2022 개정 영어과 교육과정 기본 어휘 목록의 적절성 분석: 접사 규정을 중심으로

Analysis of the appropriateness of basic vocabulary list of 2022 revised English curriculum: Focused on regulations related to affixes

The present study aims to explore the appropriateness of basic vocabulary list of 2022 revised English curriculum, with a particular focus on its regulations regarding affixes. Under the vocabulary control policy in English education, regulations concerning affixes have been a topic of debate as they may be able to influence the number of English words that learners are expected to acquire during their school years. Some scholars advocate for an ‘affix-based restriction’ which they believe allows for better control of the total vocabulary size, while others support a ‘cap-based restriction’ which sets an upper limit within specific vocabulary pools. This corpus-based analysis reveals major flaws of the former approach and highlights potential weaknesses of the 2022 revised curriculum’s basic vocabulary list. Specifically, the list includes a considerable number of low-frequency words while lacking an adequate proportion of high-frequency words, which may undermine its reliability. In addition, it appears to have an ambiguous boundary line of recommended words for middle and high school levels. The findings of this study offer insights for refining the current vocabulary list and informing the development of a more effective basic vocabulary list in the near future.