The Effect of the Computer Dictionary and the Paper Dictionary on L2 learners' Vocabulary Acquisition

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of the computer dictionary and the paper dictionary on L2 learners' vocabulary acquisition while reading. Thirty-seven Korean college students divided into a computer dictionary group and a paper dictionary group read a short text for comprehension with access to a dictionary and were tested on the retention of the 14 target words. The results show that (1) while L2 learners read a short text, they look up significantly more words using the computer dictionary than using the paper dictionary, (2) the computer dictionary has a more positive effect on learners' incidental vocabulary acquisition by drawing learners' attention to the words than the paper dictionary, and (3) there is no difference in the retention rate between the words looked up in the computer dictionary and those looked up in the paper dictionary.