Students’ Perception Toward the Use of Let’s Read Asia for Increasing Vocabulary of First Semester Students of EED UMK

Abstract

Vocabulary mastery is an essential component of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning, especially for first-semester university students who face increasing academic and communicative demands. However, limited exposure to engaging and level-appropriate reading materials often hinders vocabulary development. Digital reading platforms offer an alternative by providing meaningful and contextualized language input. This study aimed to investigate first-semester students’ perceptions toward the use of Let’s Read Asia, a digital platform offering leveled and illustrated English storybooks, for improving vocabulary mastery. Employing a descriptive quantitative design, this study involved 30 first-semester students of the English Education Department at Universitas Muria Kudus selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a closed-ended questionnaire consisting of 15 Likert-scale items focusing on story content, illustrations, and vocabulary levels, and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that students generally have positive perceptions of Let’s Read Asia. They perceive the story content as interesting and understandable, the illustrations as supportive of vocabulary comprehension, and the vocabulary levels as appropriate for their proficiency. Overall, Let’s Read Asia is viewed as a supportive and engaging digital reading platform that can enhance motivation and support vocabulary learning in higher education contexts.