Dictionary skills in advanced learners’ coursebooks — Materials survey

Abstract

Nowadays, almost 65 years after the publication of the first advanced learner’s dictionary, this particular consultation source is considered “a useful addition to any [language] course” (Sharma & Barret, 2007: 52). However, as it was remarked by Leany (2007: 1), the ability to successfully utilize advanced learner’s dictionaries requires a considerable amount of practice on the part of students. Thus, dictionary skills appear to constitute one of the key aspects of EFL education. Therefore, the aim of this article is to identify key dictionary skills and describe how they are promoted in advanced learner’s coursebooks. Following the set of guidelines described in Leany (2007) and Welker (2010), the authors developed criteria that were used to assess the dictionary-oriented contents of selected teaching materials. It is hoped that this article highlights the advantages and exposes the shortcomings of dictionary-oriented materials and activities included in EFL coursebooks.