I will also interview some linguistic scholars to understand their views on the subject matter. More research will be done on the internet sources to understand what is required for this research. Internet will assist in carrying out the investigation of this research. I believe there are a number of important sources in the internet which contain information concerning monolingual and bilingual dictionaries use in second language learning. Monolingual and bilingual dictionaries are the main focus for this research and internet sources will assist in gathering information concerning this field. Reading available articles and books in the local library will be another crucial source of information concerning the use of dictionaries. There are many articles and books which have been written by different authors addressing the issue the use of dictionaries. Most of these books and articles are available in the linguistic books section of the local library. They contain history and the advances made in the use of dictionaries. Since there are different case studies which are discussed in these articles and books, reading them will help in understanding the use of dictionaries in a wider perspective. Aside, many other quantitative research techniques will be used in order to come up with better conclusions and viable recommendations. The quantitative approach of data gathering will help as a researcher not to be biased in gathering research information and evidences 6.0 Data Evaluation Data analysis assists in emphasizing useful information as well as suggesting convincing conclusions. The quantitative data of this research will be analyzed using numerical and statistical analysis. SPSS and MS-Excel programs will be used to represent the data using graphical methods such as histograms, pie charts, tables. These programs will also assist in carrying out validity tests so that a concise conclusion can be drawn. The qualitative data will be analyzed through an extensive review of the literature. This will help in understanding what others have done concerning in areas related to the research. This will give me as researcher insight and knowledge required to make necessary decisions during data collection. The interview qualitative data will be analyzed using the discourse analysis. According to Talja (2000), discourse analysis studies practices of producing knowledge and meanings in concrete contexts and institutions. Discourse analysis helps someone to identify the reliable answers and unreliable ones. This is normally done by selecting some of the participants’ discourse that are providing satisfactory answers and ignoring participants’’ discourse that seem to be unimportant (Newman, 1998). 7.0 Expected Findings Expected findings on this project will include: The role played by monolingual and bilingual dictionaries in improving reading skills How dictionaries enhance word vocabulary The most beneficial dictionary between monolingual and bilingual dictionaries Importance of dictionaries in linguistic studies 8.0 Conclusion The ability of acquiring the skills of a language such as writing, reading, speaking and listening assists in measuring the language proficiency. Dictionary is a tool that assists students to understand a given language as well as enhancing their reading skills. The purpose of this project is to investigate the role of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries in enhancing word vocabulary and improving reading skills. The study will investigate which dictionary is more useful and has a positive effect on reading skills and enhancing word vocabulary. Both qualitative and quantitative data collections methods will be applied in this research. Data analysis will also be carried out to assists in emphasizing useful information of the study as well as suggesting convincing conclusions References List Maj06: , (Hayati, 2006), Den05: , (Yanping, 2005), Joe90: , (Walz, 1990), Mar071: , (Denscombe, 2007), Isa98: , (Newman, 1998), Read More

 

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