This study investigates the vocabulary profile in argumentative essays written by students from different disciplines at a technical university in Malaysia. Using Coxhead's (2000) Academic Word List (AWL), the study profiles the students’ academic vocabulary across disciplines. Given the national requirement to align the English course with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), this study also analyses the CEFR levels of vocabulary in the essays to determine whether the students are meeting the expected language proficiency benchmark. The study aims to bridge the gap between learners' current vocabulary use and the vocabulary required to achieve academic writing proficiency, especially in relation to both general academic and discipline-specific language demands. From the vocabulary profiles, this study provides insights that can inform more effective instructional approaches for teaching and learning of academic writing and help instructors tailor their strategies to support students’ progress toward academic proficiency.
Amkham, C. (2016). Introducing the English Vocabulary Profile (EVP) to students: An attempt at enriching students’ written language. In S. Borg, L. Patsko, L. Grimes, R. Phuchongcharoen, M. Rabbers, & R. Van Duin (Eds.), Final Report [Report]. https://www.englishprofile.org/images/pdf/2015-16_Amkham_CUP_TRP_final_report.pdf
Asaad, H. Q. M. (2024). The role of morphological awareness in L2 postgraduates’ academic writing: is vocabulary knowledge a mediating variable? Cogent Education, 11(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2327787
Brabazon, T. (2024). Learning to write writing to learn : Anchoring student writing cultures with disciplinary literacies. Journal of Languages and Translation, 3(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.70204/jlt.v3i1.304
Capel, A. (2015). The English vocabulary profile. English Profile in Practice, 5(1), 9-27.
Charpentier Jiménez, W. (2023). Complexity of vocabulary in the works of university students of ILE. Journal of Modern Languages, (37) 1-22. https://doi.org/10.15517/rlm.v0i37.50826
Chung, E., Wan, A., & Fung, D. (2024). Understanding academic vocabulary learning in higher education: Perspectives from first-year undergraduates in Hong Kong. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12576
Council of Europe. (2024). Global scale - Table 1 (CEFR 3.3): Common Reference levels. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/table-1-cefr-3.3-common-reference-levels-global-scale
Coxhead, A. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34(2), 213-238. https://www.lextutor.ca/myanmar/2/coxhead_2000.pdf
Crowell, A., & Kuhn, D. (2014). Developing dialogic argumentation skills: A 3-year intervention study. Journal of Cognition and Development, 15(2), 363–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2012.725187
Drayton, J., & Coxhead, A. (2023). The development, evaluation and application of an aviation radiotelephony specialised technical vocabulary list. English for Specific Purposes, 69, 51-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2022.10.001
Folse, K. S. (2023). Academic Word Lists: What Every Teacher Needs to Know. University of Michigan Press.
Gardner, D., & Davies, M. (2014). A new academic vocabulary list. Applied Linguistics, 35(3), 305–327. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amt015
Guihua, Luo. & Jiamiao, Song. (2023). Research on General Word List and Its Application. Education Research and Development, 2(5), 98-107. https://doi.org/10.57237/j.edu.2023.05.002
Harli, Y. T., Sartika, D., & Rizki Amelia, K. R. (2024). The relationship between the eight-grade students’ vocabulary mastery and their writing achievement at smp pgri pedamaran. Language and Education Journal, 9(1), 125-138. https://doi.org/10.52237/lej.v9i1.727
Haruna, H., Tajuddin, A. J. A., Bashir, I. (2024). A corpus-based lexical coverage of coursebooks in Nigeria: A case study. Register Journal, 17(1), 164-188. https://doi.org/10.18326/register.v17i1.164-188
Hu, M., & Nation, I. S. P. (2000). Unknown vocabulary density and reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 13(1), 403–430. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/66973
Khani, R., & Javadian, S. (2024). Development of philosophical academic word list (Phawl). https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4914684
Lahuerta, A. C. (2023). Analysis of changes in L2 writing over the time of a short-term academic English programme. Porta Linguarum Revista Interuniversitaria De Didáctica De Las Lenguas Extranjeras, (39), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.vi39.22842
Larsson, S. (2017). Vocabulary profiles of English language learning textbooks?: A lexical analysis of textbooks used in EFL classrooms (Dissertation). Retrieved from https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-64840
Lei, L., & Liu, D. (2016). A new medical academic word list: A corpus-based study with enhanced methodology. Journal of English for academic purposes, 22, 42-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.01.008
Li, L., Hai, X., & Zhang, X. (2024). Creation and application of an academic spoken collocation list. TESOL Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3339
Ma, L. (2023). Source use in integrated writing among Chinese college ESP learners with different language proficiency. Praxis International Journal of Social Science and Literature, 6(8), 181-194. https://doi.org/10.51879/pijssl/060821
Maamuujav, U. (2021). Examining lexical features and academic vocabulary use in adolescent L2 students’ text-based analytical essays. Assessing Writing, 49, 100540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100540
Matsuzaki, T., & Mark, K. (2020). Investigating the difficulties for university learners of English in Japan of CEFR B1-level phrases. CEFR Journal - Research and Practice, 3, 59 – 86. https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTSIG.CEFR3-4
McKeown, M., Crosson, A., Moore, D., & Beck, I. (2018). word knowledge and comprehension effects of an academic vocabulary intervention for middle school students. American Educational Research Journal, 55(3), 572-616. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831217744181
Ministry of Education. (2015). English Language Education Reform in Malaysia: The Roadmap 2015-2015. English Language Standard and Quality Council.
