EFL Students’ Lexical Knowledge and Reading Performance on Online Texts

Abstract

This study examines the lexical knowledge of EFL students and their reading performance on online texts in Ethiopia. A correlational research design was employed. The school was selected using a simple random sampling technique while students were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. Three reading tests, circling the unknown words, and lexical coverage tests were given to the participants. The data gained from reading tests were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. SPSS version 24 software and an Excel spread sheet were used to analyse the collected data from reading tests. The data analyses from the tests show correlation coefficients of 0.48, moderate, and r2=23% of the variability in reading test one results could be explained by the percentage of known words. For text two, 0.83, strong r2=69% of the variability in reading performance test results could be explained by the percentage of known words, and for text three 0.73, Substantial, r2=53.3% of the variability in reading performance test results could be explained by the percentage of known words. The results indicate that the participants needed to know 94.2% of known words to comprehend text one, 89.9% of known words to comprehend text two, and 92.4% of known words to comprehend text three. This study reveals that EFL students had limited thresholds in which adequate comprehension of online texts might be impossible. Further studies need to be conducted regarding EFL students at different grade levels, because 77% of text 1, 31% of text 2, and 46.7% of text 3 reading test scores were not based on the percentage of known words.