THE CORRELATION BETWEEN ACADEMIC SELF-CONCEPT AND STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION IN ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM OF UNIVERSITAS RIAU KEPULAUAN

Nadia Putri Yudani, Melanie Putri Yuri, Nurul Hidayatulloh, Pebri Lismarinanda Nadapdap, Yulia Safitri, Luthfika Zahrani, Desi Surlitasari Dewi, Sri Langgeng Ratnasari, Linayati Lestari, Alpino Susanto

Abstract


Reading comprehension is a crucial skill for academic success, especially for students in English Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. One psychological factor that may influence reading comprehension is academic self-concept, which refers to students’ beliefs about their own academic abilities. While previous research has examined the role of self-concept in language learning, there is still limited research on how it correlates with reading comprehension in Indonesian higher education settings. This study aims to investigate whether there is a significant correlation between academic self-concept and students’ reading comprehension among sixth-semester students in the English Education Study Program at Universitas Riau Kepulauan. A quantitative method with a correlational research design was employed. Thirty-five students were selected using purposive sampling. Two instruments were used: a questionnaire to assess academic self-concept and a reading comprehension test to evaluate students’ performance. The data were found to be normally distributed; therefore, the Pearson Product Moment correlation was applied. The results revealed a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.987) which was statistically significant (p < 0.001). This finding indicates that students with higher academic self-concept tend to achieve better reading comprehension scores. These results highlight the importance of fostering students’ academic self-concept as a potential way to enhance their reading comprehension skills. Future research may further explore this relationship across different institutions or incorporate other cognitive and affective variables.

Keywords


Academic self-concept, Reading comprehension, EFL learners, Correlational research

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.33373/dms.v12i3.8180

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