Enhancing ESP Learners’ Technical Expressions through Guessing, Word Recognition, and App Dictionary Strategies

ESP vocabulary always presents a major linguistic obstacle as Tskhvitava (2016) believes, to non-native English-speaking students (p. 131). This study tried to study the impact of scaffolding ESP learners to use several strategies including guessing, word recognition strategies, and using app dictionaries as a supportive means of learning to enhance the acquisition of ESP expressions. The participants of this research were 30 EFL learners, 15 in each of the two experimental groups. Each group was divided into two sub-groups, with seven to eight individuals in each sub-group. The participants were chosen from Science and Applied University of Farhang and Honar (Culture and Fine Art) in Qazvin. After the pretest was administered in the first session, there was a 14-week treatment process followed by a posttest in the 16th session. Each experimental group was divided into two sub-groups. In the first sub-group of group one, instruction and tasks were offered through using guessing strategies, and instruction in the second sub-group was presented through using app dictionary. As for the second experimental group, the third sub-group used word recognition strategies, and the fourth one made use of app dictionary. The results of one-way ANCOVA revealed statistically significant differences in two of the sub-groups. Sub-groups two and four in which app dictionary was utilized in doing ESP activities and tasks outperformed the other sub-groups.

کلیدواژه ها:

Expressions ، Strategy ، Guessing ، Word recognition ، App dictionary ، ESP