Lexical diversity and CEFR vocabulary in critical academic reading passages: A conceptual replication

Lexical and Syntactic Complexity across Adjacent IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Levels:  A Corpus-Based Study

Lexical and syntactic complexity are important indicators of second language writing proficiency, particularly in assessment-oriented contexts such as IELTS Writing Task 2. However, limited attention has examined whether selected complexity measures can distinguish closely related IELTS band levels. A small-scale learner corpus of 30 essays, with 10 essays per band level, was analyzed quantitatively. Lexical diversity was measured using the Measure of Textual Lexical Diversity (MTLD), lexical sophistication was operationalized as the percentage of Academic Word List (AWL) items, and syntactic complexity was assessed through mean sentence length (MSL). One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in lexical diversity, whereas AWL percentage and MSL showed non-significant upward trends. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that the significant MTLD difference occurred between Bands 6 and 8 rather than between immediately adjacent bands. Because the corpus consists of band-labeled instructional essays, the findings should be interpreted as exploratory rather than generalizable evidence of IELTS band distinctions.

Exploring Lexical Density in English Reading Passages for Senior Vocational High School Students

This study explores the lexical density of an English reading text designed for 11th-grade vocational high school students, with the aim of evaluating its suitability for educational use. Lexical density refers to the ratio of content words to the total number of words in a text, which serves as an indicator of text complexity and information load. The study uses a qualitative descriptive approach, supported by content analysis, to measure lexical density in four paragraphs discussing historical topics: the Black Death, the Industrial Revolution, and the First World War. The findings indicate a consistently high lexical density across all four paragraphs, ranging from 51.05% to 53.13%. This indicates that the text contains a significant proportion of content words, reflecting an appropriate level of academic rigor for vocational high school students. Despite the high lexical density, the text remains clear and easy to read due to its manageable grammatical structure. These results align with previous research, which suggests that a lexical density between 40% and 60% is suitable for learning texts. The study concludes that the analyzed reading text is a valuable educational resource. This reading effectively balances information richness with accessibility, supporting vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and academic literacy. These findings highlight the importance of lexical density as a linguistic feature and pedagogical tool in the evaluation and design of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading materials.  

Psychometric Evaluation of Lexical Diversity Indices: Psychometric Evaluation of Lexical Diversity Indices: Assessing Length Effects Assessing Length Effects

Constructing the LERWL: A Corpus-Based Approach to Identifying Technical Vocabulary in Language Education Research

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.

Technical English Vocabulary Proficiency and Reading Comprehension Skills of Students: Basis for Intervention

The study employed a quantitative-descriptive correlational research design to assess the relationship between technical English vocabulary proficiency and reading comprehension skills among Grade 11 Organic Agriculture Production (OAP) students in Negros Occidental during the school year 2025–2026. The respondents consisted of the entire population of 105 students, selected through total enumeration sampling to ensure comprehensive representation. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire composed of two parts: twenty-five multiple-choice items measuring technical English vocabulary proficiency and nineteen passage-based items assessing reading comprehension strategies. To establish rigor, the instrument underwent content validation by a panel of experts in language education and agricultural instruction, ensuring clarity, relevance, and alignment with study objectives. Reliability was confirmed through the test–retest method, yielding exceptionally high Pearson correlation coefficients (technical vocabulary: r = 0.996, p < .001; reading comprehension: r = 0.997, p < .001), indicating strong stability and consistency of the tool. Results revealed distinct levels of proficiency in both technical vocabulary and comprehension skills, and statistical analysis tested the hypothesized relationship between the two variables. Findings underscored that vocabulary mastery significantly influenced comprehension outcomes, affirming the theoretical premise that linguistic competence serves as a gateway to disciplinary knowledge. The study provides evidence-based insights for educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers, highlighting the need for integrated instructional approaches that strengthen technical language acquisition and comprehension skills to enhance academic success and professional readiness in agricultural education.

English vocabulary proficiency, reading comprehension, and academic understanding among Grade 4 learners in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, Philippines

Reading comprehension is essential to elementary learning because vocabulary knowledge supports learners in understanding texts and academic content. However, limited evidence is available on how English vocabulary limitations relate to reading comprehension and academic understanding among Grade 4 learners in Sta. Ana, Cagayan. This study examined English vocabulary proficiency, reading comprehension, and academic understanding in English, Science, and Mathematics, as well as lexical gaps and socioeconomic factors affecting vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. Using a descriptive-correlational design, data were gathered from Grade 4 teachers through a structured questionnaire, supported by interviews and documentary analysis. Findings showed high English vocabulary proficiency, very good reading comprehension, and high academic understanding across the three subject areas. Lexical gaps were moderately serious, while socioeconomic factors had a very strong influence. Pearson correlation showed a significant positive relationship between vocabulary proficiency and reading comprehension. The findings support integrating systematic vocabulary development into reading instruction effectively.