THE LINK BETWEEN VLS AND READING COMPREHENSION

,


INTRODUCTION
As a foreign language, English has become an important part of learners' studies in Indonesia. It is available in the vast majority of Indonesian schools where English is taught. English is considered a foreign language and is formally taught in schools from elementary to university level. English is an international language and the most widely used medium of international communication, according to Brumfit (2001). This means that students should learn English as soon as possible because it is important in many aspects of life, including education, business, and economics. Students must have their own ideas about learning English because English is a necessary language. When people think of language, the first thing that comes to mind is "words." Vocabularies are words in this context. According to Ghazal (2007), vocabulary is central to language and is extremely important to language learners. Because vocabulary is so important, students must learn it more thoroughly.
Furthermore, according to Ahour and Salamzadeh (2014), words are the basic building blocks of a language, the units of meaning from which larger structures such as sentences, paragraphs, and entire texts are formed. It means that if students want to be able to speak and use English, they should learn more about English vocabularies. The more words they know, the better their English will be. Based on the foregoing explanations, it is clear that English is the foreign language taught for formal education in Indonesia, and it has become an important subject that must be taught in all formal classes. As a result, education is critical in improving students' skills, particularly in English. Learners must apply and implement effective vocabulary learning strategies in order to study effectively and excel. A learner can use a variety of strategies to improve their vocabulary mastery. According to Hulstijn and Laufer (2001), there are six effective Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary Learning Strategies: word wall, word box, vocabulary notebook, semantic mapping, word card, and word learning strategies.
The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension, as well as the extent to which vocabulary learning strategies contributed to students' reading comprehension. The correlational research design was used for this study. The sample of 68 students was chosen using the purposive sample technique. The questionnaire on vocabulary learning strategies and the reading comprehension test were used to collect data and Pearson Product Moment and regression analysis were used to analyze the obtained data. The study found that students' vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire and reading comprehension test scores were in the average range. First, with a p-value 0.003 less than the alpha value of 0.05, there was a significant correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension of tenth-grade students at SMA N 10 Palembang. The R-value of.358 indicates that Ha was accepted and Ho (null hypothesis) was automatically rejected. A low correlation was discovered between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension of SMA N 10 Palembang tenth-grade students. Second, the regression value revealed 0.128 influences of vocabulary learning strategy and reading comprehension, implying that the contribution and interaction effect of vocabulary learning strategy and reading comprehension was 12.8%.
Vocabulary learning strategies are a subcategory of language learning strategies, which are themselves subsets of general learning strategies (Nation, 2001, p. 34). The first is productive vocabulary, which is a word that students correctly use and understand when speaking and writing; it is linked to productive skills. Meanwhile, receptive vocabulary is a word that students recognize and understand while listening and reading, and it is linked to receptive skills. Because the reading comprehension is written, the students rely heavily on their productive vocabulary. Vocabulary is an important component of language learning. In relation to this, linguist Wilkins states in Thornbury (2002, p.23) that vocabulary learning is critical; without grammar, very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed. It means that even if someone has good grammar, it is useless if they do not have a large vocabulary.
The most important point of the important influence is that mastering vocabulary for students is the most important component in learning a language successfully. Furthermore, Soedjito (2009) defines vocabularies as: 1. all words contained in a language; 2. the richness of words possessed by a speaker or writer; 3. the word used in a field of science, a list of words organized like a dictionary and brief, practical explanations; and 4. vocabulary learning strategies can be considered as a part of general learning strategies in second language acquisition. Students use vocabulary learning strategies to improve their English mastery. There are numerous issues that revolve around vocabulary and its role. Learners are hampered by their first language, as well as the methods they use to learn a language and the strategies they employ during the learning process. All of these issues must be addressed if the students are to improve over time.
Furthermore, Sismiati (2012, p. 65) believes that reading is a significant activity that is becoming increasingly important in this modern world of rapid development in all aspects of life. Furthermore, Subyantoro (2011, p. 9) defines reading as a skill in reading comprehension that will gradually become a person's everyday behavior. Reading is an important skill in higher education because it is essential for all students' academic success (Tavakoli, 2014). Furthermore, Anderson (2003) contends that reading is an active and fluent process that involves the reading material in the construction of meaning. Students' brains will be active while reading a passage, thinking and processing all information from the passage. Reading assignments are an interesting and engaging way to learn (Douglas, 2016, p.260).
Readers will use their thoughts to consider the text being read. Students in higher education must be able to understand a variety of texts, which can only be developed through extensive practice. Students, on the other hand, read for a variety of reasons. According to the RAND Reading Study Group (2002), comprehension is the process of eliciting and making meaning from written language through interaction and involvement. According to Duke and Bennett-Armistead (2003), comprehension is a process in which readers make meaning by interacting with text using a combination of prior knowledge and prior experience, information in the text, and reader perspectives on the text.
As a result, according to Haq (2014), "reading comprehension is one of the standard English skills that should be achieved at all levels of education, including elementary school." Students are expected to read and comprehend the contents of reading texts using their reading skills. Readings are difficult for beginning English students. These difficulties are caused by a lack of vocabulary and grammar mastery, as well as the length of the text, which decreases reading interest. Reading comprehension text is evaluated not only on how well students read, but also on their pronunciation and intonation. However, reading comprehension is an activity that develops understanding of the meaning of a text, which can then be translated and communicated in its own language. The writers chose SMA N 10 Palembang as the study's sample because the writers had previously observed eleventh graders at SMA N 10 Palembang. The writers discovered that the students' ability to master English vocabulary and reading comprehension remained low. When the writers administered a reading quiz, only a few students received a score higher than KKM (criterion minimum mastery).
The students had difficulty using the vocabulary words. They couldn't tell the difference between the functions of the words in the sentences. Many studies have previously investigated these variables related to vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension. Goundar (2019), discovered that there were effective strategies for teaching vocabulary to students. These strategies benefit students and are easily applicable to second language learners around the world. The students' reading comprehension knowledge was critical in increasing their vocabulary learning strategies. Students must gain a better understanding of reading concepts such as main idea, detail information, and vocabulary. The objectives of this study were as follows, based on the research problems mentioned above: 1. To determine whether there was a significant correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension among tenth-grade students at SMA N 10 Palembang. 2. To determine the extent to which vocabulary learning strategies aided reading comprehension in tenth-grade students at SMA N 10 Palembang.

