Productive dictionary skills training: what do language learners find useful?

Abstract

Dictionary skills are a recurrent topic of interest for foreign and second language teachers. However, there are few concrete recommendations about what dictionary skills to teach and how to teach them. This article reports on third-year college Spanish students' reactions to dictionary skills training, providing insights into what dictionary skills should be taught. Several pedagogical recommendations are made, and sample dictionary exercises, which can easily be adapted to other languages, are included in the Appendix.