Université Sétif2 PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ALGERIA Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ferhat Abbas University, Setif Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of English Language and Literature THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNERS’ LEXICAL COVERAGE AND THE READABILITY LEVELS OF THE ALGERIAN ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS By Saad TORKI Thesis submitted in candidature for the degree of doctorate “ès-sciences” in Applied Linguistics Supervisor: Prof. H. SAADI Co-Supervisor: Prof. M. MEHRACH Board of Examiners: Chairman: Prof. S. KESKES Prof. University of Setif Supervisor: Prof. H. SAADI Prof. University of Constantine Co-Supervisor: Prof. M. MEHRACH Prof. University of Tetouan, Morocco Member: Dr. H. HAMADA M.C. University of Constantine Member: Dr. S. LARABA M.C. University of Constantine Member: Dr. A. NEMOUCHI M.C. University of Constantine 2012 Université Sétif2 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNERS’ LEXICAL COVERAGE AND THE READABILITY LEVELS OF THE ALGERIAN ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS Saad TORKI Abstract Key words: readability – lexical coverage –reading comprehension – EFL textbooks In Algerian schools, textbooks provide the major if not the only written lexical input for students in classrooms. This study examined the seven English as a Foreign Language textbooks in use in these schools in order to investigate their lexical coverage and readability. The research project was designed to i) compile a textbook corpus ii) compare lexical coverage of the textbooks, and iii) assess readability. The main concern was to determine whether learners’ lexical coverage was at the textbook readability level (Independent Reading Leve), above it (Instructional Reading Level), or below it (Frustrational Reading Level). Furthermore, the list of all lexical items occurring in the seven textbooks was compared to West's General Service List, and Coxhead’s Academic Word List to assess whether textbooks provide sufficient, useful and appropriate vocabulary items. Another purpose was to provide English teachers and educationalists in general with a means (computer software) for comparing the vocabulary levels of reading materials and textbooks destined to Algerian learners of English in order to determine what the readability and vocabulary levels are, and what additional vocabulary is required for students to reach the 95% rate of comprehension. The methodology adopted to explore the lexical coveragewas characterised by a multi- instrument computer-based approach involving computer software. The sets of textbooks were processed to generate textbook word lists. Results have shown that all the EFL textbooks in use have low lexical coverage and readability, putting them at the frustrational level. Moreover, except for the first three textbooks there was a total discrepancy in terms of lexical coverage between the other four textbooks as the rate of common vocabulary across the textbooks was very low. Comparison of the lexical coverage of the seven textbooks to standard vocabulary lists have revealed that Algerian students are not learning sufficient, useful and appropriate vocabulary, as Algerian learners are exposed to a low proportion of high frequency words. The study ends with implications and recommendations as to how remedy to the problem. Université Sétif2 ملخص ذعرثش انكرة انًذسسُح نرذسَس اﻻَجهُزَح فٍ انجزائش انًصذس اﻷهى إٌ نى ذكٍ انىحُذ نرعهى اﻷنفاظ. نزا ذُاول هزا انثحث دساسح هزِ انكرة وانرٍ عذدها سثعح يٍ َاحُح انرغطُح انًعجًُح وانًقشوئُح. فصًى هزا انثحث نرشكُم )أ( يجًىعح يعجًُح، )ب( يقاسَح انكرة يٍ َاحُح انرغطُح انًعجًُح و )ج( ذحذَذ انًقشوئُح. كاٌ انهذف اﻷساسٍ وانشئُس هى اٌ كاٌ يسرىي يقشوئُح انكرة َرًاشً و انرغطُح انًعجًُح أٌ ذحذَذ إٌ كاٌ فٍ انًسرىي انقشائٍ انًسرقم، أو انًسرىي انقشائٍ انرعهًٍُ ٌ أو انًسرىي انقشائٍ اﻹحثاطٍ. اضافح انً رنك ذى يقاسَح قائًح كم اﻷنفاظ انىاسدج قٍ انكرة انسثع نرقُُى يا إرا كاَد انكرة انًذسسُح قادسج عهً ذىفُش يفشداخ Academic Word List و General Service Listنقىائى اﻷنفاظ كافُح ويفُذج ويُاسثح. وكاٌ آخش هذف هى ذزوَذ يذسسٍ انهغح اﻹَجهُزَح تىسُهح )انثشيجُاخ( نًقاسَح انًسرىَاخ حرً َرسًُ ذحذَذ انًفشداخ انًطهىتح نركًُهح نهىصىل انً َسثح 95 ٪ يٍ انفهى. وقذ أظهشخ انُرائج أٌ ذرًُز انًُهجُح انًعرًذج ترعذد انىسائم )تشايج انكًثُىذش( حُث ذى اسرخشاج قىائى كم يفشداخ انكرة انًذسوسح. يسرىي انًقشوئُح وانرغطُح انًعجًُح فٍ جًُع انكرة يُخفض. كًا ذثٍُ يٍ انرغطُح انًعجًُح أٌ فشسح ذعهى يفشداخ كافُح ويفُذج ويُاسثح غُش يرىفشج نهطهثح. وخهصد انذساسح تىصُاخ تشأٌ كُفُح يعانجح هزِ انًشكهح. Résumé Mots-clé: lisibilité - couverture lexicale - compréhension de la lecture - manuels d’anglais langue étrangère. En Algérie, les manuels d’anglais langue étrangère sont la principale, sinon la seule source d’entrée lexicale pour les élèves. Cette recherche a pour but d'examiner les sept manuels en usage dans ces écoles afin d'en déterminer la couverture