Lexical Bundle Patterns in Malaysian Educational Texts: A Corpus-Based Analysis of English Language Textbooks

In the era of digital learning, understanding the linguistic input in educational materials is vital for language acquisition. Lexical bundles, or recurring word sequences, significantly contribute to developing fluency and coherence, especially in academic contexts. This study examines the presence and types of lexical bundles in Malaysian Form 4 and Form 5 KBSM English textbooks, analyzing their frequency and functions. Using a mixed-method design with a corpus-based approach, data were collected from textbook reading passages and analyzed with AntConc 3.4.3 software. The study aims to assess whether these textbooks provide sufficient linguistic input to enhance students' English proficiency in academic contexts. The findings show a limited presence of lexical bundles, with 29 different 3-word bundles appearing 203 times in total. Four-word bundles were not found in the corpus. The bundles were categorized into three functional types based on Biber et al.'s (2004) taxonomy; stance expressions (55.2%), referential expressions (44.8%), and discourse organizers which were absent. This gap suggests a shortfall in the textbooks' ability to guide students in creating coherent and well-structured texts. The study emphasizes the need for more comprehensive inclusion of lexical bundles in textbooks to better support language acquisition and academic proficiency. It recommends that future textbooks incorporate a broader range of lexical bundles to better equip students for advanced language uses. This research contributes to discussions on the effectiveness of educational materials in second language learning and highlights the importance of targeted linguistic input.