THE IMPACT OF LEXICAL CHUNKING ON ASSESSING LEXICAL COMPETENCE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL LEARNERS

Lexical competence is a cornerstone of language acquisition, especially for middle school learners transitioning from basic to complex vocabulary usage. This study investigates the role of lexical chunking—grouping words into meaningful units—in assessing lexical competence. By reducing cognitive load and fostering contextual understanding, chunking supports natural language use. The article explores chunk-based assessment strategies such as recognition tasks, fill-in-the-chunk activities, and storytelling, emphasizing their effectiveness in evaluating fluency and vocabulary retention.