Does the Malaysian English Language Syllabus Cater to the Academic Vocabulary Needs of Secondary School Students Entering Universities?

Abstract

More and more Malaysian upper secondary school students are doing well in their studies and entering colleges and universities for matriculation and diploma programmes immediately after school. Besides English for General Purposes (EGP), secondary school students should also be familiarized with the 570 academic words (in the Academic Word List) that may appear frequently in academic texts. At tertiary learning institutions, academic words are essential because students have to read more specialised and complex academic texts. This research was carried out to investigate whether the Malaysian secondary school English language syllabuses cater to the academic vocabulary needs of students who enter tertiary institutions. To investigate this, the researcher put all the 1,316 words listed in the word lists (for the lower and upper secondary school syllabuses found at the end of the syllabuses’ booklets) into Range (Nation, 2005), a tool which separates words into General Service Word List (GSL) and Academic Word List (AWL). The results reveal that of the 1,316 words, only seven belong to AWL while the majority are GSL words. Although there are statements made in the syllabuses indicating that they also cater to the students’ needs for their further education, the target words specified in the word lists suggest that they are meant mainly for EGP. The students’ academic vocabulary need has apparently been neglected.

ESL Pre-university Learners’ Needs Analysis for Web-based English Academic Vocabulary Learning Resource

“…Thus, most learners communicated their expectations towards a moderate to extensive academic vocabulary practice. This supports Choo et al's (2017) claim that the AWL should be emphasised in Malaysian tertiary English language education, given the lack of prior exposure during schooling (Manan et al, 2013;Noorizan et al, 2017). Hence, it is 'necessary' for ESL preuniversity learners to learn academic vocabulary to improve their academic English.…”

“…However, Malaysian English as a Second Language (ESL) tertiary learners have gained little to no academic word knowledge and awareness, as shown by past studies (e.g., Abmanan et al, 2017;Choo et al, 2017;Harji et al, 2015;Sulaiman et al, 2018). One possible cause is the lack of exposure and opportunities to learn academic vocabulary during their schooling, as school textbooks rarely include such words (Manan et al, 2013;Noorizan et al, 2017). Thus, many school leavers begin post-secondary education with a substantial deficit in academic words.…”

Going Back to Basics: Effectiveness of Reading English Newspaper on Vocabulary Knowledge of Malaysian Secondary Level ESL/EFL Students

“…Vocabulary knowledge is an integral part in order for the learners to acquire and master the English language successfully. According to Manan, Ali and Sarimah (2013), comprehending an academic or non-academic text can be easy if the learners has a good vocabulary knowledge. Moreover, it is widely understood that good vocabulary knowledge is necessary in order to understand any form of text.…”

“…As a reflection of this situation, Malaysian students lack vocabulary knowledge due to their lack of exposure to reading materials and their lack of interest in reading for pleasure (Ali & Razali, 2019). Furthermore, Manan, Ali and Sarimah (2013) reports that the Malaysian English language syllabus does not cater with the requirements needs of the secondary school students. In addition, according to Schaar, Lapasau and Fang (2013), Malaysian individuals only read half a page a year and this falls far below the UNESCO leisure reading recommendation of 80 pages per person per year.…”