Speaker
Description
Vocabulary is a foundational component in English language learning, particularly in EFL contexts where textbooks serve as the primary source of input. In Vietnam, where students have limited exposure to English outside the classroom, evaluating the appropriateness and effectiveness of vocabulary presented in widely used textbooks is crucial, especially for non-English majors at the tertiary level. While previous research has examined lexical components in different EFL textbooks, there remains a lack of focused investigation into vocabulary dimension at tertiary level in Vietnamese context. This study addresses that gap by examining the vocabulary coverage in an EFL textbook used for Vietnamese non-English-majored undergraduates adopting corpus-based analysis. To this end, reading texts and transcripts of the textbook were investigated. A total of 20985-word textbook corpus was created and anlyzed through the vocabulary programme “VocabProfiler” (Cobb, 2009). Results indicate that the vocabulary size of 2000 and 4000-word families are needed to reach the coverage of 95% and 98% threshold for the text comprehension of the textbook. Moreover, a large proportion of mid-frequency vocabulary gradually increase across the units in the textbook. The study highlights a need to emphasise the importance of vocabulary learning for students and the role of teachers in supplementing the lexical resources to promote effective vocabulary learning. Limitations and suggestions for further research are also presented in the study.
Biography
Tâm Nguyễn is currently working as a full-time lecturer at Faculty of Foreign Language and Technical Education, Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City. She is also working as a visiting lecturer at International University, Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh City and a part-time teacher at ILA Vietnam. She holds a Master’s Degree in TESOL from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her teaching experience ranges from young learners to adult learners. She is eager to create a dynamic learning environment for learners and develop learning materials for a variety of learners. She is keen on pursuing lifelong learning with open-mindedness, adaptability and flexibility. She aspires to conduct research for further development in Applied Linguistics and collaborate with scholars in this field. Her research interest includes second language acquisition, vocabulary learning, corpus linguistics, formulaic languages, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), English as a Medium Instruction (EMI), computer-assisted language learning.