The Concept of Vocabulary
Vocabulary is now an important language component that supports all other skills, such as writing, reading, speaking, and listening. Someone must have a good vocabulary in order to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. According to Ghazal (2007, p.84), vocabulary is central to language and is extremely important to language learners. Because vocabulary is so important, students must learn it more thoroughly. Words, according to Ahour and Salamzadeh (2014, p.12), are the basic building blocks of a language, the units of meaning from which larger structures such as sentences, paragraphs, and entire texts are formed. It means that if students want to be able to speak and use English, they should learn more about English vocabularies. The more vocabulary they know, the better their English will be. According to Hiebert and Kamil (2005, p. 3), vocabulary is the knowledge of word meanings. Vocabulary is a powerful means of conveying meaning.
Recognizing the communicative power of vocabulary, a learner may reasonably aim to gain a working knowledge of a large number of words. A person's vocabulary is made up of all the words he or she knows and uses. It means that the definitions of mastery are great skill or knowledge, as well as control or power Furthermore, Richard and Schmidt (2012, p. 353) emphasized that mastery learning is an individualized and diagnostic approach to teaching in which students' study and test at their own pace to achieve a predetermined level of success. Following the definition above, vocabulary mastery is an essential part of learning English. Schmitt (2008) Vocabulary is regarded as an essential component of language learning. The more words students know and can use, the more meaning they can communicate in a variety of situations. It means that in order to use the language productively, students must know a variety of vocabularies, not only for communicating but also for writing. The writers can conclude that vocabulary mastery is a complete ability to understand the meaning of words in a specific language in order to find out the meaning for specific purposes. Vocabulary is the understanding of words and their meanings. Actually, vocabulary is more complex; mastery of vocabulary includes not only knowing the words and their meanings, but also understanding how the words sound and how they are used in context

The Concept of Reading
Reading is defined as a cognitive process that entails decoding symbols to obtain meaning. Reading is an active process of creating word meanings. Reading with a purpose directs information and focuses the reader's attention. According to Sismiati (2012), reading is an important activity that is becoming more important in this modern world of rapid development in every aspect of life. Meanwhile, Ruddle (2005) defines reading as "the act of constructing meaning while transacting with text." During the reading process, the reader interacts with the text dynamically. In addition, Joyce (2006, p. 2) stated that reading is an active skill in which the reader interacts with the text and, to a lesser extent, the writers. It means that while reading, students should be able to actively create their own interpretation in order to gain meaning from the text. According to Howart (2006, p. 1), reading is just as communicative as any other form of language. Through the texts, there is interaction between the writers and the readers when reading. Reading, as defined above, is an essential skill that refers to the ability to comprehend written text. Reading allows readers to glean a wealth of information from the text they have just read, allowing them to share their findings with others.

