A Correlational Study Between Students’ Competencies in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Vocabulary Mastery, Reading Comprehension, and Critical Literacy
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Abstract
Critical literacy has emerged as a crucial ability needed by students, especially those pursuing higher education, as it involves critically evaluating vast amounts of information available today. Reading comprehension is significantly influenced by critical literacy instruction which is a key component to boost critical literacy. However, some studies reported minimal improvement in reading comprehension when students were taught using critical literacy approach compared to the traditional methods. This discrepancy suggests that other factors may affect the relationship between these variables, particularly in vocabulary mastery. This study aims to find the correlation between EFL students’ vocabulary mastery, reading comprehension, and critical literacy in higher education. Data were collected from 69 second-semester Indonesian students who enrolled in the Interpretive Reading Course by assessing their vocabulary scores, final exams, and critical literacy tests. The results have indicated a strong correlation between vocabulary, reading comprehension test results, and critical literacy, with reading comprehension being the most influential factor. Additionally, vocabulary and reading comprehension accounted for a low count of the variance in critical literacy, suggesting other factors may have mostly contributed to this. Consequently, further research with a larger sample size is recommended to investigate other potential factors influencing critical literacy.
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