From context to communication: using authentic texts to develop EFL learners’ lexical competence

Abstract

This article examines the role of authentic texts in developing EFL learners’ lexical competence and facilitating the transition from contextual understanding to communicative use. The study employs a qualitative, research-informed approach based on recent studies published mainly after 2020. It proposes a four-stage instructional framework consisting of pre-text activation, while-text contextual analysis, post-text lexical consolidation, and communicative transfer. The findings indicate that authentic texts provide meaningful exposure to vocabulary in context and support learners’ understanding of lexical meaning, collocations, pragmatic use, and appropriate language choice. However, their effectiveness depends on appropriate text selection, systematic scaffolding, learner needs, and purposeful communicative tasks. The study concludes that a context-to-communication approach can effectively connect receptive vocabulary knowledge with productive lexical use and contribute to the systematic development of EFL learners’ lexical competence. This framework also promotes greater learner autonomy, contextual awareness, lexical retention, and confidence in using newly acquired vocabulary across diverse academic and real-life communicative situations.