Socio-economic factors influencing the size of English language vocabulary of primary school pupils in new villages in Malaysia

Vocabulary is one of the most important language elements that must be mastered to perform well in a language. English language learning, including vocabulary acquisition, takes place in the classroom and in English language pupils’ social environment. Studies show that socio-economic factors and limited vocabulary often result in poor academic performance among Malaysian pupils. Due to the existing socio-economic challenges in new villages and the poor English language performance among primary school pupils, it is essential to understand how these factors influence their vocabulary. However, little attention has been paid to studies on the English language vocabulary size of Malaysian primary school pupils. Hence, this study aims to examine the influence of socio-economic factors on the English language vocabulary size of pupils from primary schools located in new villages. This study employed a mixed-methods research design with a set of questionnaires, consisting of a demographic survey and an adapted version of Laufer and Nation’s Controlled Vocabulary Levels Test (1999) Version A, as well as virtual interviews. The questionnaire was used to collect the socio- economic data from the samples and measure their productive English vocabulary size, while the interview gathered information on how parental involvement in their children’s English learning contributes to the development of their English vocabulary. A total of 43 Malaysian primary school pupils from 15 schools completed the questionnaire, and 9 samples were interviewed. The quantitative data was analysed descriptively and inferentially using SPSS software (version 27), while the qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis. The statistical result revealed that most respondents failed to master the basic 2,000-word level of the vocabulary size test. Additionally, fathers’ current occupation and total parental income were statistically significant in predicting pupils’ vocabulary size at lower frequency word levels, while other socio-economic factors were insignificant at all levels. Pearson’s correlation coefficient revealed a weak positive correlation between all socio-economic factors and pupils’ total vocabulary size levels score. The qualitative results indicated that socio-economic factors had a relevant influence on parental involvement through the learning facilities provided at home, parental learning support, and their engagement in the classroom learning process. However, these factors had little impact on pupils’ and parents’ attitudes towards English. These findings have pedagogical implications in understanding how pupils’ environments can influence their language development.

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