Lexical Bundles in EFL Contexts: A Systematic Review of Research in the MENA Region

Abstract

Lexical bundles, recurrent sequences of words that frequently co-occur in specific registers, perform an important role in facilitating coherence and fluency in written and spoken English. In spite of various studies on the use of lexical bundles within various contexts, there is an absence of a systematic review of the research on using lexical bundles in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This systematic review fills that gap by examining how previous studies in the MENA region have described the forms and functions of lexical bundles in different types of communication and how these bundles are used in teaching. The study uses PRISMA guidelines to review findings from studies published between 2017 and 2025, using established databases like Scopus, Google Scholar, Wiley online Library, and ProQuest. Following the protocol of retrieval and filtering, a total of 31 (n=31) journal articles and dissertations were reviewed and data was coded according to distribution by country and year, bundle structure, function, genre and pedagogical implications in a replicable format. The analysis showed that most research on lexical bundles in EFL emerged from Saudi Arabia and Iran, particularly in the last 9 years. Studies tend to focus on structure rather than on function, as well as comparisons between native and non-native use of bundles. Although there is increasing interest in the pedagogical possibilities of bundle studies, this review points to the lack of sufficient studies on L1 Arabic speakers and recommends furthering the research on various aspects of lexical bundles among learners from the MENA region.