As far as the participants and dimensions of the study are concerned, this study is far from thorough and exhaustive. Further studies can broaden the dimensions of research and refine the research methods on the basis of the following five suggestions.
First, the qualification of each question of the dictionary skills test has to be refined, and subscales must be identified and weighed properly. The reading comprehension tasks can be refined too, so that the difficulty level may be better controlled.
Second, the role of dictionary skills in other aspects of language can be looked into deeper in the future, while here, local reading is our main concern. Vocabulary learning, writing, and global reading can be explored to see the role of dictionary skills in these aspects.
Third, it is suggested that other sizes or types of dictionaries be investigated in further research. In the present study, among the three sizes of the same dictionary copy, the smallest one was used for economical consideration. During this study, many students complained that the sizes of words of the dictionary in this study were too small and asked if they can use their own dictionaries, printed or electronic.
Fourth, the number of participants also needs to be increased. It is also worthwhile for future studies to recruit different levels of students or adult dictionary users as participants, such as college students or those who participate in the on-the-job study programs. Because of different learning experience, different patterns in dictionary use behaviors can be discerned. It is suggested to implement the course on a larger number of students and
74
evaluate the effects.
As Brown et al (1983) suggests that “evaluation” is one of the elements which should be taken into account in the development and implementation of activities and materials for learner training. (p162.) Evaluation, i.e. how is the outcome of learner training measured?
The kinds of changes in learner behavior looked for in the intervention studies analyzed include (1) task improvement, (2) maintenance, and (3) transfer. In the case of task improvement, this means determining whether perform their language tasks with greater facility and accuracy as a result of the training. As for maintenance, it has to do with durability of behavior. Will learners continue to use this strategy and for how long? If one were to set a similar task a day, week, or even a month after the training, would learners spontaneously use the strategy? Use it with prompting? As for transfer, it considers the learners’ ability to generalize the use of the strategy to similar classes of tasks within different contexts.
Therefore, the last suggestion is to make a long term observation of these 20 participants in the experiment group in this study. Will they be more willing to use dictionary to facilitate their English learning and achieve a better English proficiency in the future?
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Omaggio Hadley, A. 1993.Teaching Language in Context. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.
Richards, J.C, Platt, J & Platt, H, (1998). Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. Longman .
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Appendix A English Consent Form
Consent Form
You are cordially invited to participate in this study on English dictionary use. If you agree to participate, you will read English articles or sentences and use English dictionaries while being observed by the investigator. Also, you will be provided with the skill training on dictionary uses. Your participation in this study will last for ten weeks. Your reading procedure and dictionary use will be observed and analyzed by the investigator.
The result of this study will be for the academic research only. Your privacy will be protected. When the study is completed, all the data collected from your participation will be destroyed. Besides, your participation in this study is irrelevant to your academic grades;
there is no possibility of risks to your physical or mental health in the observation and interviewing processes. You are making a decision to participate in this study. Your signature indicates that you have read the statement above and have decided to participate.
Signature of the participant：_______________________ Date：_______________
Signature of the Investigator：______________________ Date：_______________
Investigator：Mei-hua Wang
Graduate Institute of Foreign Languages and Literature, National Sun Yat-sen University
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Appendix B Chinese Consent Form
同意書
這是一個關於英文字典使用情形的研究，誠摯地邀您參與。若您同意參與，每次研 究者會觀察您閱讀英文文章或句子及使用英文字典的情形，並提供英文字典使用技巧之 解說訓練。您參與此研究的時間將持續十週。您閱讀的過程及使用字典的情形會被研究 者觀察並分析。
本研究結果僅供學術研究之用，您的隱私會受到保護。在本研究完成後，您的參與 所得的資料將全數銷毀。此外，您參與本研究與您學校成績無關；在觀察與訪談的過程 沒有損及您身體或心理健康的危險性。若您已詳閱上列陳述並決定參與，請在下欄簽名。
參與者簽名：____________________________ 日期：_____________________
研究者簽名：____________________________ 日期：______________________
研究者：汪美華
國立中山大學
外國語文學系研究所
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Appendix C
Global Reading Comprehension Test
Global Reading Comprehension Test 姓名_____________
一、各位同學們，本測驗之目的僅為英語教學及學術研究之用，並不會影響你在校的分 數，請放心作答。此測驗無時間的限制，請你耐心完成它，過程中請勿交談。謝謝 你的合作！
二、現在請你仔細閱讀此篇文章，閱讀完畢之後，請完成以下兩部分的測驗：
(1) 將此篇文章完整地「翻譯」成中文。
1. 盡量使用字典(至少 10 個字詞)，除非你非常確定該字的意思。
2. 在文章上將你查字典的字詞畫線(至少 10 處)，並在字上方寫出該字 詞在字典上的頁碼。
(2) 根據文章內容回答「是非題」。
第一部份：閱讀及翻譯
Germans Best at Saving Energy, Survey Says ____________________________________
Britain is the least energy-efficient country in Europe, while energy-saving is _____________________________________________________________________
Germans’ middle name, according to a survey of the habits of 5,000 people across the _____________________________________________________________________
continent published last week.
