High exposure to English boosts mental lexicon strength in Thai learners.
The study looked at how Thai students learning English process and organize words in their minds. They split the students into two groups based on how much English they knew. The students did tasks to see how quickly they recognized related words and how they connected words together. The results showed that students who knew more English had stronger connections between words and produced more meaningful responses. They also used phrases and chunks like native speakers. Students with less English knowledge relied more on their native language when learning English.