An Enquiry into ESL Learners’ Perceptions and Preferences for Paperback or Digital Dictionary at Graduate Level in the South Punjab

Abstract

This paper investigates empirically the changing attitude of ESL learners towards the use of dictionaries be that paperback or digital. Mix-methods approach was used and responses were collected through a questionnaire administered on 150 ESL learners of English from five distinguished institutions of the South Punjab. Employing the data triangulation technique, the researchers conducted a semi-structured interview with the selected learners as well as booksellers for validity.  Keeping in view the findings of past studies of the kind, the researchers found out that there is an enormously higher reliance on online dictionaries rather than paperback dictionaries but students’ reference skills are rather poor due to insufficient learning of dictionary skills. Students are more inclined toward looking up meaning and thus prefer using online monolingual dictionaries because of convenience and easy access to meaning by virtue of the availability of android cellular phones. This study further proposes the need for affording courses in dictionary skills for capitalizing the dictionary potential particularly the paperback dictionary. The available online dictionaries are further required to be studied from the perspective of ESL learners’ needs.