DEVELOPING PRIMARY LEARNERS' LEXICAL ABILITIES THROUGH TEXT-BASED INSTRUCTION IN MOTHER TONGUE EDUCATION

SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 34 DEVELOPING PRIMARY LEARNERS’ LEXICAL ABILITIES THROUGH TEXT-BASED INSTRUCTION IN MOTHER TONGUE EDUCATION B.Sh. Gʻanibayeva PhD Candidate at Chirchik State Pedagogical University https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17980150 Abstract. This article discusses the importance of developing students’ lexical skills in native language lessons through text-based activities. It identifies the types of words that primary school students find difficult to use. An alternative solution to this issue is proposed based on international experience. Keywords: lexical skill, speech, everyday words, academic words, technical terms, education, pedagogical necessity, active reasoning, extended meaning. Introduction In Uzbekistan, the educational process is implemented based on the principles of continuity and consistency. The State Educational Standard fully defines the structural organization and content of primary education, the students’ level of preparedness, and the normative requirements for academic workload. It specifically emphasizes students’ mastery of skills such as literacy and neat handwriting, creative thinking, self-regulation, speech culture, and the development of lexical skills. In primary education, the mother tongue subject trains children in logical thinking and serves their communicative functions, enabling them to express their thoughts coherently and to comprehend others’ speech. In fulfilling this task, the significance and role of lexical skills are invaluable. Lexical skills are a crucial condition for the development of fluent speech, encompassing the knowledge of words and the ability to use them correctly, effectively, and appropriately in context. To develop lexical skills, it is necessary to conduct a thorough analysis of the quantity and semantics of lexical units and to teach them systematically to students. The formation of lexical skills contributes to the advancement of both written and oral communication, as well as the development of reading comprehension and listening analysis abilities. Through this process, students are able not only to express their thoughts satisfactorily but also to achieve progress in their overall learning activities. When progressing to higher grades, their ability to understand contexts accurately facilitates the study of other subjects without difficulty. At the same time, their academic potential is further enhanced. In teaching primary school students lexical units and their semantics, textbooks in “Mother Tongue” and “Reading Literacy” are utilized. A lexical unit constitutes the vocabulary. Our mother tongue is very rich: the five-volume Explanatory Dictionary of the Uzbek Language (2006–2008) contains more than 80,000 words and expressions. It is essential to determine how many and which words primary school students should know. According to M. Sechenov, a normally developing child aged six possesses a vocabulary ranging from 3,000 to 7,000 words in their speech. Research by Nagy and Anderson indicates that third-grade students in the United States know approximately 8,000 word forms. The vocabulary of a high-achieving third-grade student is comparable to that of a low-achieving eleventh-grade student. Scholars have analyzed the frequency of word usage and the level of acquisition by children. These findings suggest that primary school students are also capable of acquiring a substantial vocabulary. SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 35 Our Uzbek scholars Habibulla Madatov, Sapura Sattarova, and Jernej Vinich, in their collaborative study “Dataset of vocabulary in Uzbek primary” (Elsevier, 2025), present the results of research aimed at determining the number of words primary school students are expected to acquire each academic year. The study analyzed 35 textbooks used in primary education. According to the research, students encounter 8,119 new words throughout grades 1–4. These new words appear only once across the 35 textbooks; however, some of them may already be familiar to the students. Therefore, when teaching vocabulary, we categorize words into three groups based on the studies of english scholars Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., and Kucan,L., as well as pedagogical needs, placing emphasis on which groups of words require more intensive instruction. 1. Common (everyday) words. This group includes words frequently used in daily life that fulfill basic communication needs. For example: book, bread, white, house, come, sit. These words are familiar to both students and adults, semantically simple, clear, and easily acquired. They form the core vocabulary base of primary school students. 2. Literary words or high-frequency academic words. These words occur frequently during lessons and academic activities, and they are also used in everyday life. They are highly important in the educational process, and integrating them into students’ active vocabulary in daily life would enable fuller use of their language potential. These words develop students’ logical thinking, comprehension of text content, and the ability to express their thoughts fully and academically. For example: analyze, express, compare, cause, effect, develop. 3. Terms or specialized words. These words belong to a specific field of study and are widely used only by specialists in that area. This group of words facilitates students’ understanding of the subject matter and helps shape their scientific worldview. For example, in mathematics lessons: perimeter, fraction, sum are terms used in a narrow context. The majority of specialized terms are introduced when students progress to higher grades. Teaching literary words to primary school students is essential for the development of their lexical skills and comprehension abilities. These words play a significant role in enhancing students’ thinking. By teaching literary words—that is, words frequently encountered in books and everyday life—students’ oral communication skills can be developed, and their cognitive potential can be further enhanced. Indeed, we observe that students are able to accomplish a wide range of tasks using only a small number of well-chosen and relatively familiar words. In the course of analyzing part II of the grade 1 “Mother tongue” textbook, we concluded that there are not enough exercises for working on literary words. Each word must appear sufficiently in context for it to enter the child’s active vocabulary and for the student to understand its various meanings. In the text provided in topic 33, the words