_____________________________________________________________________
The Energy Saving Trust (EST) found that Germany was the nation most _____________________________________________________________________
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conscious about saving energy. They reported this based on the average number of _____________________________________________________________________
wasteful acts committed each week. The Germans were followed in order by Spain, _____________________________________________________________________
France, Italy and Britain.
_____________________________________________________________________
Germany scored 14, Spain scored 16, France scored 19, Italy scored 25 and the _____________________________________________________________________
UK scored a very high 32.
_____________________________________________________________________
EST singled out for criticism the British people's overdependence on tumble _____________________________________________________________________
dryers. They can only do the laundry without tumble dryers once in a blue moon.
_____________________________________________________________________
32 percent of them avoid using a washing line to dry clothes altogether.
_____________________________________________________________________
Italians are the worst in Europe at remembering to turn off the standby button on _____________________________________________________________________
electrical appliances — 80 percent do this on a regular basis, according to the trust — _____________________________________________________________________
while the French are willing to wear a sweater instead of turning up the heating.
_____________________________________________________________________
Only 16 percent of them turn up the heating at least once a week, the EST said.
_____________________________________________________________________
It praised the Spanish people for their conscientious use of heating systems, with _____________________________________________________________________
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only 12 percent leaving air conditioning or heating on when they go out, compared to _____________________________________________________________________
28 percent in Britain.
_____________________________________________________________________
Germans, meanwhile, are virtual paragons of good behavior. Some 78 percent _____________________________________________________________________
always turn off their car engines when sitting in traffic jams and 60 percent regularly _____________________________________________________________________
wash their clothes at an economical temperature of 60 degrees Celsius, which is a _____________________________________________________________________
labor of love.
_____________________________________________________________________
第二部分：是非題 (正確的敘述請寫 T，錯誤的敘述請寫 F) 1. ( ) Britain is an energy-saving country in Europe.
2. ( ) Germans usually turn off their car engines in traffic jams.
3. ( ) People in Britain use their heating system efficiently.
4. ( ) Italian people are more energy-saving than the French.
5. ( ) Most people in Britain dry their clothes under the sun.
6. ( ) Italians usually remember to turn off the standby buttons on electrical appliances.
7. ( ) French people save energy by wearing sweaters instead of using the heating.
8. ( ) Spanish people save energy by turning off the air conditioning or heating.
9. ( ) The most energy-saving country is UK, followed by Italy, France, Spain, and Germany.
10. ( ) Germans wash their clothes at an economical temperature.
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Appendix D
Dictionary Skills Involved in the Global Reading Comprehension Test
Germans Best at (collocation, cross-reference) Saving Energy, Survey Says
Britain is the least (parts of speech, polysemous) energy-efficient country in Europe, while energy-saving is German’s middle name (compounds, idiom), according to (fixed expression) a survey of the habits of 5,000 people across the continent published last week.
The Energy Saving Trust (EST) found (homonyms) that Germany was the nation most conscious about saving energy. They reported (tense inflection, parts of speech, polysemous) this based on (parts of speech, phrasal verb) the average number of wasteful acts (plural, parts of speech, polysemous) committed (inflection, grammar: passive) each week.
The Germans were followed (passive, polysemous) in order (parts of speech, polysemous) by Spain, France, Italy and Britain.
Germany scored (tense inflection, parts of speech, polysemous) 14, Spain scored 16, France scored 19, Italy scored 25 and the UK scored a very high 32.
EST singled out for (inflection, parts of speech, phrasal verb) criticism the British people's overdependence. (prefix) on tumble dryers. They can only do the laundry without tumble dryers once in a blue moon (cross-reference, idiom). 32 percent of them avoiding using a washing line (compound ) to dry (parts of speech, polysemous) clothes altogether.
Italians are the worst in Europe at remembering to turn off (parts of speech, phrasal verb, polysemous) the standby button on electrical appliances — 80 percent do this on a regular basis, according to (fixed expression) the trust — while the French are willing to wear a
87
sweater instead of turning up (grammar -verb participle, parts of speech, phrasal verb, polysemous) the heating.
Only 16 percent of them turn up the heating at least once a week, the EST said.
It praised (inflection, parts of speech, polysemous) the Spanish people for their conscientious use of heating systems, with only 12 percent leaving (grammar -verb participle, parts of speech, polysemous) air conditioning (compound) or heating on (parts of speech, polysemous) when they go out, compared to (grammar -verb participle, parts of speech,) 28 percent in Britain.
Germans, meanwhile, are virtual paragons of good behavior. Some 78 percent always turn off their car engines when sitting in traffic jams (plural inflection, parts of speech, polysemous) and 60 percent regularly wash their clothes at an economical temperature (collocation) of 60 degrees Celsius, which is a labor of love. (cross-reference, idiom).
88
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Appendix F Questionnaire
【國中學生英語字典使用概況問卷】
各位同學：
此份問卷之目的是為了研究台灣國中生英文字典使用的情形，其研究結果將僅供學術研 究之用，你的隱私會受到保護。此外，本問卷結果不會影響你在學校的成績，敬請務實 作答，感謝你的合作！
二年____班 姓名__________ 座號____ 性別：□ 男 □ 女
1. 你從幾歲開始學英文？---______歲，至今約______年 2. 你為什麼學英文？ (可複選)
□ 考試
□ 增加未來就業的機會
□ 增加未來就業的機會