What the study found
The study found that lexical richness, meaning the variety and frequency profile of words used in writing, had only a small and not significant relationship with the overall quality of the students' argumentative essays. The authors describe diction as contributing little to essay quality.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors suggest that another factor related to diction may help support written text quality. They conclude that further research is needed.
What the researchers tested
The researcher examined 42 English as a foreign language (EFL) students' argumentative essays. Lexical richness was measured with the Lexical Frequency Profile (LFP), and overall essay quality was scored with an analytical rubric.
What worked and what didn't
The comparison showed a small correlation between lexical richness and overall essay quality, reported as ñ=.18 with sig.=.23. This was not significant, so the study did not find strong evidence that lexical richness was linked to higher essay quality.
What to keep in mind
The study is based on a small sample of 42 students. The abstract does not describe other limitations beyond noting that further research is needed.
Key points
- The study examined argumentative essays written by 42 EFL students.
- Lexical richness was measured using the Lexical Frequency Profile.
- Overall essay quality was scored with an analytical rubric.
- The reported correlation between lexical richness and essay quality was small and not significant (ñ=.18, sig.=.23).
- The authors state that further research is needed.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Lexical richness showed only a small link to essay quality
- Authors:
- Rizky Lutviana, A. Effendi Kadarisman, Ekaning Dewanti Laksmi
- Institutions:
- State University of Malang, State University of Malang, State University of Malang
- Publication date:
- 2026-04-17
- OpenAlex record:
- View
Get the weekly research newsletter
Stay current with scholarly research without reading academic papers — one filtered digest, every Friday.