<研究ノート>Learner Dictionaries versus Regular Dictionaries : Is there a difference?

Abstract

This study started with a casual conversation in a hallway at school. One teacher said he did not believe learners' dictionaries were any more helpful that regular dictionaries. Since we strongly urge students at Osaka Jogakuin Junior College (OJJC) to buy an English-English learners' dictionary, whether or not dictionary type affects ease-of-use is of interest to the English program. Although there have been studies comparing learner's dictionaries (Bogaard, 1996), studying what we know about students' use of learner dictionaries (Kernerman, 1996), and examining pedagogical dictionary use in writing (Harvey and Yuill, 1997), the effectiveness of learner dictionaries versus regular dictionaries has not been compared in-depth.This study is an attempt to address the question of effectiveness. It will try to find out if dictionary type has any effect on usability. The specific questions are 1) Do students understand words looked up in a learners' dictionary better than those looked up in a regular dictionary? 2) Does proficiency affect a student's ability to use dictionaries?