Investigating Semantic Construction through Word Mapping: Enhancing Vocabulary Development among Suburban Indonesian EFL Learners

Tri Setianingsih; Kamarudin Kamarudin; Sri Ariani

doi:10.36312/jolls.v6i3.5620

Authors

Tri Setianingsih Universitas Pendidikan Mandalika
Kamarudin Kamarudin University Malaysia Terengganu
Sri Ariani Universitas Pendidikan Mandalika

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v6i3.5620

Keywords:

Word mapping, Vocabulary development, Semantic networks, Suburban Education

Abstract

Vocabulary knowledge plays a crucial role in English language proficiency; however, limited vocabulary remains a major challenge among Indonesian EFL learners, particularly in suburban junior secondary schools where students have limited exposure to authentic English use. This study investigated the effect of the Word Mapping strategy on vocabulary development among eighth-grade EFL students in a suburban Indonesian context. A quantitative pre-experimental design using a one-group pretest–posttest approach was employed. The participants were 31 eighth-grade students at SMPN 3 Gunungsari, West Lombok, Indonesia, selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using researcher-developed vocabulary achievement tests administered before and after the intervention. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-test with SPSS version 25. The findings revealed that students’ mean vocabulary scores increased from 55.35 (SD = 5.85) in the pretest to 76.39 (SD = 5.87) in the posttest, representing a gain of 21.04 points. The paired-samples t-test indicated a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest scores (p < .001). These findings suggest that Word Mapping supports vocabulary development by enabling learners to organize lexical knowledge through semantic relationships and visual representations. Although the absence of a control group limits causal interpretation, the study provides preliminary evidence that Word Mapping is a promising strategy for vocabulary instruction in suburban EFL classrooms.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Tri Setianingsih, Universitas Pendidikan Mandalika

English Education Department, Faculty of Culture, Management and Business Mandalika University of Education Mataram. Jl. Pemuda No. 59A, Mataram, Indonesia
Kamarudin Kamarudin, University Malaysia Terengganu

Applied Linguistics, Center for Fundamental and Continuing Education University Malaysia Terengganu, Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Sri Ariani, Universitas Pendidikan Mandalika

English Education Department, Faculty of Culture, Management and Business Mandalika University of Education Mataram. Jl. Pemuda No. 59A, Mataram, Indonesia

References

Abdullah, H. M. (2024). Analysis of lexical difficulties among Iraqi learners of Spanish as a foreign language. Sabir International Bulletin of Applied Linguistics, 5. https://doi.org/10.25115/ibal.v5i.9925

Cheng, M. (2023). Synonymy and vocabulary teaching in ELE textbooks oriented toward Chinese-speaking learners. Cultura, Lenguaje y Representación, 30, 21–40. https://doi.org/10.6035/clr.6781

Coch, D., Molins, L. L., & Tomás, M. (2023). Building a brain that can read: Part 2 vocabulary and meaning. Journal of Neuroeducation, 3(2), 24–34. https://doi.org/10.1344/joned.v3i2.41556

Costa, I. M. M., & Siqueira, A. H. (2024). Dotting learning journeys (.lj): A methodological construct proposal for mapping educational information spaces. Inclusão Social, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.18225/inc.soc.v17i2.7001

Espinar, G. S., & Casadomet, A. G. (2021). Linguistic and cultural awareness through lexicon and image: A bilingual and bicultural audiovisual dictionary FR-ES. Anales de Filología Francesa, (29), 267–291. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesff.466101

Fernández, M. Á. C., & Lei, C. (2022). Lexical availability and vocabulary teaching planning among Chinese-speaking ELE students. Tejuelo: Didáctica de la Lengua y la Literatura Educación, 35(3), 135–166. https://doi.org/10.17398/1988-8430.35.3.135

