Word Clustering in Explicit Vocabulary Teaching in Primary School ELTKofol, Anja (Avtor) Burazer, Lara (Mentor) vocabulary teachingword clustersprimary school ELTmental lexiconcoursebook analysisThe master’s thesis explores the ways in which vocabulary is organized into smaller groups for the purpose of explicit vocabulary teaching. The recognition of vocabulary as a crucial component of linguistic competence has sparked interest in the effects that different ways of organizing vocabulary have on vocabulary acquisition. Special attention has been given to semantic, unrelated, and thematic word clusters, which differ in the relationship between their members. Research suggests that semantic clusters hinder acquisition, thematic clusters facilitate it, and unrelated clusters neither hinder nor facilitate it. The thesis investigates which of the three types of word clusters is most and least commonly used in primary school ELT in practice and, to some extent, why. The research methodology consists of two parts: a coursebook analysis and a questionnaire survey. The coursebook analysis encompasses three recent ELT coursebooks, all approved for use in Slovenian primary schools. The teacher questionnaire, completed by 57 participants, explores teachers’ practices when teaching vocabulary beyond the coursebooks. The results show that all three types of word clusters are used in primary school English lessons. Coursebooks predominantly introduce new vocabulary in semantic sets, while thematic and unrelated sets appear with roughly the same, lower frequency. When teaching vocabulary beyond the coursebook, teachers frequently use both semantic and thematic clusters but rarely employ unrelated clusters. In choosing which word cluster to use in class, teachers primarily consider its effectiveness in achieving successful learning outcomes.20232023-09-23 07:47:01Magistrsko delo/naloga150796sl