Teaching Reference Skills: Does it really Matter?

Authors

  • Monika Kavalir University of Ljubljana

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.7.2.113-122

Keywords:

reference skills, dictionary use, thesaurus, L2 writing

Abstract

The article discusses the results of a study at the core of which is the question of whether teaching reference skills really matters – i.e. how useful it is to train students to work with dictionaries. To answer this query, two issues are investigated: firstly, how effective the particular methodology developed here is with regard to using thesauri; and secondly, whether it makes a difference if some specific hands-on exercises are included or excluded. By the end of the project, the students felt that thesauri, a previously unknown language tool, would be quite useful for their work in the future; on average, they were planning to use a thesaurus several times a month. The analysis of the student questionnaires and a comparison of lexical variation in the first and second drafts of the essays also showed that the experimental group, which received more practical training, generally found thesauri more useful and, accordingly, used them more than the control group did.

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Published

28.05.2010

How to Cite

Kavalir, M. (2010). Teaching Reference Skills: Does it really Matter?. ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries, 7(2), 113–122. https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.7.2.113-122

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2010): ELOPE Volume VII - Autumn

Section

English Language and Literature Teaching

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