Abstract:
This study aimed to investigate the correlation between students’ vocabulary size
and their reading comprehension. The students were from first year Medical College
Jazan University Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The samples selected were (50)
instructors at Jazan University from different colleges and nationalities, also (150)
students who were enrolled in different departments at the Medical College female
section, such as Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing. In order to carry out the study the
researcher adopted the descriptive analytical method. Two instruments were used
including teachers’ questionnaire and students’ achievement tests. For analyzing
data the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program was used. The
results of the study revealed that EFL students’ awareness of learning English
vocabulary was weak. In addition to that the size of vocabulary appeared to affect
the student’s reading comprehension ability. Moreover the use of English language
as a medium of instruction appeared to affect the students’ learning of vocabulary.
Based on the results the researcher recommended that EFL students’ should be
aware of the importance of learning English vocabulary and develop it by using
different learning strategies and techniques. Additionally, students should increase
the size of English vocabulary to master their reading comprehension ability as well
as all English language skills, since English language has become the language of
instruction in English classes. Finally, mastering vocabulary can enhance students’
entire understanding.
