Abstract:

Dictionaries are an invaluable tool for learning a foreign language. They are particularly important in the acquisition of Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) as students are expected to acquire professional terminology and use it with precision. The internet has made dictionaries more accessible and easier to use than ever before. As new technologies continue to evolve and become more widely used by new generations of tertiary-level students, LSP teachers may assume that their students are naturally skilled at using dictionaries to find accurate and relevant linguistic information with ease.

However, research shows that students are reluctant to use dictionaries and tend to prefer alternative methods for decoding new vocabulary and understanding it in context. In addition, they often miss out on the valuable lexical information that dictionaries contain. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, students tend to choose the quickest way to solve lexical problems, which often leads them to use unreliable online sources instead of a dictionary. This frequently results in incorrect information. Furthermore, research shows that students do not receive sufficient training in dictionary skills during their primary and secondary education. Therefore, teachers often assume that students either naturally possess these skills or acquire them in their earlier years of education.

Hence, at the academic level, teachers of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) often encounter difficulties when their students need to find lexical solutions independently by using relevant online sources and dictionaries. This leads to the dilemma of whether to teach dictionary skills, how to teach them, and to what extent, especially considering the fact that their syllabi are already overloaded. One of the major challenges they face is the lack of teaching materials and exercises for dictionary skills in course books at the academic level. Moreover, course books at all levels rarely focus on dictionary skills as a separate topic. Another problem is that teachers themselves often lack experience in teaching these skills. They also find it hard to keep up with new dictionaries and dictionary tools available online, which is essential for effective teaching of dictionary skills.

This paper explores the significance of dictionaries in teaching ESP in higher education. It also sheds light on the challenges ESP teachers encounter while teaching dictionary skills and suggests ways to integrate these skills into the academic-level teaching of ESP. Finally, this paper aims to present a set of dictionary-based exercises that are specifically designed to enhance dictionary skills for Business English courses at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb in Croatia. These activities can be customized and implemented for ESP courses related to other professions and fields.

Since dictionaries can help students enhance their professional vocabulary, both during their academic studies and in their professional careers, it is crucial to raise awareness among ESP teachers about the importance of dictionary usage at the academic level and encourage them to incorporate it into their classes.

Keywords:

Dictionary, dictionary skills, dictionary-based activities, ESP, higher education, online dictionary tools.