Lenguas modernas; literatura; creación; didáctica

Journal Of Modern Languages ISSN Impreso: 1659-1933 ISSN electrónico: 2215-5643

OAI: https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rlm/oai
Vocabulary Complexity in EFL University Students’ Academic Texts
PDF
EPUB
HTLM

Keywords

academic writing
higher education
language instruction
vocabulary
escritura académica
educación superior
instrucción del lenguaje
vocabulario

How to Cite

Charpentier Jiménez, W. (2023). Vocabulary Complexity in EFL University Students’ Academic Texts. Journal Of Modern Languages, (37). https://doi.org/10.15517/rlm.v0i37.50826

Abstract

This paper examines students’ use of vocabulary in English as a foreign language (EFL) in academic writing. However necessary, the specific vocabulary used by students in academic EFL settings has not received sufficient attention. Thirty-one EFL students at a Costa Rican public university participated in this study, which was conducted over the course of a year. The researcher collected data from participants’ final research papers and used specialized software to determine their vocabulary usage. Data analyses indi- cate that: 1) lexical variety is above average, 2) students’ academic vocabulary is high but does not include all the possible subtypes, 3) students range between a C1 and C2 English level in the English Vocabulary Profile (EVP) distribution, and 4) metadiscourse markers are used but highly repetitive in students’ papers. These conclusions are con- sistent with the reviewed literature; they imply a high degree of variation across popula- tions. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that direct instruction may broaden students’ lexicon. These findings should serve as a springboard for implementing new teaching strategies that stimulate a curricular evaluation of the study plan.

https://doi.org/10.15517/rlm.v0i37.50826
PDF
EPUB
HTLM

References

Akbari, N. (2017). Lexical diversity and the use of academic and lower frequency words in the academic writing of EFL students. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 40(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.40.1.02akb

Akmajian, A., Farmer, A. K., Bickmore, L., Demers, R. A., & Harnish, R. M. (Eds.). (2017). Linguistics: an introduction to language and communication (Seventh edition). The MIT Press.

Alfter, D., Bizzoni, Y., Agebjörn, A., Volodina, E., & Pilán, I. (2016). From distributions to labels: A lexical proficiency analysis using learner corpora. Proceedings of the Joint Workshop on NLP for Computer Assisted Language Learning and NLP for Language Acquisition, 1–7. https://aclanthology.org/W16-6501

Alhojailan, A. I. (2019). The Effect of Academic Vocabulary Use on Graduate Students’ Writing Assignment Scores. English Language Teaching, 12(9), 33. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n9p33

Baker, A., & Hengeveld, K. (Eds.). (2012). Linguistics: the basics. John Wiley & Sons.

Barros, L. O. (2016). The only academic phrasebook you’ll ever need: 600 examples of academic language. Amazon Fulfillment.

Bax, S., Nakatsuhara, F., & Waller, D. (2019). Researching L2 writers’ use of metadiscourse markers at intermediate and advanced levels. System, 83, 79–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.02.010

Bax, S. (2012). Text Inspector. Online text analysis tool. Available at: https://textinspector.com/.

Cardullo, V., Finley, S., Burton, M., & Tripp, L. O. (2017). Attitudes, Perceptions, and Knowledge - Academic Language and Academic Vocabulary of Pre-Service Teachers. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 17(9). https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v17i9.1418

Charpentier-Jiménez, W. (2019). University Students Use of Academic Vocabulary in the BA in English and English Teaching. Revista De Lenguas Modernas, 30(2).

Cheng, X., & Steffensen, M. S. (1996). Metadiscourse: A Technique for Improving Student Writing. Research in the Teaching of English, 30(2), 149–181. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40171358

Council of Europe (Ed.). (2020). Common European framework of reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment ; companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing.

Coxhead, A. (2000). A New Academic Word List. TESOL Quarterly, 34(2), 213–238. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587951

Coxhead, A. (2006). Essentials of teaching academic vocabulary. Houghton Mifflin Co.

