Combining cognitive-linguistic principles with Computer-Assisted Language Learning offers an effective strategy for developing academic vocabulary, and it is concluded that combining cognitive-linguistic principles with Computer-Assisted Language Learning offers an effective strategy for developing academic vocabulary.
Abstract
Developing academic vocabulary remains a significant challenge for learners of English as a foreign language, particularly in academic writing. This study addressed the following research question: How much can a cognitively grounded, technology-enhanced instructional approach improve academic vocabulary development among postgraduate learners? It examined the effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning, supported by cognitive-linguistic principles, in developing academic vocabulary. Its significance lies in integrating cognitive linguistics, academic vocabulary research, and technology-enhanced language learning into a cohesive instructional framework. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. The study involved 60 postgraduate English as a foreign language learners, selected through purposive sampling and divided into experimental (n = 30) and control (n = 30) groups. Data were collected through academic vocabulary tests, collocational and phraseological competence assessments, academic writing tasks, questionnaires, interviews, and corpus analysis. Results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in academic vocabulary knowledge, collocational and phraseological competence, and lexical richness in academic writing. Participants also expressed positive views of technology-supported learning environments, noting increased engagement, independence, and confidence in academic writing. The study concludes that combining cognitive-linguistic principles with Computer-Assisted Language Learning offers an effective strategy for developing academic vocabulary. Future research should explore the long-term impacts of these interventions across various educational settings and learner groups.
The present study investigates the effectiveness of the Content and Language Integrated
Learning (CLIL) approach in improving the methodology for developing linguistic and
communicative competence among future English language teachers. Responding to the growing
demand for language educators who possess not only advanced linguistic proficiency but also the
ability to communicate effectively across academic and professional contexts, the study explores the
pedagogical potential of CLIL in teacher education. A mixed-methods quasi-experimental research
design was employed involving 72 undergraduate students enrolled in English language teacher
education programmes. Quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-tests and structured
questionnaires, while qualitative evidence was obtained from classroom observations, semistructured interviews, and students’ reflective journals. The findings revealed that CLIL-based
instruction produced statistically significant improvements in linguistic accuracy, vocabulary
development, communicative fluency, interactional confidence, critical thinking, and
interdisciplinary communication skills compared with conventional language instruction. The
analysis further identified collaborative learning, authentic communicative tasks, reflective practice,
project-based activities, and the integration of digital educational technologies as the principal
factors facilitating competence development. The study argues that CLIL promotes meaningful
language use by integrating subject content with language learning, thereby enhancing both
academic achievement and professional readiness. It concludes that the CLIL approach represents
an effective pedagogical framework for modern English language teacher education and offers
valuable implications for curriculum design, teacher training, and educational innovation in
multilingual learning environments.
Academic vocabulary has traditionally been conceptualized as a set of high-frequency lexical items that support comprehension of academic texts. While this perspective has informed influential pedagogical resources such as the Academic Word List and the Academic Vocabulary List, it provides only a partial explanation of how vocabulary contributes to learning in higher education. Research on academic vocabulary remains dispersed across corpus linguistics, vocabulary acquisition, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), academic literacy, reading research, and disciplinary discourse, with relatively limited integration of these complementary perspectives. This narrative review critically synthesizes scholarship from these traditions to reconsider the role of academic vocabulary in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) higher education. Rather than evaluating vocabulary as an isolated linguistic construct, the review examines its evolving conceptualization, its relationship with academic reading, writing, and disciplinary discourse, the challenges experienced by EFL university students, and the evidence supporting contemporary instructional approaches. The synthesis demonstrates that academic vocabulary is best understood not as a fixed inventory of words but as a dynamic linguistic resource through which students interpret disciplinary knowledge, construct arguments, negotiate meaning, and participate in academic communities. At the same time, the review identifies important limitations in the existing literature, such as the long-term relationship between vocabulary development and academic participation. It argues that effective vocabulary instruction cannot be separated from broader academic literacy practices and is most successful when integrated with authentic reading, writing, discussion, and disciplinary inquiry. By synthesizing evidence across previously disconnected research traditions, this review advances a more comprehensive understanding of academic vocabulary as both a linguistic and educational resource and proposes a shift from teaching academic words in isolation towards supporting students' progressive participation in the discourse practices of higher education.
Atimade Chankob· British Journal of Teacher E...· 0 citations
Students’ language production abilities following their interaction with Duolingo are analyzed, indicating that students were able to produce simple and understandable sentences however, their production remained limited and predominantly reproductive, as reflected in grammatical inaccuracies, restricted vocabulary, and reliance on patterns.
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Technical vocabulary plays a crucial role in ESP learners’ lexical development once general service and academic vocabulary has been established. The present study constructed the Language Education Research Corpus (LERC), an 8,646,901-word corpus compiled from the top 10 Quartile 1 (Q1) Scopus-indexed journals in Language Education. On the basis of this corpus, the Language Education Research Word List (LERWL) was developed through four systematic procedures. High-frequency items were first identified, after which a range criterion was applied to retain words occurring in at least 50% of the target journals. Lexical profiling was subsequently conducted to isolate discipline-specific vocabulary, excluding items listed in the GSL and the AWL. In addition to these quantitative procedures, expert judgment was employed as a qualitative validation measure to ensure disciplinary relevance. The resulting LERWL was then evaluated against (a) the LERC, achieving 5.28% coverage, and (b) an independent corpus of approximately one million words from the same field, achieving 4.75% coverage. These findings indicate that the LERWL provides a substantial and pedagogically meaningful level of lexical coverage within the discipline.
It is concluded that Moodle was perceived as a relevant environment for complementing vocabulary learning; however, its contribution depends on the pedagogical design of activities and does not, by itself, demonstrate objective improvement in lexical performance.
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