Alanazi, Mrs.Budur
(2025)
Investigating Knowledge and Use of Technical Vocabulary in Saudi Engineering Masters’ Dissertations: A Corpus-based Study.
PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
Abstract
This thesis explores technical vocabulary in engineering masters’ dissertations, an academic genre that has received less attention compared to textbooks, course materials, and research articles. It addresses this gap through three linked studies, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the knowledge and the usage of technical vocabulary in engineering masters’ dissertations written by Saudi students. The first study examines the lexical profile and vocabulary load of a specialised corpus, consisting of 1,322,437 words compiled from such dissertations written by Saudi students at King Abdul-Aziz University. The findings showed that 4,000- and 7,000-word families, along with four supplementary lists and an engineering-specific word list, were necessary to achieve a minimal 95% and optimal 98% comprehension in engineering master’s discourse. This highlights the lexically demanding nature of the Engineering Masters’ Dissertation Corpus (EMDC).
The second study employs a combination of corpus-based and semantic approaches to identify and analyse single-word and multiword units (MWUs) of technical vocabulary in EMDC. The findings showed that 930 single-word items of engineering technical vocabulary (ETV) were identified, which covered 19.92% of tokens in the EMDC. The study found that 61.29% of the ETV (570 words) was from high-frequency vocabulary bands e.g., bus, coolant, absorption, 25.49% (237 words) from mid-frequency bands e.g., aluminium, altitude, antennas, and 4.12% (38 words) from low-frequency bands e.g., brine, axial, photovoltaic. Additionally, 2.0% (19 words) were from supplementary lists; proper nouns and transparent compounds, e.g., Doppler, Gaussian, ciphertext, and 7.1% (66 words) were from a specialised engineering word list e.g., actuation, actuator, alloying. The study also identified 856 MWU technical vocabulary items, which can be refined into 543 condensed MWUs e.g., renewable energy, heat transfer, Nusselt number from the EMDC. The distribution of ETV varied across dissertation sections: Results and Discussion sections contained the highest percentage (21.46%), followed by Methodology (20.83%), while the Introduction (18.47%), Literature Review (18.44%), and Conclusion (18.56%) sections showed similar, lower percentages.
The third study investigates learners’ receptive knowledge of the ETV list and lecturers' evaluations of its usefulness. Participants were grouped into three proficiency levels–19 beginners, 33 intermediate, and 26 advanced learners–using the Updated Vocabulary Level Test (Webb, Sasao & Balance, 2017). Yes/No tests were administered to assess learners' receptive knowledge of ETV words selected from the 930 ETV list, while 20 engineering lecturers evaluated the usefulness of the ETV list. The study also analysed correlations between learners’ knowledge and teachers’ perceptions. The findings indicated that learners demonstrated stronger knowledge of high-frequency ETV compared to mid- and low-frequency words. Bootstrapped analysis showed that beginners, intermediate, and advanced learners knew progressively higher percentages of the target words, with advanced learners exhibiting the highest level of comprehension. Lecturers rated high-frequency ETV as the most useful, followed by mid- and low-frequency words. A strong correlation was observed between learners’ knowledge and lecturers’ perceptions, with the alignment improving as learners advanced in proficiency. This suggests that teachers’ perceptions become more accurate as learners develop greater vocabulary knowledge.
This thesis has both methodological and pedagogical implications for research on technical vocabulary in genre-specific written discourse and ESP. The developed wordlists can assist second language engineering students in learning the vocabulary essential for their field, enabling them to meet the language demands of their studies and professional practice. By providing targeted language support, students can enhance their proficiency and perform more effectively in their specialised areas.
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