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A Frequency-Based Wordlist of Japanese Junior High School Textbook Vocabulary

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Title: A Frequency-Based Wordlist of Japanese Junior High School Textbook Vocabulary
Language: English
Authors: Ryan Klinger (ORCID 0009-0008-2078-6190)
Source: Vocabulary Learning and Instruction. 2025 14(2).
Availability: Castledown Publishers. Ground Level, 470 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia. Tel: +61-3-7003-8355; e-mail: contact@castledown.com; Web site: https://www.castledown.com/journals/vli
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 18
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Textbooks, Vocabulary, Word Frequency, Expectation, Knowledge Level, Junior High School Students, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning
Geographic Terms: Japan
ISSN: 2981-9954
Abstract: Several studies have examined the content of Japanese junior high school textbooks in relation to various frequency-based word lists such as the New General Service List (NGSL) (Browne et al., 2013) (e.g, Nakayama, 2022a,b) and the British National Corpus (BNC) (e.g, Wongsarnpigoon, 2018), and have identified potential issues in terms of lexical coverage and the repetition of vocabulary items. Considering the potential differences in individual textbook series and differences between frequency-based wordlists, it is worthwhile to evaluate the entirety of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) approved junior high school textbooks (MEXT, 2024) in relation to multiple researched word lists including the NGSL, and the New JACET8000 ( JACET, 2016) wordlist. To do so, a corpus of 18 textbooks from 6 publishers was analyzed using the software AntConc (Anthony, 2022) to generate a junior high school vocabulary wordlist sorted by the combined frequency and range of each item. While MEXT has advanced the target number of vocabulary items junior high school ( JHS) students in Japan are expected to know entering high school to a range between 2,200 and 2,500 words (MEXT, 2019), the content of those words is relatively unknown. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the content of the collective vocabulary items within the catalogue of MEXT approved JHS textbooks, by examining their range, frequency, and difference in ranking between the NGSL and JACET8000 wordlists. Additionally, the pedagogical applications derived from the analysis of a JHS textbook wordlist are discussed.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1483012
Database: ERIC
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  Data: A Frequency-Based Wordlist of Japanese Junior High School Textbook Vocabulary
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ryan+Klinger%22">Ryan Klinger</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2078-6190">0009-0008-2078-6190</externalLink>)
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  Data: Castledown Publishers. Ground Level, 470 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia. Tel: +61-3-7003-8355; e-mail: contact@castledown.com; Web site: https://www.castledown.com/journals/vli
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– Name: Audience
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Junior+High+Schools%22">Junior High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Middle+Schools%22">Middle Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Textbooks%22">Textbooks</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Vocabulary%22">Vocabulary</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Word+Frequency%22">Word Frequency</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Expectation%22">Expectation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Knowledge+Level%22">Knowledge Level</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Junior+High+School+Students%22">Junior High School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+%28Second+Language%29%22">English (Second Language)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+Language+Instruction%22">Second Language Instruction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+Language+Learning%22">Second Language Learning</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Japan%22">Japan</searchLink>
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  Data: 2981-9954
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Several studies have examined the content of Japanese junior high school textbooks in relation to various frequency-based word lists such as the New General Service List (NGSL) (Browne et al., 2013) (e.g, Nakayama, 2022a,b) and the British National Corpus (BNC) (e.g, Wongsarnpigoon, 2018), and have identified potential issues in terms of lexical coverage and the repetition of vocabulary items. Considering the potential differences in individual textbook series and differences between frequency-based wordlists, it is worthwhile to evaluate the entirety of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) approved junior high school textbooks (MEXT, 2024) in relation to multiple researched word lists including the NGSL, and the New JACET8000 ( JACET, 2016) wordlist. To do so, a corpus of 18 textbooks from 6 publishers was analyzed using the software AntConc (Anthony, 2022) to generate a junior high school vocabulary wordlist sorted by the combined frequency and range of each item. While MEXT has advanced the target number of vocabulary items junior high school ( JHS) students in Japan are expected to know entering high school to a range between 2,200 and 2,500 words (MEXT, 2019), the content of those words is relatively unknown. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the content of the collective vocabulary items within the catalogue of MEXT approved JHS textbooks, by examining their range, frequency, and difference in ranking between the NGSL and JACET8000 wordlists. Additionally, the pedagogical applications derived from the analysis of a JHS textbook wordlist are discussed.
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      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 18
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Textbooks
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vocabulary
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Word Frequency
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Expectation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Knowledge Level
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Junior High School Students
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      – SubjectFull: English (Second Language)
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      – SubjectFull: Second Language Instruction
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      – SubjectFull: Second Language Learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Japan
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: A Frequency-Based Wordlist of Japanese Junior High School Textbook Vocabulary
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