A Corpus-Based Analysis of Vocabulary Load and Coverage in Indonesian EFL Textbook For 8th Grade
Keywords:
Corpus-Based Approach, EFL Textbook, Textbook Evaluation, Vocabulary Coverage, Vocabulary InputAbstract
This research examines the vocabulary profile in 8th grade Indonesian EFL textbooks published by the Indonesian Ministry of Education in 2022 through a corpus-based approach. The study is aimed to draw a vocabulary profile of high-, mid- and low-frequency based category of vocabulary levels. In addition, the research also reports the estimated number of vocabulary size required to promote an adequate reading comprehension, where 95% and 98% coverage are regarded as the threshold. The textbook examined was obtained from the Indonesian Book Information System and prepared as analyzable corpora. The corpora consist of 27188 tokens is analyzed using Range program to obtain preliminary data analysis. The first research question revealed that the textbook contains approximately 85% of high-frequency words, followed by 7% and 0.3% of mid- and low- frequency words respectively. The second research question showed that in order to reach reading comprehension threshold of 95%, the learners need the knowledge of 3000 word-families, and additional one-thousand-word families to reach 98% of text coverage. At the end, the findings of this study suggest pedagogical implication for teachers, practical implication for textbook authors, and basis for subsequent research.
Downloads
References
Adolphs, S., & Schmitt, N. (2003). Lexical coverage of spoken discourse. Applied Linguistics,
(4), 425–438.
Al Fotais, A. (2012). Investigating textbooks input as a possible factor contributing to
vocabulary knowledge failure among Saudi EFL learners at Taif University.
Alhudithi, E., Nekrasova-Beker, T., Becker, A., & Vogl, M. (2017). A corpus-based analysis
of English vocabulary input provided in K-12 textbooks used in Saudi Arabia.
Alsaif, A., & Milton, J. (2012). Vocabulary input from school textbooks as a potential
contributor to the small vocabulary uptake gained by English as a foreign language
learners in Saudi Arabia. Language Learning Journal, 40 (1).
Anthony, L. (2022). AntConc (4.2.0). https://www.laurenceanthony.net/software
Bauer, L., & Nation, P. (1993). Word families. International journal of Lexicography, 6(4),
-279.
Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy
(2nd ed.). Longman.
Calfee, R. C., & Chambliss, M. J. (1998). Textbooks for learning: Nurturing children’s minds.
Wiley-Blackwell.
Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your Coursebook. MacMillan Heinnemann.
Elgort, I., & Warren, P. (2014). L2 vocabulary learning from reading: Explicit and tacit lexical
knowledge and the role of learner and item variables. Language Learning, 64, 365–414.
Graves, K. (2000). Designing language courses: A guide for teachers. Pearson.
Handayani, A. D. (2023). Digitalisasi umkm: peningkatan kapasitas melalui program literasi
digital. Jurnal Signal, 11(1), 104-119.
Hasanah, I., Anwar, S., & Musthapa, I. (2024). A trend analysis of project-based learning in
chemistry experiment: A bibliometric analysis. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan
IPA, 10(9), 655-666.
Hu H, M., & Nation, P. (2000). Unknown vocabulary density and reading comprehension (Vol.
. Victoria University of Wellington.
Katemba, C.V. (2022), Vocabulary Enhancement through Multimedia Learning Among
Grade 7th EFL Students. MEXTESOL Journal, Vol.46 no.1, 2022
Kurniawan, I. (2017). Assessing English students` vocabulary size of Lampung State Islamic
University. Humaniora, 8, 381–390.
Laufer, B., & Nation, I. S. P. (2012). The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition
(S.M. Gass & A. Mackey, Eds.). Routledge.
Le, N. T. M., & Dinh, H. T. (2022). Vocabulary coverage in a high school Vietnamese EFL
textbook: A Corpus-based Preliminary Investigation. Vietnam Journal of Education,
(2). https://doi.org/10.52296/vje.2022.187
Lien, N. N., Mai, N. H., & Trang, N. H. (2024). Vocabulary in English textbooks for
Vietnamese upper-secondary students: A comparative analysis of reading passages.
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language--TESL-EJ, 28(2).
https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.28110a10
Liu, H. (2014). The application of corpora in the compilation of English textbooks taking
COCA as the Example. International Conference on Education, Language, Art and
Intercultural Communication. http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/,The
Milton, J. (2009). Measuring second language vocabulary acquisition. Multilingual Matters.
Mustafa, F. (2019). English vocabulary size of Indonesian high school graduates: Curriculum
expectation and reality. Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied
Linguistics, 3.
Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University
Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524759
Nation, I. S. P. (2006). How large a vocabulary is needed for reading and listening? The
Canadian Modern Language Review, 59–82.
Nation, I. S. P. (2013). Learning vocabulary in another language (C. A. Chapelle & S. Hunston,
Eds.; 2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139858656
Nation, I. S. P. (2024). Range (1.0.0). https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/lals/resources/paul-nations-
resources/vocabulary-analysis-programs
Nation, P., & Warring, R. (1997). Vocabulary size, text coverage and word lists. In N. Schmitt & M. McCarthy (Eds.), Vocabulary: Description, acquisition and pedagogy. Cambridge
University Press.
Nguyen, C. D. (2020). Lexical features of reading passages in English-language textbooks for
Vietnamese high-school students: Do they foster both content and vocabulary gain? RELC Journal, 52(3), 509–522. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688219895045
Novianti, R. R. (2016). A study of Indonesian university students’ vocabulary mastery with vocabulary level test. Global Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 6(4), 187.
https://doi.org/10.18844/gjflt.v6i4.1669
Pratama, A., & Sumardi, M. S. (2022). Contextual teaching and learning using local content
material on students’ reading comprehension at a junior high school in
Indonesia. SALEE: Study of Applied Linguistics and English Education, 3(2), 184-194.
Peters, E. (2014). The effects of repetition and time of post-test administration on EFL learners’
form recall of single words and collocations. Language Teaching Research, 18, 75–94.
Rahmat, Y. N., & Coxhead, A. (2021). Investigating vocabulary coverage and load in an
Indonesian EFL textbook series. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 10(3).
https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i3.31768
Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Schmitt, N. (2010). Researching vocabulary: A vocabulary research manual (C. N. Candlin &
D. R. Hall, Eds.). Palgrave MacMillan.
Schmitt, N., & Schmitt, D. (2014). A reassessment of frequency and vocabulary size in L2
vocabulary teaching. Language Teaching, 47(4), 484–503.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444812000018
Schmitt, N., & Zimmerman, C. B. (2002). Derivative word forms: What do learners
know?. TESOL quarterly, 36(2), 145-171.
Sudarman, & Chinokul, S. (2018). The English vocabulary size and level of English department
students at Kutai Kartanegara University. ETERNAL (English, Teaching, Learning and
Research Journal).
Sun, Y. & Dang, T. N. Y. (2020). Vocabulary in high-school EFL textbooks: Texts and learner
knowledge. System. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102279
Tomlison, B. (1998). Materials development in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Udaya, M. (2022). Vocabulary input in ESL textbooks: A corpus-based analysis. European
Journal of Education Studies, 8(6). https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v8i6.4117
Webb, S., & Nation, P. (2008). Evaluating the vocabulary load of written text.
Yang, L., & Coxhead, A. (2020). A Corpus-based Study of vocabulary in the new concept
English textbook series. RELC Journal, 53(3), 597–611.