García, D. J., Jiménez, A. A. D., Romero, E. A. G., & Swiggers, G. (2020). Strategies and activities for vocabulary learning in two primary education textbooks. Horizontes Revista de Investigación en Ciencias de la Educación, 4(13), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.33996/revistahorizontes.v4i13.88

García-Gómez, L., & Rueda-Sánchez, M. I. (2026). The role of deep vocabulary knowledge in reading accuracy and speed in Spanish. Journal for the Study of Education and Development: Infancia y Aprendizaje, 49(3), 715–743. https://doi.org/10.1177/02103702261438882

Jiménez, A. D., Batista, D. O., Ledesma, G. Á., & Mederos, A. A. L. (2022). Agros: An information search service based on agricultural domain ontology. FAVE Sección Ciencias Agrarias, 21(2), 43–55. https://doi.org/10.14409/fa.v21i2.12004

Leonard, M. (2021). The concept map as a strategy for studying history. Cuaderno de Pedagogía Universitaria, 18(35), 95–106. https://doi.org/10.29197/cpu.v18i35.416

Loeza, P. M. (2023). The use of standards to promote advanced levels of linguistic competence. Diá-Logos, (4), 7–23. https://doi.org/10.5377/dialogos.v1i4.15930

Moreno, R. T. C., López, C. A. A., Barraza, P. O., & Gutiérrez, N. P. (2024). Handbook of techniques for the development of creative thinking. Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar, 8(3), 11324–11352. https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v8i3.12290

Muñoz, E. M. D., & Toala-Vera, K. L. (2023). Application of graphic organizers in learning atomic theories. Minerva, 4(10), 67–75. https://doi.org/10.47460/minerva.v4i10.101

Norambuena, Y. S., Riffo, B., & Sáez, K. (2022). Verbal and non-verbal analogical reasoning in the emergent literacy period: An exploratory analysis of the influence of analogical reasoning modality on listening comprehension, phonological awareness, and lexical skills. Journal for the Study of Education and Development: Infancia y Aprendizaje, 45(2), 247–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/02103702.2021.1992105

Redes semánticas, léxico disponible y didáctica del vocabulario en ELE: Un análisis por niveles de español [Semantic networks, available lexicon and vocabulary didactics in SFL: An analysis at different Spanish learning levels]. (2022). Tejuelo: Didáctica de la Lengua y la Literatura Educación, 35(3), 167–204. https://doi.org/10.17398/1988-8430.35.3.167

Rivero-Contreras, M., & Saldaña, D. (2021). Reading comprehension in autism: A review of interventions and their levels of evidence. Psychology, Society & Education, 13(2), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.25115/psye.v13i2.2977

Rodríguez, P. R. (2024). Cognitive phraseological acquisition of somatic verbal expressions in Spanish by Russian students. Círculo de Lingüística Aplicada a la Comunicación, 98, 263–273. https://doi.org/10.5209/clac.80561

Sánchez, A. (2022). Terminological ontologies in the thematic organization of knowledge domains. Investigación Bibliotecológica: Archivonomía, Bibliotecología e Información, 36(93), 89. https://doi.org/10.22201/iibi.24488321xe.2022.93.58630

Simón, Y. V., Melián, I. G. G., & Cathcart, M. C. (2022). Verbal collocations for the development of lexical competence: A phraseodidactic perspective. Revista Linguagem em Foco, 13(4), 171–188. https://doi.org/10.46230/2674-8266-13-7145

Valencia, M. C. (2021). Relationship between semantic maps and the improvement of reading comprehension. Tierra Nuestra, 15(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.21704/rtn.v15i2.1824

Vegas, R. A. M. (2023). Lexical learning based on morphological knowledge (LEXIMOR Project). Tavira, (28). https://doi.org/10.25267/tavira.2023.i28.1105

Villalobos, J. (2020). The use of cognitive strategies in developing reading comprehension of written texts in a foreign language. Revista de Lenguas Modernas, (33), 53–82. https://doi.org/10.15517/rlm.v0i33.41080