Vocabulary learning through reading: Does an ELT course book provide good opportunities?

• Published in: Reading in a foreign language Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 56 - 70
• Main Authors: Matsuoka, Warren, Hirsh, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Honolulu University of Hawaii, National Foreign Language Resource Center 01.04.2010; Reading in a Foreign Language
• Subjects: Educational Environment; English (Second Language); English as a second language instruction; English as a Second Language Learning; Foreign language learning; Language acquisition; Linguistic Input; Linguistics; Reading Comprehension; Reading instruction; Reading Programs; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Second Language Reading; Studies; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Textbooks; Vocabulary Development; Vocabulary Learning; Word Frequency
• ISSN: 1539-0578; 1539-0578

This study investigates the vocabulary learning opportunities in an ELT course book designed for upper-intermediate learners. All the words appearing in the 12 chapters of the text were analyzed. The results suggest that the text would provide opportunities to deepen knowledge of the second 1,000 most frequent words in English, and would provide a context for pre-teaching of academic words met in the text for learners on an academic pathway. The results also suggest that the text would provide minimal opportunities for learners to develop vocabulary knowledge beyond high frequency and academic words. The findings suggest a need to supplement use of such texts with an extensive reading program and other forms of language rich input to promote vocabulary development.