An Investigation of the Relationship Between Vocabulary Mastery and Speaking Competence of Students at SMP Negeri 1 Pancarijang
Keywords:
vocabulary mastery, speaking competence, correlation, EFL, junior high schoolAbstract
This study investigated the relationship between vocabulary mastery and speaking competence among students at SMP Negeri 1 Pancarijang. A quantitative correlational design was employed with 19 students of class VIII Java Script as the sample. Data were collected through a 30-item multiple-choice vocabulary test and an oral speaking test assessed in terms of fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, comprehensibility, and accuracy. Descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk test, Pearson's product-moment correlation, Spearman's rank correlation, and a linear model summary were calculated using IBM SPSS Statistics. The students obtained a mean vocabulary score of 87.19 (SD = 10.50) and a mean speaking score of 70.95 (SD = 4.39). Pearson's analysis indicated a strong positive and statistically significant relationship (r = .736, p < .001). Because speaking scores did not meet the normality criterion, Spearman's rho was also computed and confirmed a positive significant association (rho = .597, p = .007). The coefficient of determination was R-squared = .542, indicating substantial shared variation within the sample without establishing causality. The findings show that students with stronger vocabulary mastery tended to demonstrate better speaking competence. Teachers are therefore encouraged to integrate contextual vocabulary development with meaningful speaking activities while continuing to address pronunciation, grammar, fluency, confidence, and practice.
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