REGULAR ARTICLE Effects of Printed, Pocket Electronic, and Online Dictionaries on High School Students’ English Vocabulary Retention Li-Ling Chiu • Gi-Zen Liu Published online: 12 February 2013 Ó De La Salle University 2013 Abstract This study obtained empirical evidence regarding the effects of using printed dictionaries (PD), pocket electronic dictionaries (PED), and online type-in dictionaries (OTID) on English vocabulary retention at a junior high school. A mixed-methods research methodol- ogy was adopted in this study. Thirty-three seventh graders were asked to use all three types of dictionaries to finish reading tasks, and then were tested not only immediately after the reading tasks, but also two and four weeks later. Questionnaires and interviews were used to examine the participants’ attitudes and reflections after using the three types of dictionaries. Results indicate that although elec- tronic dictionaries (OTID and PED) temporarily attract junior high school students’ attention, PD helps them retain target words more effectively. Spending more time work- ing with a PD apparently helped participants retain target words better. In contrast, the fast retrieval speed of an electronic dictionary might not impress the word forms and meanings onto junior high school students to such a sig- nificant degree. Electronic dictionaries could thus be used as a gateway to arouse students’ interest to use dictionaries, while printed dictionaries could be used to help students retain the word forms and meanings. Keywords Printed dictionary Á Pocket electronic dictionary Á Online type-in dictionary Á Word retention Á Vocabulary Á English Introduction Vocabulary learning has been the research focus of numerous education-related studies (Saran et al. 2012; Wang et al. 2011). The value of dictionary use with regard to vocabulary learning has been the subject of discussion and research in English as a foreign language (EFL) literature (Jian et al. 2009; Liu and Lin, 2011; Liu et al. 2011). In recent years, along with the rise of electronic dictionaries, this issue has gained increased attention (Lan 2005). While both printed dictionaries and their electronic counterparts have their supporters, electronic dictionaries have become more popu- lar and useful in practice (Dziemianko 2010; Lan 2005; Liu and Lin 2011). Though earlier studies have examined the effects of various types of dictionaries, most of them were conducted in a higher education context (e.g., Dziemianko 2010; Jian et al. 2009; Laufer and Hill 2000; Liu and Lin 2011; Park 2006; Peters 2007). Some researchers have argued that the findings of studies conducted in university settings are not necessarily applicable to a secondary educational context (Abraham 2008). It is therefore critical to identify the usability issues and potential problems of the use of various dictionary types with students at different educational levels. Moreover, while many studies have compared the use of two types of dictionaries, such as printed dictionaries (PD) versus pocket electronic dictionaries (PED) (e.g., Kobayashi 2006; Koyama and Takeuchi 2007), PD versus online type- in dictionary (OTID) (e.g., Dziemianko 2010), and paper gloss versus electronic gloss, only few have compared more than two types (e.g., pop-up online dictionary, online type-in dictionary, printed dictionary, and gloss) in one study (e.g., Liu and Lin 2011). Based on an exhaustive literature review, it appears that there has been no published work concerning the use of three types of dictionaries in junior high schools’ EFL learning in Taiwan. Hence, the use of three dictionary L.-L. Chiu Á G.-Z. Liu (&) Foreign Languages and Literature Department, Foreign Language Center, National Cheng Kung University, 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan e-mail: gizen@mail.ncku.edu.tw 123 Asia-Pacific Edu Res (2013) 22(4):619–634 DOI 10.1007/s40299-013-0065-1