The Concept of Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is the ability to comprehend written text. Reading is the process of gathering information and comprehending it through the development of knowledge. Reading comprehension is an effort to comprehend something. Reading is a necessity that students must fulfill in order to improve their knowledge. Reading comprehension, according to Kafipour and Naveh (2011), is the process of "constructing meaning" from a text. Comprehension is a "construction process" because it involves all elements of the reading process cooperating as a text is read to create a mental representation of the text. According to Harris and Hodges (2007, p. 112), reading comprehension is the construction of the meaning of a written and spoken communication through a reciprocal, interchange of ideas between the interpreter and the message.
This procedure is critical for comprehending the text's meaning. Understanding and comprehension are synonymous terms. According to Richards (2009, p. 60), reading comprehension is silently perceiving a written text in order to understand its contents (silent reading). Klingner (2007, p. 8), reading comprehension entails much more than readers' responses to text. Reading comprehension and understanding have the same meaning, according to the explanation above. Reading comprehension is one method for grasping the meaning of a text. This is the ability to read in order to comprehend the writer's message, which is influenced by their background knowledge in the text.

The Link between Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Reading Comprehension
Vocabulary learning strategies are important in reading comprehension and determining how well students understand the texts. In this regard, learning strategies have an impact on reading comprehension. According to SoSHEC (2017), the purpose of this study is to examine the correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension. The study found that students used five strategy categories, with cognitive strategies being the most commonly used and having a strong positive correlation with reading comprehension, while the other four strategy categories, metacognitive, determination, memory, and social, had a moderate correlation. As a result, there is a strong positive correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension. It can be stated that the more frequently students used vocabulary learning strategies, the higher their reading  Goundar (2019) discovered effective strategies that could be used in teaching vocabulary to students. The study used a quantitative method approach, with 53 EFL learners taking part in a questionnaire survey. The current study's findings reveal the common strategies used by foreign language learners to learn vocabulary. The VLSs developed in this study would benefit students of English as well as learners of other second languages around the world

The Hypotheses
In relation to the research objectives, the following hypotheses were developed: H0: There was no significant correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension of SMA N 10 Palembang tenthgrade students. Ha: There was a significant correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension of the tenth-grade students of SMA N 10 Palembang

METHOD
The researchers who conducted this research wanted to know the correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension. As a result, quantitative research was used to carry out this study. The correlation research design was used in this study. According to Creswell (2012), correlation design is a procedure in quantitative research in which the investigator uses the statistical procedure of correlation to measure the degree of association or correlation between two or more variables. In this study, the authors gathered data for a correlation analysis between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension, and then came to a conclusion by determining whether or not there was a significant correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension of SMA N 10 Palembang tenth graders. The population is the group of interest to the writers, the group to which the researcher would like to generalize the study's findings (Frankel and Wallen, 2016, p.192). According to Creswell (2012), a population is a group of individuals who share similar characteristics. As a result, the population of the study is the tenth grade of SMA N 10 Palembang. In the tenth grade, there are 137 students.
Data is collected from the population of students, which is then considered a sample. It means that the sample was drawn from a representative subset of the population to represent the research. The data will be drawn as a sample from the population. Creswell (2002) defines a sample as a subset of the target population that a researcher intends to study in order to generalize about the target population. A purposive sample is used to collect the sample in this case. A purposive sample, according to Asley (2018, p. 29), is a non-probability sample chosen based on characteristics of a population and the study's objective. In this study, the writers would take two classes as a sample. This class has a total of 68 students. Because of their low English scores, the students in those two classes (X IPA 3 and X IPS) had similar characteristics, so the writers used a purposive sample.
Moreover, the writers chose X IPA 3 and X IPS as the sample of our study because the writers could use the time schedule of this class. As a result, the researchers did not conduct the research after or before school. A research instrument is defined as a device or procedure for collecting information in a systematic manner (Fraenkel and Wallen, 2016). In this study, two instruments were used to collect data: a questionnaire for vocabulary learning strategy and a reading comprehension test. Bennett's Vocabulary Learning Strategies Questionnaire (VLSQ) was used by the writers (2006). There is a Likert-scale questionnaire with 20 items. The students responded on a five-point Likert scale, with the options being: never (1), rarely (2), occasionally (3), frequently (4), and always (5). The 5-point scale allows for more detailed and revealing data collection.
The questionnaire is also piloted with a small group of students who share similar characteristics as the main study participants. The objective is to make sure that the questionnaire covered the strategies for learning English vocabulary and that the students completely understood it. A test can be written or spoken; in this study, a test was used to assess reading comprehension. According to Uno and Koni (2012), a test is a series of tasks that must be completed in order to determine the level of understanding required to cover the material. A test is a series of simulations given to a person in order to elicit responses from which a numerical score can be assigned (Aryeal, 2010, p. 201). In this case, the writers distributed a reading comprehension test in order to obtain the data or information. The writers obtained a value for the data by using an instrument, and the data will be processed to determine the correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension of tenth-grade students at SMA N 10 Palembang.
The data collected are calculated using Pearson Product Moment correlation analysis. Based on Creswell (2012), the Pearson product-moment correlation analysis is a measure of the strength of a linear association between two variables. To find out the correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension, The writers will use Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Then, to find out the contribution, regression analysis would be applied. In calculating the data, the writers Applied statistical analysis by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20, before correlating the variables. The results will be examined to determine whether or not the vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension of SMA N 10 Palembang tenth grade students are significant. The calculated r -value is compared to the r-table score to determine whether or not the correlation 35 between the variables is significant. The correlation is considered significant if r obtained is greater than r- table (r-obtained > r-table), and it is not significant if r obtained is less than r-table (r-obtained r-table)

