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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 16. Number 4, December 2025 Pp. 273 -288
Institute of Mediamatics and Cultural Heritage
University of Žilina, Slovakia
This rapid review of the literature examines the effectiveness of ESP vocabulary teaching, with a focus on the application of corpus-based materials. This review aims to critically analyse recent studies on the corpus method while teaching ESP vocabulary at universities. The review also highlights the challenges associated with corpus-based materials in ESP vocabulary teaching and their perceptions among ESP students. We searched six research databases, generating 136 studies. During the evaluation process, studies not written in English, published before 2010, lacking evidence-based support, non-peer-reviewed, without abstracts, and not focused on ESP vocabulary, corpus-based approaches, or university education were excluded. Forty-five articles were included after full-text screening; we subsequently coded them according to the data they presented. The overall evidence from this rapid literature review suggests that corpora can be beneficial for many learners across various contexts. When used thoughtfully and appropriately, they become a valuable resource for both ESP teachers and students. More specific results from our research show that a corpus-based approach to ESP teaching improves linguistic skills by supplying comprehensive data on authentic vocabulary and syntax patterns, enabling insights into frequency, connotations, nuanced meaning differences, and proper collocations. The research also shows that utilizing available resources and seeking guidance from experts can help overcome challenges connected with corpus-based materials. As this is the first rapid review in the field of corpus-based ESP vocabulary learning at universities, its findings offer valuable insights for shaping effective academic policies across diverse ESP disciplines
Lacková, M. (2025). Teaching ESP Vocabulary with the Application of Corpus-Based Materials at Universities: A Rapid Review of Literature. Arab World English Journal, 16(4): 273 -288
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Marta Lacková works at the University of Žilina. Her research focuses on comparative and corpus linguistics. She has published two monographs on the grammatical category of determination and inter-lingual homonyms, two morphological textbooks intended for university learners, one lexicological textbook, and more than 40 scientific articles.
ORCID ID: (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5784-7523)