Where Do Business Students Turn for Help? An Empirical Study on Dictionary Use in Foreign-Language Learning

gromann, dagmar ; schnitzer, johannes;

Investigating dictionary use is not only essential to the process of dictionary compilation and evaluation but equally to establishing a best practice of strategic dictionary consultation. User research of the past few decades has tended to focus either on pedagogical lexicography or the evaluation of specific lexicographic resources. In particular, the proportion of investigations in specialised settings seems comparatively low. In order to redress the balance, the present study evaluates the resource selection process and consultation strategies of 430 L2 learners of five languages studying university
courses in business and economics. Data were gathered by a three-tiered method combining a self-report questionnaire, a text production and translation test with observation, and guided interviews. The study’s results suggest a general lack of awareness of
existing specialised resources and alternative strategies for handling specialised texts.