THE EFFICACY OF DICTIONARIES FOR LEARNING JAPANESE AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Students need to know how to use dictionaries effectively to acquire new vocabulary knowledge. In this study, the author investigated the use of dictionaries while reading for learning new words in Japanese as a Second Language (JSL). The main purpose for the current study was to determine the effectiveness of using a dictionary for acquiring the unknown vocabulary in Japanese textbook. The results of this survey showed that (1) students preferred electronic dictionaries and use few paper dictionaries, (2) They use the smartphone app's dictionaries to search kanji that they don't know how to read, and (3) These features are shown on students from both non-kanji-using and kanji-using countries.