Students of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) need to command a large specialized vocabulary in order to succeed at the university level. Since second language learners are at a disadvantage compared to native speakers with regard to vocabulary exposure in the target language, EAP instructors need to provide rich instruction that will help them overcome this deficit. Rich instruction must include assessing which words to focus on, providing repetition and spaced retrieval of target words, encouraging depth of processing for each word, using various tasks that promote lexical acquisition, and providing strategies for independent word learning. This thesis explores the research in the field of second language vocabulary instruction, specifically as it relates to academic English, in order to analyze the vocabulary component of four English language textbooks. After a thorough review of the textbooks, a vocabulary lesson plan is proposed that is intended to serve as a template for instruction which is grounded in current research.