Crismore, A., Markkanen, R., & Steffensen, M. S. (1993). Metadiscourse in Persuasive Writing: A Study of Texts Written by American and Finnish University Students. Written Communication, 10(1), 39–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088393010001002

Crossley, S. A., & McNamara, D. S. (2012). Predicting second language writing proficiency: the roles of cohesion and linguistic sophistication: PREDICTING L2 WRITING PROFICIENCY. Journal of Research in Reading, 35(2), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9817.2010.01449.x

Crossley, S. A., Salsbury, T., McNamara, D. S., & Jarvis, S. (2011). Predicting lexical proficiency in language learner texts using computational indices. Language Testing, 28(4), 561–580. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532210378031

Dastjerdi, H. V., Shirzad, M., & Student, M. (2010). The Impact of Explicit Instruction of Metadiscourse Markers on EFL Learners’ Writing Performance. https://doi.org/10.22099/JTLS.2012.412

Duran, P., Malvern, D., Richards, B., & Chipere, N. (2004). Developmental Trends in Lexical Diversity, Applied Linguistics, 25(2), 220-242. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/25.2.220

Durrant, P. (2016). To what extent is the Academic Vocabulary List relevant to university student writing? English for Specific Purposes, 43, 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2016.01.004

Erarslan, A. (2021). Correlation between Metadiscourse, Lexical Complexity, Readability and Writing Performance in EFL University Students’ Research-based Essays. Shanlax International Journal of Education, 9(S1-May), 238–254. https://doi.org/10.34293/education.v9iS1-May.4017

Fergadiotis, G., Wright, H. H., & Green, S. B. (2015). Psychometric Evaluation of Lexical Diversity Indices: Assessing Length Effects. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 58(3), 840–852. https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_JSLHR-L-14-0280

Foster, P., & Tavakoli, P. (2009). Native Speakers and Task Performance: Comparing Effects on Complexity, Fluency, and Lexical Diversity. Language Learning, 59(4), 866–896. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2009.00528.x

Granger, S., & Larsson, T. (2021). Is core vocabulary a friend or foe of academic writing? Single-word vs multi-word uses of thing. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 52, 100999. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2021.100999

Gu, X., & Xu, Z. (2021). Sustainable Development of EFL Learners’ Research Writing Competence and Their Identity Construction: Chinese Novice Writer-Researchers’ Metadiscourse Use in English Research Articles. Sustainability, 13(17), 9523. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179523

Ha, H. S. (2019). Lexical Richness in EFL Undergraduate Students’ Academic Writing. ENGLISH TEACHING, 74(3), 3–28. https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.74.3.201909.3

Howe, S., & Henriksson, K. (2007). Phrasebook for writing papers and research in english: over 5000 words and phrases to help you write at university and research level in English (4. ed). Whole World Company Press.

Hyland, K. (2004). Disciplinary interactions: metadiscourse in L2 postgraduate writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 13(2), 133–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2004.02.001

Hyland, K. (2005). Metadiscourse: exploring interaction in writing. Continuum.

Hyland, K. (2010). Metadiscourse: Mapping Interactions in Academic Writing. Nordic Journal of English Studies, 9(2), 125–143. https://doi.org/10.35360/njes.220

Hyland, K. (2019). Metadiscourse: exploring interaction in writing. Bloomsbury Academic.

Hyland, K., & Tse, P. (2007). Is There an “Academic Vocabulary”? TESOL Quarterly, 41(2), 235–253. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2007.tb00058.x

Jarvis, S., & Daller, H. (Eds.). (2013a). Vocabulary knowledge: human ratings and automated measures. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Jarvis, S., & Daller, H. (Eds.). (2013b). Vocabulary knowledge: human ratings and automated measures. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Kaya, F., & Sofu, H. (2020). Exploring Effects of Explicit Teaching of Metadiscourse Markers on EFL Students’ Writing Proficiency. The Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, 20(2).

Koizumi, R., & In’nami, Y. (2012). Effects of text length on lexical diversity measures: Using short texts with less than 200 tokens. System, 40(4), 554–564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2012.10.012

Leńko-Szymańska, A. (2015). The English Vocabulary Profile as a benchmark for assigning levels to learner corpus data. In M. Callies & S. Götz (Eds.), Studies in Corpus Linguistics (Vol. 70, pp. 115–140). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.70.05len

Lessard-Clouston, M. (2013). Word Lists for Vocabulary Learning and Teaching. Undefined. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Word-Lists-for-Vocabulary-Learning-and-Teaching.-Lessard-Clouston/8ee32f800d6ae7dd175527c88af4e9625d77f1d3

Mat Zali, M., Mohamad, R., Setia, R., Raja Baniamin, R. M., & Mohd Razlan, R. (2021). Comparisons of Interactive and Interactional Metadiscourse among Undergraduates. Asian Journal of University Education, 16(4), 21. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v16i4.11946

Matthews, P. H. (2014). The concise Oxford dictionary of linguistics (Third edition). Oxford University Press.

