I.

Context and Rationale

Vocabulary pertains to the knowledge of words in a specific language that is understood

by many people. It is deemed as the blood of language since its role is crucial to the reading

process. Without grammar, as mentioned by Alfaki (2015), very little can be conveyed, but

without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed. Having a wide range of vocabulary will result in a

good reading comprehension skill that will positively affect the overall academic achievement of

the learners considering that all subject areas require reading. Underscoring the importance of

vocabulary to reading comprehension, Sidek & Rahim (2015) found out in their study that

vocabulary knowledge is one determinant element for the attainment of successful reading

comprehension activity in L1 and L2; thus, the students are likely to be able to comprehend and

make sense of it within a text when they know the meaning of the words they read and listen to.

Pertinent to this observation is the citation of Burns (2016), accentuating that vocabulary

knowledge plays an important role in understanding both spoken and written sentences. It is

likely that learners who have limited vocabulary will also have poor reading comprehension

skills. Hence, it is a prerequisite for the educators to improve learners’ vocabulary which in

return achieve a successful reading comprehension and will advance their skills for real-world

applications such as communication, creativity, critical thinking, and other 21st century skills.