ANALYZING SENTENCE PATTERN LEARNING AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' READING COMPREHENSION
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the relationship between students' sentence pattern knowledge and reading comprehension ability at SMK Negeri 7 Medan. A quantitative approach was used, with 30 10th-grade students in the 2025/2026 academic year. Data were collected using two tests: a sentence pattern test with 14 items and a reading comprehension test with 6 multiple-choice questions. The obtained scores were compared using descriptive statistics and the Pearson Product-Moment correlation formula. The results showed that students' average score in sentence pattern mastery was 8.0 and their average score in reading comprehension was 3.6. The correlation coefficient (r) was 0.558, indicating a moderate positive relationship between the two variables. This indicates that students with a better understanding of sentence patterns performed better in reading comprehension. These findings suggest that sentence pattern mastery contributes significantly to students' reading comprehension. Therefore, English teachers are encouraged to integrate grammar lessons, especially about sentence structure, into reading classes to improve students' comprehension abilities.
References
Arifah, U. P., & Lestari, P. (2020). A correlational study between reading comprehension, sentence structure mastery, and paraphrasing skill. English Education Journal, 8(2), 112–121. Universitas Sebelas Maret.
Fitri, F. (2019). Improving students' understanding of English sentences through understanding of sentence patterns. Indonesian Journal of Integrated English Language Teaching (IJIELT), 5(1), 22–33.
Kusnadi, M. F., & Rahmawati, D. (2022). A syntactic analysis of sentence patterns made by EFL students of English study program. Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, 7(3), 45–57.
Kurniawan, M. A. (2023). Navigating vocational English: The role of sentence pattern mastery in understanding technical and functional texts. Vocational Education and Language Review (VELR), 5(1), 22–35.
Musta'aliyah, Suharsih, S., & Evenddy, S. S. (2022). Reading interest and reading comprehension performance among Indonesian ESP language learners. Erudita: Journal of English Language Teaching, 2(2), 159–169.
Rahmawati, I. (2025). Multivariable analysis of reading comprehension: Vocabulary breadth, motivation, and structural proficiency. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 15(1), 10–24.
Sari, D. P., & Hidayat, T. (2024). Structural mapping: Using sentence patterns as a navigation tool for reading coherence in digital era. Journal of English Literacy Education, 9(2), 112–125.
Sepri, S. (2018). The influence of students' understanding of sentence pattern and vocabulary mastery on their reading comprehension at the first year of State Vocational Senior High School 1 Logas Tanah Darat. Journal of English Teaching and Education (JETE), 6(2), 15–25.
Sitepu, J. B. (2023). A correlation between vocabulary and sentence structure mastery towards reading comprehension of private university students in West Jakarta. Journal of English Language and Literature (JELL), 5(1), 33–45.
Umwari, Y., & Zulaiha, D. (2022). Investigating students' reading skill on ESP class. Journal of Islamic Studies and Education, 2(1), 27–31.