Muhammad, K. Q., & Muhammad, H. A. (2023). A study of academic vocabulary use by advanced EFL university students. Journal of Kurdish Academy, (56), E7-E38.
Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University Press.
Nuoya, Z. (2024). Comments on linguistic features of academic writing: Based on the article “Testing a model of teaching for anxiety and success for English language teaching.”. Lecture Notes on Language and Literature, 7(4), 85-189. https://doi.org/10.23977/langl.2024.070427
Özer, M., & Akba?, E. (2024). Assembling a justified list of academic words in veterinary medicine: The veterinary medicine academic word list (VMAWL). English for Specific Purposes, 74, 29-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2023.12.002
Redlich, J., & Pattison, S. (2024). Combining cefr and 4c clil frameworks for principled literature in language teaching. Nobel: Journal of Literature and Language Teaching, 15(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.15642/nobel.2024.15.1.1-21
Roesler, D. (2021). When a bug is not a bug: an introduction to the computer science academic vocabulary list. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 54, 101044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2021.101044
Run, W., & Weina, L. (2024). Vocabulary thresholds study for business English major based on the range corpus. International Journal of Strategic Research in Education Technology and Humanities, 12(1), 20-38. https://doi.org/10.48028/iiprds/ijsreth.v12.i1.02
Sarimah, S., Noraini, H., & Amerrudin, A. M. (2013). Exploring fundamental engineering word list for engineering students: A literature review. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70, 1275-1281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.187
Shuxratovna, K. S., (2024). Importance of linguistic competence and factors influencing on the issue. Journal of Learning on History and Social Sciences, 1(5), 13–16. https://doi.org/10.61796/ejlhss.v1i5.530
Sun, D. (2017). A contrastive analysis between English Vocabulary Profile and college English wordlist. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 7(9), 729-736 http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0709.04
Tahir, M., Shah, D., Shak, M., Albakri, I., & Adnan, A. (2021). Explicit vocabulary instruction: Effects of vocabulary learning on form two ESL learners. Studies in English Language and Education, 8(3), 1227-1247. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i3.19539
Thaksanan, P., & Chaturongakul, P. (2023). Enhancing EFL students’ performance and genre awareness in academic writing through genre-based instruction. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 14(12), 295-311. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4497563
Therova, D. (2023). Core academic vocabulary in four genres of novice student writing. TESL-EJ, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.27105a8
Uba, S. Y., Irudayasamy, J., & Hankins, C. A. (2023). A new computer science academic word list. World, 13(5), 319-330.
Vukovi?-Stamatovi?, M. (2024). Creating and validating a corpus-based English academic word list for physics. Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.1075/resla.22041.vuk Weblingua Ltd. (n.d.). Text Inspector. https://textinspector.com/who-are-we/
Zaid, T. A. A. (2024). Lexical knowledge and its effects on language proficiency: a synonymous study. Journal Ink of Literature, 14(35), 1759-1774. https://doi.org/10.58564/ma.v14i35.1381
Zhang, J., Lopez Wui, M. G., Nam, R., Eunjung Relyea, J., & Wong, S. S. (2022). Improving argumentative writing of sixth-grade adolescents through dialogic inquiry of socioscientific issues. Journal of Writing Research, 14(3), 375–419. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2023.14.03.03.
Khamis, N., Bareed, N. A., & Suryani, I. (2024). Academic Word List and Cefr Levels: Profiling Academic Vocabulary in a Technical University Learner Corpus. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(10), 242–259.
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
