Effect of vocabulary knowledge and learning-related affective factors on school achievement in reading

Abstract Vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension are fundamental components of academic success during schooling’s early years. In addition to these cognitive skills, learning-related affective factors play an essential role in students’ reading development. Therefore, this study investigated grade-level differences and relationships among vocabulary knowledge, reading achievement, and reading-related affective factors, including reading attitude, reading enjoyment, and grit in reading, among primary school students. The sample consisted of 982 Hungarian-speaking students from Years 2 to 4. Students in higher grades achieved significantly higher scores on the vocabulary test, indicating steady developmental growth in vocabulary knowledge. In contrast, no significant grade-level differences were found in reading enjoyment or grit, and reading attitude showed only modest differences across grades. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations among variables, with the exceptions of vocabulary knowledge and reading attitude. Path analysis supported a revised, parsimonious model. Vocabulary knowledge showed a strong, direct effect on reading achievement, confirming its central role as a cognitive foundation of reading performance. Within the affective domain, reading attitude significantly predicted reading enjoyment, in turn predicting grit in reading. Grit also exerted a direct, although weaker, effect on reading achievement. Importantly, vocabulary knowledge did not directly predict reading attitude, enjoyment, or grit, and the affective pathway did not mediate vocabulary knowledge’s effect on reading achievement. Overall, these findings suggest that cognitive and affective factors contribute to reading achievement through partially independent pathways, underscoring the importance of addressing domains in educational practice and research.