Corpus-Based Mapping of Lexical Disparities within Receptive and Productive Skills in ESP Contexts

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 3 Sayı: 2, 105 - 121, 28.12.2025

Eslam Yacoub

https://doi.org/10.70870/joinesp.1828815

Öz

This study investigates the receptive-productive vocabulary Lexical Disparities among 287 intermediate ESP learners from four academic domains: Engineering, Computer Science, Medical Sciences, and Business. Employing a mixed-methods, corpus-driven design, it integrated corpus analysis of learner production, receptive and productive tests, and stimulated-recall interviews. Results revealed a substantial gap: learners recognized 77.3% of target items on average but accurately produced only 21.6% in spontaneous writing and speech. A mixed-effects logistic regression identified key predictors of productive use, including word frequency (OR=2.32), dispersion (OR=1.51), collocational strength (OR=1.33), and modality (written > spoken, OR=1.71). Crucially, technical terms showed a severe productive bottleneck, exacerbated for learners in Medical Sciences and Business. Qualitative analysis revealed this gap is driven by retrieval failure, collocational uncertainty, and strategic avoidance due to "register anxiety." The findings underscore that the receptive-productive divide is not merely a knowledge deficit but a complex interplay of lexical, cognitive, and affective factors. The study concludes by advocating for production-oriented pedagogical interventions in ESP that systematically bridge this gap through structured output, collocational practice, and activities designed to build lexical confidence.

Anahtar Kelimeler

English for Specific Purposes , Corpus Analysis , Learner Corpora , Lexical Disparities , Lexical Acquisition , Receptive Skills , Productive Skills

Etik Beyan

This study was conducted in accordance with established ethical standards for research. Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to data collection, and participation was voluntary. Confidentiality and anonymity were assured, and participants retained the right to withdraw at any stage without penalty. No identifying information has been disclosed, and all procedures complied with institutional and international ethical guidelines.

Destekleyen Kurum

Alamein International University

Teşekkür

The author would like to express his sincere gratitude to Alamein International University for providing the institutional support and academic environment that made this research possible. Special appreciation is extended to Prof. Dr. Hesham Gaber, Vice President of Alamein International University, whose vision and commitment to advancing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum design across all university programs have been a source of inspiration. His encouragement and strategic guidance greatly contributed to the conceptualization and realization of this study.

