The effect of using monolingual english dictionaries on reducing lexical erros of substitution in learners' english writingat Kalandia community college and Ramallah community college in the west bank

The effect of using monolingual english dictionaries on reducing lexical erros of substitution in learners' english writingat Kalandia community college and Ramallah community college in the west bank

Adnan I. Abu-Ayyash This study aimed at investigating the effect of using contextualized monolingual English dictionary on reducing lexical errors of substitution in the learners' English writing at Kalandia Community College (KCC) and Ramallah Community College (RCC) in the West Bank. The population of the study consisted of all (126) male first-year semi-professional students at KCC and RCC-both run by UNRWA- in the academic year 1996-1997.  The sample population consisted of (80) students grouped in four sections. The researcher has introduced the dictionary use study skill, including relevant activities, to each of the experimental groups.  Each group used certain types of monolingual English dictionaries: -Experimental Group 1: They used contextualized and decontextualized monolingual English dictionaries. -Experimental Group2: They used contextualized and monolingual English dictionaries. -Experimental Group3: They used decontextualized monolingual English dictionaries. The control group, which was taught by another EFL teacher, was taught English via the ordinary way where bilingual English\ Arabic dictionaries are used. All groups answered a questionnaire, based on Baxter’s (1980) questionnaire, to diagnose their present dictionary habit and preferences. Following a four-week of intensive use of allocated types of dictionaries with relevant activities applied on the experimental groups, all groups sat for an achievement post-test in writing. The test was designed by the researcher and was validated by 4 EFL teachers in community colleges in the West Bank. The result of the study showed significant effect in favour of the use of monolingual English dictionaries as an important study skill that could reduce errors of substitution in the domain of lexis in EFL learners writing (Experimental groups l+2). Adnan I. Abu-Ayyash Supervisor Dr. Susan Arafat 1997 Zajel / An-Najah National University