Abstract:
Students at higher education institutions around the globe often feel pressured to finish extensive reading
assignments for their various courses. Such readings are mostly done in English, the language of instruction at
most universities including those in Palestine. One may also argue that a considerable amount of college reading
is done online due to the scarcity of print sources at some universities or to the convenience of such sources for
saving, compiling and editing materials that would later be used for the purpose of academic writing. Two of the
most valuable sources that students utilize when reading online are the electronic (CD-Rom) and online
dictionaries. These dictionaries are suitable for the blended learning mode because even if electronic equipment
is not readily available inside the classrooms, such dictionaries can be used out of the classroom, in a lab or at a
café, to finish reading and writing assignments, build vocabulary and prepare for presentations. All these features
and advantages, however, would go to waste unless the students are familiar with them and can utilize them
efficiently. When knowing these features, students will take control of their own learning and will be motivated
to spend more time navigating and exploring the dictionary which will offer them an unprecedented opportunity
to expose themselves to unabridged or authentic language input that will enhance their overall language
proficiency.
This study, hence, attempts to investigate the current state of Palestinian College students' familiarity with the
features of electronic and online dictionaries and to check their purposes for using them. The paper also looks at
the domains in which students use electronic dictionaries, i.e., home, classroom or campus. The study also
probes the change in the above variables after the students were introduced to a new classroom activity, i.e.,
"word of the day" which impacted the students' overall language proficiency and their awareness of the special
www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015
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features of electronic dictionaries.
