Dictionary Use in Foreign Language Writing Exams

Impact and implications

Author
Martin East | Unitec New Zealand / The University of Auckland
HardboundAvailable
ISBN 9789027219831 | EUR 105.00 | USD 158.00
 
e-Book
ISBN 9789027290571 | EUR 105.00 | USD 158.00
 
Google Play logo
This book provides an in-depth analysis of what happens when intermediate level learners of a foreign language use a bilingual dictionary when writing. Dictionaries are frequently promoted to people learning a foreign language. Nevertheless, teachers often talk about their students’ inability to use dictionaries properly, especially when they write, and this can be problematic. This book paints a comprehensive picture of the differences a dictionary makes and brings out the implications for language learning, teaching, and testing practices. It draws on research in which participants in three studies took writing tests in two test conditions – with and without a dictionary. They were also asked what they thought about the two test types. Their performances and opinions were analyzed in a variety of ways. Conclusions from the data highlight some of the practical issues to be kept in mind if we want to help foreign language learners to use bilingual dictionaries effectively when writing.
[Language Learning & Language Teaching, 22] 2008.  xiii, 228 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Table of Contents
“East’s study raises many tough questions and does not have easy answers; it also touches on a range of areas of great importance for the professional teacher of L2, including the prime focus of curriculum and assessment.”
Dictionary Use in Foreign Language Writing Exams contributes to ongoing debates around using or not using dictionaries in writing, whatever the context, and will keep these debates going. The book helps to make the root causes of the controversy more understandable, and alerts those who have a stake in language learning, teaching, and assessment to both the benefits and drawbacks of bilingual dictionaries and to means of improving their use. The book will help language students, at whatever level, and whatever language they are studying, to get the best out of bilingual dictionaries when writing, and it will also help language teachers help their students to use this resource to full effect. Conclusions from the data highlight some of the practical issues to be kept in mind if we want to help foreign language learners use bilingual dictionaries effectively when writing.”
Cited by

Cited by 19 other publications

Campoy-Cubillo, Mari Carmen
2015. Assessing dictionary skills. Lexicography 2:1  pp. 119 ff. DOI logo
CELEN, Kiymet Merve & Şebnem YALÇIN
2021. THE EFFECTS OF VOCABULARY RESOURCE USE ON LEXICAL RICHNESS IN L2 WRITING. Milli Eğitim Dergisi 50:230  pp. 1039 ff. DOI logo
East, Martin
2013. The Dictionary as a Tool in Language Learning. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics,  pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
East, Martin
2015. Coming to terms with innovative high-stakes assessment practice: Teachers’ viewpoints on assessment reform. Language Testing 32:1  pp. 101 ff. DOI logo
East, Martin
2016. Coming to Terms with Assessment Innovation: Conclusions and Recommendations. In Assessing Foreign Language Students’ Spoken Proficiency [Educational Linguistics, 26],  pp. 189 ff. DOI logo
East, Martin
2016. Assessing Spoken Proficiency: What Are the Issues?. In Assessing Foreign Language Students’ Spoken Proficiency [Educational Linguistics, 26],  pp. 25 ff. DOI logo
East, Martin
2016. Investigating Stakeholder Perspectives on Interact. In Assessing Foreign Language Students’ Spoken Proficiency [Educational Linguistics, 26],  pp. 77 ff. DOI logo
East, Martin
2016. Mediating Assessment Innovation: Why Stakeholder Perspectives Matter. In Assessing Foreign Language Students’ Spoken Proficiency [Educational Linguistics, 26],  pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
East, Martin
2022. Martin East's essential bookshelf: Task-based language teaching. Language Teaching  pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
East, Martin & David Slomp
2023. The ethical turn in writing assessment: How far have we come, and where do we still need to go?. Language Teaching  pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Egido Vicente, María
2021. Dictionaries in German and Spanish primary education curricula: A comparative study. International Journal of Lexicography DOI logo
Guapacha Chamorro, María Eugenia
2022. Cognitive validity evidence of computer- and paper-based writing tests and differences in the impact on EFL test-takers in classroom assessment. Assessing Writing 51  pp. 100594 ff. DOI logo
Lefkos, Ioannis & Maria Mitsiaki
2021. Users’ Preferences for Pedagogical e-Content: A Utility/Usability Survey on the Greek Illustrated Science Dictionary for School. In Research on E-Learning and ICT in Education,  pp. 197 ff. DOI logo
Lew, Robert
2016. Can a Dictionary Help you Write Better? A User Study of an Active Bilingual Dictionary for Polish Learners of English. International Journal of Lexicography 29:3  pp. 353 ff. DOI logo
Mandalios, Jane
2013. Power and pedagogy in ELT: Native‐speaker teachers and the case of bilingual dictionaries and L1. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 23:2  pp. 202 ff. DOI logo
Nesi, Hilary
2012. Dictionary Use. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, DOI logo
Oh, Saerhim
2020. Second Language Learners’ Use of Writing Resources in Writing Assessment. Language Assessment Quarterly 17:1  pp. 60 ff. DOI logo
Pusey, Kerry & Yuko Goto Butler
2024. Amplifying test-taker voices in the validation of L2 writing assessment tasks. Assessing Writing 59  pp. 100790 ff. DOI logo
Sun, Peijian Paul
2020. Speech Competence and Speech Performance: A Literature Review. In Chinese as a Second Language Multilinguals’ Speech Competence and Speech Performance,  pp. 31 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 16 march 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Subjects

Main BIC Subject

CJA: Language teaching theory & methods

Main BISAC Subject

LAN020000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Study & Teaching
ONIX Metadata
ONIX 2.1
ONIX 3.0
U.S. Library of Congress Control Number:  2008010429 | Marc record