Organization of Words in the Mental Lexicon: A Psycholinguistic Study

Abstract

This study investigated the organisation of words in the mental lexicon of grade 4 students. For this purpose, one hundred students in grade 4 were selected from the sample schools. This study employed a non-probability convenience sampling technique. The word association test was used to collect the data, which involved selecting 40 words from grade 4 English textbooks taught at three different private sector schools under three respective education systems. This study employed a quantitative method to collect the responses of sample students in a word association test. The data was analysed by using Fitzpatrick's (2007) model of classification of association response. The results showed that position-based association, which accounted for 56.95% of the total collected data dominated the distribution of the data; 17.95% of connections were meaning-based; whereas collocation associations were prevalent in position-based association test. The findings of the word association test showed that the participants' mental lexicon was impacted by their comprehension and use of the target term. The research concluded that in the participants' mental lexicon, the position-based association was the strongest lexical network. The findings implied that teaching vocabulary and its meanings were insufficient for expanding English language learners' mental lexicon. This study was helpful for English language teachers to teach English vocabulary based on a proper understanding of the organisation of the mental lexicon of English language learners.