TAKESHI WATARAI (TAMAGAWA UNIVERSITY)

A VIDEO ANALYSIS STUDY OF JAPANESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ USE OF ONLINE DICTIONARY TOOLS : METHODOLOGIES AND TEACHING APPROACHES

In recent years, online dictionaries, including dictionary websites and applications, have emerged as the most popular type of dictionary used among second language learners. Additionally, learners reportedly tend to regard online translators and Internet searches as online dictionaries. Although several studies have investigated how second language learners use online dictionaries, most have employed survey-based methodologies that do not capture how learners use online dictionaries in real-time settings. In light of this background, the present study defined online dictionaries and other related tools as “online dictionary tools (ODTs)” and investigated how 18 Japanese university students used them during computer-based productive tasks. The participants were asked to complete two tasks: a fill-in-the-blanks task and a translation task involving the use of English synonyms. During the tasks, the participants were instructed to use ODTs and think aloud to express their thoughts and intentions. The computer screen, which was divided into two window displays corresponding to the tasks and ODTs, was video recorded during completion of the tasks, including the participants’ utterances. The video data were converted into timelines summarizing lookup behaviors, think-aloud utterances, and researcher’s comments. The timelines were then compared to one another in terms of participants’ English proficiency level, vocabulary size, accuracy rate, what ODTs were used, and ODT usage frequency. Although this study is ongoing and has a number of limitations, it offers a methodology to explore how second language learners use ODTs in real time, thereby contributing to the insights gained from previous studies.

Takeshi Watarai is currently a graduate student majoring in English language education at Graduate School of Humanities, Tamagawa University. His research interests include dictionary use by second language learners, dictionary instructions, and pre-service English teacher training.