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION The Correlation Analysis
Pearson Product Moment was used in this study to determine the level of correlation between the independent variable (vocabulary learning strategies) and the dependent variable (reading comprehension). According to the table below, the significant coefficient was 0.003, which was less than the alpha value of 0.05, indicating that there was a significant correlation. Pearson Inc. The correlation coefficient between students' vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension was 0.358, indicating a low category correlation. The results of the correlation analysis are shown in Table 1:

The Regression Analysis
The regression analysis was used to determine how much the vocabulary learning strategies had an interactional effect on the reading comprehension of SMA N 10 Palembang tenth-grade students. The regression value revealed that the number of influences on vocabulary learning strategy and reading comprehension was 0.128, implying that the contribution and interaction effect of vocabulary learning strategy and reading comprehension was 12.8%. Table 2 contains the summary:

Discussion
Some interpretations could be made based on the findings of this study. First, the correlation analysis revealed a low correlation between students' vocabulary learning strategies and students' reading comprehension. In this study, the majority of students used vocabulary learning strategies at a medium level and had an average level of reading comprehension. Following the data from the descriptive analysis, some students received excellent and good grades. Meanwhile, some students received low reading comprehension test scores but high category scores on the vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire. The majority of the students scored in the average category on the reading comprehension test and in the medium category on the vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire Furthermore, Argaheni (2020) claims that most students are stressed because during the Covid-19 pandemic, all teaching and learning took place online. The student is overburdened, making it difficult for them to Global Expert: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2022 28 comprehend the material. It means that students' ability to comprehend reading is severely impacted. Second, the findings revealed that vocabulary learning strategies contributed to reading comprehension, as the p-value 0.003 was lower than the alpha value of 0.05. This means that H was accepted, and Ho (null hypothesis) was automatically rejected. The R-value was.358. It was discovered that there was a low correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension of tenth-grade students at SMA N 10 Palembang. The regression coefficient revealed that the number influencing vocabulary learning strategy and reading comprehension was 0.128. Vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension had a 12.8% contribution and interaction effect. This means that the contribution and interaction effect of the vocabulary learning strategy on reading comprehension was minimal. It has been demonstrated that having a vocabulary learning strategy at a medium level cannot predict reading comprehension ability. According to Gang (2014), effective vocabulary learning strategies will encourage students to develop reading ability. It means that students should adjust and improve their vocabulary learning strategies in order to influence their reading comprehension

CONCLUSIONS
Based on the findings and interpretations of this study, it is possible to conclude that both of the study's problems were addressed. First, there was a significant relationship between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension of tenth-grade students at SMA N 10 Palembang, with a p-value 0.003 less than the alpha value of 0.05. It means that Ha was accepted and Ho (null hypothesis) was automatically rejected. .358 was the R-value. It was discovered that there was a low correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension of SMA N 10 Palembang tenthgrade students. Second, the regression value revealed that the number of influences of vocabulary learning strategy and reading comprehension were 0.128, implying that the contribution and interaction effect of vocabulary learning strategy and reading comprehension was 12.8%. The contribution fell into the extremely small category.