Foreign Language Learners’ Use and Perception of Online Dictionaries:

A Survey Study

In the article entitled Foreign Language Learners’ Use and Perception of Online Dictionaries: A Survey Study, Jin and Deifell (2013) discussed the function, the role, and the importance of online dictionaries to support foreign language learners. Both authors identified the initial problem in the research that foreign language learners found difficulty in understanding language forms due to its in-depth use in sentences. However, the issue was resolved through highlighting the impact of using online dictionaries to facilitate learning.

The review of literature offered great ideas how online dictionaries influenced students’ learning a language. The importance of dictionaries in language has always been beneficial as Jin and Deifell (2013) examined the perceptions and uses of the foreign language learners through bilingual online dictionaries. In fact, the literature review was balanced, which presented pieces of reviewed literature to support the claim that online dictionaries were useful to the foreign language learners. The use of resources and references was recent, and the discussion of the topic was based on the theoretical framework. Indeed, the variables were clearly defined where the respondents joined through a web-based survey (Jin & Deifell, 2013, p. 519). The method of research, the use of research instrument, the sample, the data analysis, and the result and the conclusion were discussed to inform the readers to deliberate further research.

In the end, this article provided pieces of information that online dictionaries helped learners create and decipher digitally mediated written texts. They considered online dictionaries essential in language learning. However, they reported that not all were reliable due to the disparity of quality in online dictionaries across languages. Thus, foreign learners should use copious online glossaries and other digital resources to help them learn the intended language.

Optimizing the Learning of a Second Language Vocabulary:

An Experimental Research

In an article entitled Optimizing the Learning of a Second Language Vocabulary, Atkinson (1972) identified the problem to improve the learning of a large German-English vocabulary. Atkinson (1972) mentioned four enhancement strategies, which he assessed experimentally. He used four strategies to understand the problem. Firstly, he utilized some items in a random order. Secondly, he determined the experiment trial of the involving items. Thirdly and fourthly, he used the strategy based on decision-theoretic analysis of the instructional task or based on a mathematical model of the learning process. As such, this research would need an experimentation to identify its implications and theoretical analysis.

In this study, the review of related literature discussed students could optimize their learning through a language. It was necessary to improve the second learning since the vocabularies may be different from the native language learning of the first language learning. In fact, the use of dictionaries in language was beneficial as Atkinson (1972) examined the perceptions and uses of the second language learners. In fact, the literature review was balanced, which presented studies to answer the hypothesis (p. 129). The utilization of the references was not recent; however, the result was compelling. The discussion of results was based on the theoretical and analytical framework, which the variables were evidently defined. The samples participated in an online survey.

Above all, this article provided a good result that improving vocabularies of the second language helped learners acquire more vocabularies. At end of the research, the method of research, the use of research instrument, the data analysis, and the result and the conclusion were conferred profoundly to recommend further studies.

Communicating Organizational Change: Strategies for Communicating Change

A Content Analysis

In an article entitled Communicating Organizational Change: Strategies for Communicating Change, Nordin (2014) tried to explore perceptions of workforces concerning change in the organizational communication and to develop change results in an organizational situation. He also mentioned that the organizational leaders would face some growing pressures to implement change of plans and strategies to answer efficiently to the growing business competition. Nordin believed that such change would often entail structural rearrangement and develop new tasks. Although Nordin identified the need for organizational change, he recognized the needs of the organizations, developed strategies to communicate successfully, and initiated steps to change the course of actions when problems occurred.

In this article, Nordin integrated the review of literature that offered great ideas how they could improve their communication strategies. Indeed, this article highlighted the need to demonstrate face-to-face communication, provide a constant communication practice for long-term change endeavors and frequent communication, and initiate effective communication strategies for organizational and ethical discussions. In the experimentation, the participants indicated that mood of communication affected the employees’ perceptions regarding organizational change (Nordin, 2014, p. 136). In fact, in this research, the use of resources was recent to offer new information, and the topic was, indeed, based on the theoretical framework. Hence, the method of research, the use of research instrument, the sample study, the data analysis, and the result and the conclusion were discussed profoundly to inform the readers to deliberate further research.

In the end, this article delivered that effective communication could promote effective organizational change. Effective communication helped the readers and learners understand better regarding business and organizational problems. In this article, it suggested that effective communication played a vital role in business meetings, conferences, and plans towards success. That is why Nordin recognized the needs of the organizational change through effective communication strategies.

References

• Deifell, E., & Jin, L. (2013, December). Foreign language learners’ use and perception of online dictionaries: A survey study. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 515 – 526.
• Atkinson, R. C. (1972). Optimizing the learning of a second language vocabulary. Journal of Experimental Psychology, Vol. 96, No. 1, pp. 124 – 129.
• Nordin, E. J. (2014). Communicating Organizational Change: Strategies for Communicating Change. San Antonio, Texas, USA: The Clute Institute International Academic Conference, pp. 134 – 140.