THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN USING PAPER DICTIONARY AND E-DICTIONARY EFFECTS IN MEMORIZING NEW WORDS

Abstract

Nowadays, students are using e-dictionary on their smartphones, rather than using paper dictionaries. In this study we aimed to show how paper dictionary is rather beneficial and provides long-lasting knowledge when studying a second language. To ensure the accuracy, we involved 105 EFL sophomores of the same level, studying professional English in Mandakh University, and used mixed methodology of quantitative and qualitative data analysis such as interview, notes, focus group, and observation. We conducted a survey to identify the use of paper dictionaries in the classroom. There was also a memory test, which was taken from the students, to investigate how students encode, store, recall, decode and forget the given words. The result of the survey identifies that looking up a word in an e-dictionary takes only a few seconds, and the words are stored in short term memory, while using a paper dictionary allows the learner to recite the word multiple times in their mind or mouth and the whole process takes usually a minute. Taking a longer time to look up for a word helps the user to memorize the word in their long-term memory, in this paper we have tried to prove this theory with proper research.