Teaching Students to Use Text-Profilers: A Needs-Based Approach to Tertiary Level English Vocabulary Instruction

In this paper the authors suggest that teaching students to use freely available text-profiling software represents an innovative strategy and possible solution to needs of non-native English speakers who leave school without an adequate English vocabulary. First the research basis is described for a new text-profiler designed to help students acquire the high-frequency vocabulary they need in order to become effective readers of academic texts published in English. The authors then illustrate relative advantages of this tool and show how these features address specific issues related to learning English vocabulary at college or university. Finally pedagogic implications of teaching students to use text-profilers are presented and suggestions are offered for future directions.