Relationship Between Vocabulary Size and TOEIC Reading Achievement Among Undergraduate Students

Background and Aim: This study investigated the potential correlation between vocabulary knowledge, as measured by the updated Vocabulary Levels Test (Webb, Sasao & Ballance, 2017), and performance across three distinct sections of the TOEIC reading part—namely, incomplete sentence, text completion, and reading comprehension. Materials and Methods: A total of 88 undergraduate students participated in the study, and their scores underwent analysis through Pearson Correlation and Standard Multiple Regression tests. Results: The findings indicated a significant correlation between performance in two TOEIC test components (incomplete sentence and reading comprehension) and overall proficiency as measured by the updated Vocabulary Levels Test. Conclusion: Based on the findings, the vocabulary knowledge assessed by the updated Vocabulary Levels Test serves as a robust and meaningful predictor for incomplete sentence and reading comprehension types in the TOEIC test.