Investigating EFL Students’ and Instructors’ Perceptions of Dictionary Usage in Writing Assessment

Abstract

In this mixed-methods study we investigated the attitudes of 32 students and 34 teachers from a Saudi Arabian university toward dictionary use in writing assessments in EFL settings. We aimed to discern their views on the role of dictionaries in writing assessments and overall language proficiency. We asked both students and instructors to answer a 4-point Likert-style questionnaire to investigate their perceptions about using dictionaries in writing assessments. We interviewed participants later for further investigation. After analyzing the data both quantitatively and qualitatively, we found that students generally perceived dictionary use as being beneficial by enhancing vocabulary acquisition, improving writing performance and accuracy, and fostering positive attitudes toward writing without significantly affecting comprehension or focus on content. In contrast, teachers were skeptical, doubting dictionaries’ contribution to vocabulary development, writing quality, and accuracy. They also raised concerns about dictionaries’ not promoting positive writing attitudes or independent learning and potentially slowing down the writing process due to ineffective usage. Our study highlights a notable discrepancy between students’ positive perceptions and teachers’ reservations about dictionary use in language assessments. It suggests a need for further research to understand dictionaries’ impact on language learning and assessment outcomes, acknowledging the limitations of the study and the need for broader exploration in diverse educational contexts to resolve these differing views.