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Tuti Awaliyah, University of Leeds, United KingdomAbstract
Having a high vocabulary size is crucial for young L2 learners who study at L1 schools. As a result of the high number of international students in the United Kingdom, many young Indonesian learners studying in L1 schools face challenges in acquiring a second language and academic achievement. Previous studies on vocabulary size and academic achievement often focused on L1 speakers and EFL in home countries, but few studies discussed the topic of Indonesians studying in English-speaking countries. This study investigated the relationship between vocabulary size and academic achievement of Indonesian primary students, aged from 7 to 9, living in Leeds, UK. A mixed-method was implemented using a picture vocabulary test adapted from the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) to measure ten participants’ vocabulary size and six interviews with parents to explore participants’ current academic achievement. The finding showed that, while seven participants reached the 1000-word level, there were only two students who had obtained the 2000-word level, and no participants had passed the 3000-word level. By using thematic analysis, interview data showed a strong relationship between vocabulary size and academic success. Although low vocabulary size might have had little influence on some participants’ academic performance, it still affected students’ engagement and class participation. This study contributed to supporting multilingual learners studying in an L1 school.
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Conference: PCE2026Stream: Language Development & Literacy
This paper is part of the PCE2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Awaliyah T. (2026) The Relationship Between Indonesian Children’s English Vocabulary Size and Academic Success at School in Leeds, UK ISSN: 2758-0962 The Paris Conference on Education 2026: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 245-256) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2758-0962.2026.18
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2758-0962.2026.18
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