The Roles of Vocabulary Knowledge and Semantic Knowledge in Reading Comprehension among Mining Engineering Students in the DR Congo
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/ijhss.3794Keywords:
Vocabulary Knowledge, Semantic Knowledge, Reading Comprehension, ESP, DRCAbstract
Purpose: This study examined the roles of vocabulary knowledge and semantic knowledge in reading comprehension among mining engineering students in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) context in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Methodology: A descriptive–correlational design was adopted. Data were collected from thirty undergraduate mining engineering students at the University of Bunia using a reading comprehension test, a vocabulary knowledge test, and a semantic knowledge test. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine relationships among the variables.
Findings: The findings revealed significant positive relationships between vocabulary knowledge, semantic knowledge, and reading comprehension. Learners with stronger lexical and semantic abilities generally demonstrated better comprehension of technical English texts. The findings suggest that successful comprehension depended not only on vocabulary recognition but also on learners’ ability to interpret meaning within disciplinary discourse.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study contributes empirical evidence from a multilingual African ESP context and highlights the importance of integrating vocabulary development and meaning-focused reading instruction in technical higher education.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Emmanuel Pilo Issamba, (M.A.), Dr. Stephen O. Orago (PhD), Dr. Hilda Kebeya (PhD)
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