Development of a technical nursing education word list (NEWL)

Abstract

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) or English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programs are developed and implemented in universities to socialize learners into their discourse communities. One of the most important requirements for language curriculum development in such situations is a word list that comprises the most important words or 'building blocks' in the field. This article examines the most frequently used technical vocabulary in the area of nursing education. A word list of 969 nursing education specialized words selected from a corpus of 3,490,417 words is developed to enhance English for Nursing Purposes (ENP) learning. With 969 technical words in the Nursing Education Word List (NEWL), the word list provides coverage of 9.5% in the selected textbooks. This word list forms the basis from which key vocabulary is identified for ENP curriculum development. In addition, the NEWL serves as a must-have reference for publishers and ENP textbook writers to enhance the presentation of vocabulary in ENP materials development. © 2014 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.