lexicale et la lisibilité. Le projet de recherche a été conçu pour i) compiler un corpus des manuel, ii) comparer leur couverture lexicale des manuels scolaires, et iii) d'évaluer leur lisibilité. La principale préoccupation était de déterminer si le niveau de lisibilité des manuels correspondait ou non à la plage de la couverture lexicale de l'étudiant. Par ailleurs, les listes des items lexicaux ont été comparées à la General Service List et à la Academic Word List pour évaluer si les manuels scolaires sont à même de fournir un vocabulaire suffisant, utile et approprié. Un autre objectif était de fournir aux enseignants d'anglais et aux pédagogues en général un moyen (logiciel) pour comparer les niveaux de vocabulaire des textes de lecture destinés aux apprenants algériens de l'anglais afin d’en déterminer les niveaux de lisibilité et de vocabulaire, et quel vocabulaire supplémentaire était requis pour ces apprenants atteignent le taux de 95% de compréhension. La méthodologie adoptée pour explorer la couverture lexicale a été caractérisée par une approche multi- instrument impliquant des programmes informatique. Les ensembles des manuels scolaires ont été traités pour générer des listes de mots qui y figurent. Les résultats ont montré que tous les manuels en usage ont aussi bien un faible niveau de couverture lexicale et de lisibilité, les plaçant au niveau de frustration. Hormis les trois premiers manuels, il existe une divergence totale en termes de couverture lexicale entre les quatre autres manuels vu que le taux de vocabulaire commun à travers les manuels scolaires est très faible. La comparaison de la couverture lexicale des sept manuels aux listes de vocabulaire ont révélé que les élèves algériens ne sont pas exposés a un vocabulaire suffisant, utile et approprié, étant donne qu’ils sont exposés à une faible proportion de mots de haute fréquence. L'étude se termine avec des implications et des recommandations quant à la façon de remédier au problème. PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ALGERIA MinistryUniversité of Higher Education Sétif2and Scientific Research Ferhat Abbas University, Setif Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of English Language and Literature THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNERS’ LEXICAL COVERAGE AND THE READABILITY LEVELS OF THE ALGERIAN ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS By Saad TORKI Thesis submitted in candidature for the degree of doctorate “ès-sciences” in Applied Linguistics Supervisor: Prof. H. SAADI Co-Supervisor: Prof. M. MEHRACH Board of Examiners: Chairman: Prof. S. KESKES Prof. University of Setif Supervisor: Prof. H. SAADI Prof. University of Constantine Co-Supervisor: Prof. M. MEHRACH Prof. University of Tetouan, Morocco Member: Dr. H. HAMADA M.C. University of Constantine Member: Dr. S. LARABA M.C. University of Constantine Member: Dr. A. NEMOUCHI M.C. University of Constantine 2012 PEOPLE’SUniversité DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICSétif2 OF ALGERIA Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ferhat Abbas University, Setif Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of English Language and Literature THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNERS’ LEXICAL COVERAGE AND THE READABILITY LEVELS OF THE ALGERIAN ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS By Saad TORKI Thesis submitted in candidature for the degree of doctorate “ès-sciences” in Applied Linguistics Supervisor: Prof. H. SAADI Co-Supervisor: Prof. M. MEHRACH Board of Examiners: Chairman: Prof. S. KESKES Prof. University of Setif Supervisor: Prof. H. SAADI Prof. University of Constantine Co-Supervisor: Prof. M. MEHRACH Prof. University of Tetouan, Morocco Member: Dr. H. HAMADA M.C. University of Constantine Member: Dr. S. LARABA M.C. University of Constantine Member: Dr. A. NEMOUCHI M.C. University of Constantine 2012 UniversitéDEDICATIONSétif2 To My mother To The memory of my father whose last words as he lay dying were: “My son, never quit learning”. The memory of my father and mother-in-law who helped me to heed my father's advice. To my sisters, To Afef - Zineb, Mohamed–Abdallah , Taki -Eddine, and their Mum To My brothers and sisters-in-law Université Sétif2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Allah for His innumerable graces on me, one of which is the completion of this work. Second, my most profound feelings and unspeakable, ineffable, and immense gratitude go to my mother who, though widowed at an early age, sacrificed her youth, life and energy and went out to work for my education. Third, the journey that produced this study owes much to many people. Some of them can be named, others cannot, but all of them have my deepest appreciation and deserve to be acknowledged for their support in this effort. I wish to convey my gratitude to my supervisor Professor. Hacene Saadi, Mentouri University, Constantine. I