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Published in
Academic Frontiers
Predictors of Reading Performance Among College Students: An Integrated Model
Academic Frontiers, 2(7), 177-189, ISSN: 3082-4400, 2026.
Recommended Citation:
Almirante, J. I. S. & Quiros, J. J. M. (2026). Predictors of Reading Performance Among College Students: An Integrated Model. Academic Frontiers, 2(7), 177–189. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21794168
Author(s)
Almirante, Jade Irish S., Quiros, Justine Joy M.
Abstract
This study examined the predictors of reading performance among first-year college students in one university in the Third District of Iloilo during Academic Year 2025–2026. Specifically, it investigated the relationships of socioeconomic status, self-efficacy, motivation, home literacy resources, and vocabulary knowledge with students’ reading performance and determined their combined and independent predictive contributions. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed involving 138 students selected through stratified random sampling from five academic programs. Data were gathered using validated and pilot-tested survey scales, a researcher-developed vocabulary test, and a reading comprehension test adapted from Jaula (2016). Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings showed that the respondents belonged, on average, to the lower-middle-income category and demonstrated moderate self-efficacy, moderate home literacy resources, high motivation, high vocabulary knowledge, and moderate reading performance. Socioeconomic status and home literacy resources were not significantly related to reading performance. In contrast, self-efficacy, motivation, and vocabulary knowledge showed significant positive relationships with reading performance, with vocabulary knowledge demonstrating the strongest association. The regression model was statistically significant and explained 40.8% of the variance in reading performance. However, vocabulary knowledge emerged as the only significant independent predictor when all variables were considered simultaneously. The findings emphasize the central role of vocabulary knowledge in college students’ reading performance and support integrating explicit, contextualized, discipline-specific vocabulary instruction into higher education reading programs.
Keywords
college students, reading motivation, reading performance, self-efficacy, vocabulary knowledge
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