Kaynakça

• Anthony, L. (2016). Looking from the past to the future in ESP through a corpus-based analysis of English for specific purposes journal titles. English Teaching and Learning, 40(4), 91–107. https://doi.org/10.6330/ETL.2016.40.4.04
• Argyroulis, V. (2022). Investigating Student Motivation In The Use Of Corpus Concordance In ESP Learning At University Level. ESP Today, 10(1), 71–98. https://doi.org/10.18485/ESPTODAY.2022.10.1.4
• Arizavi, S., Jalilifar, A., & Riazi, A. M. (2023). Analysis of Argumentation in the Discussion Sections of Published Articles in ESP Journal: A Diachronic Corpus-Based Approach. Argumentation, 37(1), 119–146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10503-022-09588-0
• Boulton, A. (2012). Corpus consultation for ESP A review of empirical research. Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 52, 261–287. https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.52.11bou
• Boulton, A., Carter-Thomas, S., & Rowley-Jolivet, E. (2012). Issues in corpus-informed research and learning in ESP. Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 52, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.52.01bou
• Charles, M., & Frankenberg-Garcia, A. (2021). Corpora in ESP/EAP Writing Instruction: Preparation, Exploitation, Analysis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003001966
• Chen, L.-C., Chang, K.-H., & Chung, H.-Y. (2020). A novel statistic-based corpus machine processing approach to refine a big textual data: An ESP case of COVID-19 news reports. Applied Sciences (Switzerland), 10(16). https://doi.org/10.3390/app10165505
• Coxhead, A. (2000). A New Academic Word List. TESOL Quarterly, 34, 213-238. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587951
• Coxhead, A. (2022). Corpora For Teaching and Learning Vocabulary In ESP (pp. 193–205). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003002901-16
• Cui, J. (2022). Construction of the Intelligent Online Tourism English Model Corpus Based on ESP. Lecture Notes on Data Engineering and Communications Technologies, 123, 693–699. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96908-0_86
• Dincă, A., & Chitez, M. (2021). Assessing learners’ academic phraseology in the digital age: A corpus-informed approach to esp texts. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 9(1), 71–84. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP2101071D
• Durović, Z. (2021). Corpus linguistics methods for building ESP word lists, glossaries and dictionaries on the example of a marine engineering word list. Lexikos, 31, 259–282. https://doi.org/10.5788/31-1-1647
• Durović, Z., & Bauk, S. (2022). Testing Corpus Linguistics Methods In ESP Vocabulary Teaching. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 10(2), 319–337. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP2202319D
• Fadanelli, S. B. (2020). In Defense of a Pedagogical Application of Specialized Lexicography/ Terminography With The Aid of Corpus Linguistics In ESP Professors’ Training. Calidoscopio, 18(1), 216–224. https://doi.org/10.4013/cld.2020.181.12
• Farhady, H., Tavassoli, K., & Irani, F. H. (2018). Selecting Corpus-Based Grammatical Structures for ESP/EAP Materials. In English Language Education (Vol. 11, pp. 77–92). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70214-8_5
• Flowerdew, L. (2005). An Integration of Corpus-Based and Genre-Based Approaches to Text Analysis in EAP/ESP: Countering Criticisms Against Corpus-Based Methodologies. English for Specific Purposes, 24(3), 321–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2004.09.002
• Fraser, S., Higa, M. K., & Davies, W. (2025). Delivering an ESP Pedagogic Word List: Integrating Corpus Analysis, Materials Design, and Software Development. Languages, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030046
• Green, C. (2022). Corpora For Teaching Collocations In ESP (pp. 206–219). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003002901-17
• Hou, H.-I. (2014). Teaching Specialized Vocabulary By Integrating a Corpus-Based Approach: Implications for ESP Course Design at The University Level. English Language Teaching, 7(5), 26–37. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v7n5p26
• Hüttner, J., Smit, U., & Mehlmauer-Larcher, B. (2009). ESP Teacher Education at The Interface of Theory and Practice: Introducing a Model of Mediated Corpus-Based Genre Analysis. System, 37(1), 99–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2008.06.003
• Jablonkai, R. R., & Cebron, N. (2019). Corpora as Tools for Self-Driven Learning: A Corpus-Based ESP Course (pp. 166–190). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-9618-9.ch009
• Koyama, Y., Nakano, T., & Matsuura, C. (2003). Development of an ESP E-Learning Tool Using In-House Corpora. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2774 PART 2, 533–539. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-45226-3_73
• Levelt, W. J. M. (1989). Speaking: From Intention to Articulation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Malakhovskaya, M., Beliaeva, L., & Kamshilova, O. (2021). Teaching Noun-Phrase Composition in EAP/ESP context: A Corpus-Assisted Approach to Overcome a Didactic Gap. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 9(2), 257–266. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP2102257M
• Nation, I. S. P. (2013). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Nesi, H. (2025). ESP and Corpus studies (pp. 469–486). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119985068.ch24
• Noguera-Díaz, Y., & Pérez-Paredes, P. (2019). Register analysis and ESP pedagogy: Noun-phrase modification in a corpus of English for military navy submariners. English for Specific Purposes, 53, 118–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2018.06.002
• Ohashi, Y., Katagiri, N., Oka, K., & Hanada, M. (2020). ESP corpus Design: Compilation of The Veterinary Nursing Medical Chart Corpus and The Veterinary Nursing Wordlist. Corpora, 15(2), 125–140. https://doi.org/10.3366/COR.2020.0191
• Quero, B., & Coxhead, A. (2018). Using a Corpus-Based Approach to Select Medical Vocabulary for an ESP Course: The Case for High-Frequency Vocabulary. In English Language Education (Vol. 11, pp. 51–75). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70214-8_4
• Rudneva, M. (2020). Corpus-driven ESP pedagogy: A preliminary Case Study. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 8(3), 241–248. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP2003241R
• Simsek, M. R. (2022). Exploring The Flexibility Of Esp Materials Through The IPO Model: Corpus And Consumer Insights From The Turkish EFL Context. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 10(1), 111–138. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP2201111S
• Su, Z. (2021). A Study on the Influence of Data-driven TCM English Corpus on Teachers’ Job Burnout in ESP Teaching. 270–273. https://doi.org/10.1109/ITEI55021.2021.00069
• Su, Z., Lian, S., Wei, X., & Shang, Y. (2020). Influence of Chinese English Bilingual Corpus of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescriptions on ESP Writing Under the Background of Big Data. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 1146 AISC, 658–664. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43306-2_93
• Sutarsyah, C., Nation, P., & Kennedy, G. (1994). How useful is EAP vocabulary for ESP? a corpus-based case study. RELC Journal, 25(2), 34–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368829402500203
• Thompson, P. (2022). Corpus Analysis Of Disciplinary Variation And The Teaching Of ESP/EAP (pp. 177–192). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003002901-15
• Wang, L., Yuan, G., & Ren, H. (2021). A Study on the Construction of Behavioral Medicine ESP Corpus Resources in the Context of Big Data. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, LNICST, 392 LNICST, 13–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87903-7_2