ENHANCING STUDENTS' VOCABULARY MASTERY THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF WORD ASSOCIATION TECHNIQUE

Abstract

This research aims to evaluate the implementation of the Word Association Technique in vocabulary instruction, measure students' vocabulary mastery before and after using Word Association Technique, and analyze the technique's effectiveness for ninth-grade students. Employing a pre-experimental method with a one-group pre-test and post-test design, the study involved 31 students selected through random sampling. Data were collected using observation sheets and multiple choices vocabulary test. The findings indicate that the application of the Word Association Technique was highly effective, achieving an 80% success rate. Notably, the students' average vocabulary mastery score significantly improved from the "Very Poor" category (45.19) at the initial stage to the "Good" category (74.00) following the treatment. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test yielded a significance value (2-tailed) of 0.000, which is less than 0.05, leading to the acceptance of the working hypothesis. Consequently, it can be concluded that the Word Association Technique significantly enhances students' vocabulary mastery for the 2025/2026 academic year.