Investigating lexical barriers and pedagogical misalignment in legal English learning in Kosovo

Bibliographic Data

ID22437219
AuthorsMirvan Xhemaili (0000-0003-3784-8606, AAB College), Venera Llunji (0000-0001-9914-3412, AAB College, corresponding author), Saleem Mohd Nasim (0000-0001-5110-1547, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University), Raju Dhuli (0000-0001-8909-5103, Andijan State University)
Year2026
Volume5
Issue1
Publication date2026-05-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDiscover Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2731-5525 • E-ISSN: 2731-5525
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s44217-026-01550-6
OpenAlexW7162038840
LanguageEN
References cited30

This study investigated challenges in learning legal English (English for Legal Purposes; ELP) in Kosovo’s civil-law context using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design grounded in ESP needs analysis. Phase 1 surveyed 100 first-year law students and summarized perceived difficulty, confidence, support or resources, and pedagogy using frequencies and percentages. Phase 2 used six 60-minute classroom observations across three parallel classes over a four-week period and a document analysis of 27 officially used course materials (2018–2023) to contextualize the survey patterns. Students most often reported (a) lexical and conceptual barriers linked to system-bound terminology and common-law-oriented materials, and (b) pedagogical constraints, including uneven localization, limited structured practice opportunities for speaking and writing, and perceived shortages in institutional support. Across the integrated evidence, course effectiveness may be strengthened by localized materials (e.g., text-aligned terminology scaffolds and guided civil-law mapping) and by consistent task cycles for speaking and writing that include rehearsal, feedback, and revision. These findings offer directly applicable implications for curriculum designers and ESP practitioners in similar contexts.

Qualitative research · Vocabulary · Legal Language and Interpretation · Second Language Acquisition and Learning · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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