Socioeconomic status as a predictor of vocabulary knowledge in Bangladeshi EFL tertiary students

Oct 15, 2026

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This study examines how socioeconomic status (SES) predicts the vocabulary range of tertiary-level Bangladeshi EFL learners, an area with limited prior investigation. Using Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory, the research analyzes quantitative data from 366 tertiary students via SPSS, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and ANOVA. Findings show a modest but significant relationship, with father’s occupation, school location, and English- vs Bangla-medium educational background emerging as key predictors, extending the theory in a South Asian context.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics ISSN 2209-0959 [https://www.castledown.com/journals/ajal/](https://www.castledown.com/journals/ajal/) Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8 (5), 102772 (2025) [https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v8n5.102772](https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v8n5.102772) Socioeconomic status as a predictor of vocabulary knowledge in Bangladeshi EFL tertiary students DIL NUSRATa LATISHA ASMAAK SHAFIEb HAFIZAH BINTI HAJIMIAc MD KAMRUL HASANd aAssistant Professor, Department of English, United International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh bAssociate Professor, Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia cSenior Lecturer, School of Education and Modern Languages, Northern University of Malaysia, Malaysia dProfessor, Department of English, United International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh Abstract This study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and the vocabulary range of tertiary-level EFL learners, a crucial yet unexplored area, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, by applying Bourdieu’s (1986) cultural capital theory, this study aims to identify the extent to which SES can predict the vocabulary range of learners and determine the most influential SES factors contributing to learners’vocabulary range, thus addressing a gap in research of advanced-level EFL learners. The study employed a quantitative research design, collecting data from 366 students at the tertiary level. The data was analyzed using SPSS, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and ANOVA. The results of the study indicate that there is a modest but significant correlation between SES and vocabulary range of tertiary-level EFL learners, with father’s occupation, learner’s school location (studied in schools of urban or rural areas), and educational background (English medium schooling or Bangla medium schooling) emerging as the strongest predictors. Thus, these findings extend Bourdieu’s theory in the South Asian context and offer valuable insights to Bangladeshi ELT policymakers and EFL educators in designing effective pedagogical interventions and vocabulary enrichment programs to facilitate disadvantaged learners. Keywords: Socioeconomic status, vocabulary range, tertiary education, Bangladeshi EFL, cultural capital Copyright © 2025 Dil Nusrat, Latisha Asmaak Shafie, Hafizah Binti Hajimia & Md Kamrul Hasan Introduction English has a strong presence in Bangladesh due to its colonial history, and English has been introduced as a compulsory subject from primary education onwards in the National Curriculum and continues to dominate secondary, higher secondary, and tertiary-level education (Hamid & Erling, 2016; Hasan, 2022; Hamid & Sultana, 2024) . Therefore, English language learning receives utmost importance and one’s ability to communicate in English proficiently is considered to play a pivotal role in lifting them out of poverty (Erling et al., 2012; Hamid & Sultana, 2024). English is a foreign language in Bangladesh (Rahman & Pandian, 2018; Rahman et al., 2019a; Hasan, 2022; Sikder, 2024), and in the EFL (English as Foreign Language) context, vocabulary is crucial for achieving communicative competence as it enhances one’s listening skills, speaking skills and enables them to express themselves more clearly and also helps them to understand others better (Richards, 2015) . Moreover, vocabulary breadth refers to how many words or the total number of words that are known to a learner (Schmitt, 2014), and depth of vocabulary knowledge is the comprehensive understanding of a word, which includes its form, meaning, and use, that enables the learners to employ the word accurately and appropriately in different linguistic contexts (Teng, 2022) . Thus, learners’ language proficiency can be definitively predicted by their depth of vocabulary knowledge, as learners possessing a wider vocabulary range demonstrate advanced language skills compared to

FAQs

What does the study investigate about SES and vocabulary?

The study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic status and learners’ vocabulary range at the tertiary EFL level in Bangladesh, aiming to determine how well SES predicts vocabulary range and which SES factors matter most.

How was the research conducted?

The study used a quantitative design with data from 366 tertiary-level students, analyzing results with SPSS, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and ANOVA.

Which SES factors were identified as strongest predictors?

The strongest predictors were father’s occupation, learners’ school location (urban or rural), and educational background (English medium vs Bangla medium schooling).

Oct 15, 2026

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