The effect of context and dictionary use on EFL vocabulary learning and retention

Vocabulary knowledge is often viewed as a critical tool forEFL learners, because limited vocabulary impedes successfulcommunication. It is, in fact, central to communicativecompetence and learning a new language. Considering thisimportance, the present study aimed to compare the effects of twocommonly used meaning finding strategies, namely usingdictionary and guessing meaning from the context, in terms ofvocabulary learning and retention. To this end, 60 Iranian EFLlearners of pre-intermediate proficiency level were selectedthrough convenience sampling, and were randomly assigned intothree study groups of two experimental and one control. Theresults of Key English Test (KET) at the outset of the studyproved homogeneity of the participants and the groups. Thedesign of the study was quasi-experimental with pre-test,treatment, immediate post-test, and delayed post-test. During the treatment, and participants in context group practiced guessingthe meaning of the unknown words from the context of the word,participants in dictionary group were taught looking up themeaning of the intended words in a monolingual dictionary, whilethe participants of the control group did not apply any particularstrategy and were provided the meaning of the words by theteacher. The results of t-tests and ANOVA tests revealed thatwhile both strategies were successful in vocabulary learning andretention, they did not have any significant difference. Solanguage learners can benefit equally from guessing the meaningfrom context or using a dictionary, and can choose either oneaccording to their personal preferences. Useful implications areprovided for language learners, teachers, and material developers.

کلیدواژه ها:

Vocabulary ، Learning ، Retention ، Context ، Dictionary