Breadth and Depth of Vocabulary Instruction in Moroccan EFL Classrooms: Implications for EAP Readiness

Vocabulary knowledge forms the lexical foundation for academic literacy and disciplinary communication in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Yet many secondary-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) programs provide limited exposure to the multidimensional aspects of word knowledge needed for later academic study. This study examines how Moroccan EFL textbooks and teachers address the breadth and depth of vocabulary instruction, using Nation’s (2001) nine-aspect framework of form, meaning, and use. Eight Ministry-approved middle and high school textbooks were analyzed, alongside a teacher survey (n = 33) and semi-structured interviews (n = 4). Textbook tasks overwhelmingly target written form and basic form-meaning links, with sparse attention to collocations, constraints on use, and productive vocabulary work. Teachers report routinely compensating through graded readers, multimedia, and learner corpora, signaling institutional dependence on out-of-textbook supplementation. Taken together, these patterns indicate a systemic misalignment between EFL vocabulary instruction and the ESP/EAP goal of preparing learners for specific academic contexts. The study proposes a redesign that rebalances tasks toward collocations, lexical bundles, and usage constraints, sequences depth-focused practice across grades, and integrates genre-based assessment of productive use, linking textbook architecture and classroom practices to learners’ preparedness for academic/professional discourse.