Evaluating the Usefulness of the Learning Tools in Monolingual Online Dictionaries for Learners of English: Gauging the Preferences of Polish Students of English
Abstract
The aim of the report is twofold. First, the learning tools available in monolingual online dictionaries for learners of English are described. Second, an evaluation of the usefulness of the learning tools in online dictionaries is provided. To meet the aims of the present contribution, a survey was administered on 318 Polish students of English. The respondents, who participated in a lecture devoted to the topic of learning tools in online dictionaries, were instructed to complete a questionnaire. A mixed-question format was adopted. In the first part of the questionnaire, the participants had to rate the usefulness of the features of the Macmillan Dictionary on a semantic differential scale of 1–7. In the second part, there were two open-ended questions. The students were asked to name the most and least useful learning tools of the Macmillan Dictionary and explain their choices. The results suggest that English majors studying at a Polish university accord high priority to consulting online learning tools which give them valuable information on collocations, synonyms and semantically related words. Keywords: lexicography, dictionary use, online dictionary, monolingual learners' dictionary, online learning tools, surveyCopyright of all material published in Lexikos will be vested in the Board of Directors of the Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal. Authors are free, however, to use their material elsewhere provided that Lexikos (AFRILEX Series) is acknowledged as the original publication source.
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