McCarthy, P. M. (2005). An assessment of the range and usefulness of lexical diversity measures and the potential of the measure of textual, lexical diversity (MTLD) [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Memphis). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations &Theses (p. 199485).

McCarthy, P. M., & Jarvis, S. (2007). vocd: A theoretical and empirical evaluation. Language Testing, 24(4), 459–488. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532207080767

McDonough, K., Neumann, H., & Hubert-Smith, N. (2018). How Accurately do English for Academic Purposes Students use Academic Word List Words? BC TEAL Journal, 3(1), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.14288/bctj.v3i1.293

McNamara, D. S., Crossley, S. A., & McCarthy, P. M. (2010). Linguistic Features of Writing Quality. Written Communication, 27(1), 57–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088309351547

Mei Hooi, C., Tan, H., Lee, G. I., & Victor Danarajan, S. S. (2020). Texts with Metadiscourse Features are More Engaging: A Fact or A Myth? 3L The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 26(4), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2020-2604-05

Milanovic, M. (2009). Cambridge ESOL and the CEFR. Research Notes, (37) 2–5. Cambridge: Cambridge ESOL.

Milton, J. (2009). Measuring second language vocabulary acquisition. Multiligual Matters.

Morris, L., & Cobb, T. (2004a). Vocabulary profiles as predictors of the academic performance of Teaching English as a Second Language trainees. System, 32(1), 75–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2003.05.001

Morris, L., & Cobb, T. (2004b). Vocabulary profiles as predictors of the academic performance of Teaching English as a Second Language trainees. System, 32(1), 75–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2003.05.001

Nation, I. S. P. (2013). Learning vocabulary in another language (Second Edition). Cambridge University Press.

Nation, I. S. P. (2016). Making and using word lists for language learning and testing. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Owen, N., Shrestha, P., & Bax, S. (2021). Researching lexical thresholds and lexical profiles across the common European framework of reference for languages (CEFR) levels assessed in the Aptis test. ARAGs Research Reports Online, AR-G/2021(1). https://www.britishcouncil.org/exam/aptis/research/publications/arags/researching-lexical-thresholds-and-lexical-profiles-across

Pavičić Takač, V. (2008). Vocabulary learning strategies and foreign language acquisition. Multilingual Matters.

Radford, A. (Ed.). (2010). Linguistics: an introduction (2. ed., 3. print). Cambridge Univ. Press.

Ransdell, S., & Wengelin, A. (2003). Socioeconomic and sociolinguistic predictors of

children’s L2 and L1 writing quality. Arob@se, 1-2, 22-29

Reynolds, B. L. (2015). A Mixed-Methods Approach to Investigating First-and Second-Language Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition Through the Reading of Fiction. Reading Research Quarterly, 50(1), 111–127. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43497208

Sanford, S. (2012). A COMPARISON OF METADISCOURSE MARKERS AND WRITING QUALITY IN ADOLESCENT WRITTEN NARRATIVES. Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/1366

Sešek, U. (2016). Revising and Metadiscourse in Advanced EFL/ESL Writing. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 5(3), 35–45. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.5n.3p.35

Stills, M. (2016). Language Sample Length Effects on Various Lexical Diversity Measures: An Analysis of Spanish Language Samples from Children. University Honors Theses. https://doi.org/10.15760/honors.250

Sun, D. (2017a). A Contrastive Analysis between English Vocabulary Profile and College English Wordlist. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 7(9), 729. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0709.04

Sun, D. (2017b). The CEFR Stratification of English Productive Vocabulary of Chinese University Undergraduates Based on DIY Learner English Corpus. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 8(5), 909. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0805.09

Vande Kopple, W. J. (1985). Some explanatory discourse on metadiscourse. College Composition and Communication, 36)

Vidal, K., & Jarvis, S. (2020). Effects of English-medium instruction on Spanish students’ proficiency and lexical diversity in English. Language Teaching Research, 24(5), 568–587. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168818817945

Webb, S. A., & Nation, I. S. P. (2017). How vocabulary is learned. Oxford University Press.

Yaghoubi, A., & Ardestani, S. (2014). Explicit or Implicit Instruction of Metadiscourse Markers and Writing Skill Improvement. https://doi.org/10.7575/AIAC.IJALEL.V.3N.4P.14

Yüksel, H. G., & Kavanoz, S. (2018). Dimension of Experience: Metadiscourse in the Texts of Novice Non-Native, Novice Native and Expert Native Speaker. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 9(3), 104–112. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.3p.104

Comments

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2023 William Charpentier Jiménez

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.