like, nurture, care, waste, frugal are introduced. These words may be familiar to first-grade students, but they are not frequently used in everyday conversation. The main reason is that children do not know the full range of meanings of these words or cannot apply them in different contexts; they understand only the narrow or literal meaning and sometimes fail to grasp the subtle meaning in the text. The research of Professor Safo Matchonov also confirms this view. The professor emphasizes: “In mother tongue lessons, teachers do not pay attention to the verbs in the examples provided for word searches, phrase formation, or sentence construction related to the topic being studied. As a result, students are limited to verbs they use in daily life, such as came, went, slept, sat, spoke.” SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 36 Teaching literary words using specialized methods can provide a solution to existing problems. The integration of such words into students’ active vocabulary enhances the clarity and richness of their thinking, deepens their comprehension of text meanings, and promotes the development of academic language. English scholars Beck, I. L., McKeown, M.G., and Kucan, L., in their study “Robust Vocabulary Instruction: Using Repeated Contextual Exposures to Teach Word Meanings,” have confirmed this hypothesis. The study was conducted over a period of four weeks, during which target words were repeatedly presented in various contextual settings within texts. As a result, students’ understanding of word meanings, ability to use words in different contexts, knowledge of synonyms and antonyms, and comprehension of textual imagery and cause-and-effect relationships improved significantly. When teaching words such as monand, parvarishlamoq, qayg‘urmoq, isrof qilmoq, tejamkor, we provide definitions that are student-friendly—simple and broad in meaning— following the Isabel Beck approach. For example: Monand – when something corresponds to or matches another thing; to be alike or harmonious. Parvarishlamoq – to take care of a person or thing to ensure their well-being, dedicating time and attention. The word nurture belongs to the group of literary words because it appears frequently in literature and texts and has a more complex meaning than simpler words such as look after or care for. It implies active attention, care, supervision, and fostering development. Qayg‘urmoq – to think about the condition of a person or thing, to feel concerned and wish to help. Isrof qilmoq – to use more than necessary or to spend something in a way that is unproductive. Tejamkor – a person who uses things carefully and in necessary amounts, without wasting. Through extended examples, students can be taught the meanings of words in different contexts and situations. For example, Parvarishlamoq  Onalar farzandini parvarishlaydi.  Qariya bog’idagi daraxtini mehr bilan parvarishlaydi. Qayg‘urmoq  Ustoz bolalarning kelajagi uchun qayg’uradi.  Ahmadning qayg’urgan ko’ngli osmonni bulut bosgandek siqildi. Isrof qilmoq  Donolar vaqtning isrof qilinishini eng katta yo’qotish deb bilgan.  Suvni isrof qilmang, hamma narsaning uvoli bor. SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 37 Tejamkor  Tejamkor dehqon har bir qarch yerdan unumli foydalanadi.  Qahramonning tejamkorligi uni og’ir kunlardan olib chiqdi. From these contexts, students understand that the meaning of a word can shift from one situation to another. Using the contexts below, students’ understanding of semantics can be assessed through interactive exercises. For example, Isrof qilmoq  Hech kim yo‘q xonada chiroqning porlab turishi — (✔) Bog‘da nihoyatda sekin oqib turgan ariqdan bir hovuch suv olib qo‘yish — (X) Bu isrof emas, suvdan me’yorida foydalanish. Qayg‘urmoq  Do‘stingiz darsda qiynalayotgan bo‘lsa yordam berishni o‘ylash — (✔)  Tunda yashin chaqqanda cho‘chib ketish. (X) Active discussion with students 1. Does Gulsevar watering the flowers forgetfully count as “nurturing”? Why, according to the text, is this not considered nurturing? (Student explains from the text: nurturing involves regular care and attention.) 2. According to the text, if Gulsevar notices the flowers wilting, what situation does she enter? Which word describes this? (Student answers: “cares” / “worries”.) 3. Which of the following situations counts as waste? Explain with an example from the text: a) Turning on water to water the flowers b) Pouring out more water than necessary (Student answers based on the sentence in the text that Gulsevar does not waste water.) 4. According to the text, why do the children praise Gulsevar as a “frugal girl”? (Student explains that frugality means not wasting water.) 5. When are you frugal in your own life? Do you have a situation similar to Gulsevar’s? (Personal opinion in the spirit of the text.) 6. What does it mean that Gulsevar is an “older sister” to the flowers? Which of her qualities does this show? (Student answers: kindness, care, nurturing, concern, etc.) These methods help students learn the broader meanings of words, enhance their reading and writing literacy, and develop the ability to use words correctly in appropriate contexts. Through this learning, students acquire specific knowledge: 1. Receptive knowledge: Understanding a word when heard or read. Plays a key role in reading comprehension and listening. 2. Expressive knowledge: The ability to use a word orally or in writing. Refers to the skill of expressing one’s thoughts clearly and accurately. 3. Morphological knowledge: Knowledge of a word’s morphological structure (root, affix, stem). Helps infer the meaning of new words, and understand spelling and pronunciation. 4. Contextual knowledge: Understanding a word in context; that is, inferring the meaning of a new word from the situation in the text. Aids comprehension of unfamiliar words and overall text meaning. 5. Conceptual knowledge: Fully understanding the concept behind a word. Involves connecting familiar concepts, analytical thinking, and logical explanation. SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 38 In conclusion, teaching literary words to students can positively influence their work with texts and enhance academic literacy. Everyday (common) words are high-frequency words whose meanings are naturally learned and acquired in context. Specialized terms pertain only to specific subject areas and are used in a narrow scope; therefore, it is not appropriate to teach them in depth to primary school students. Teaching literary words in various contexts and reinforcing them through interactive methods develops students’ cognitive abilities, shapes their speech, and stimulates motivation for reading. REFERENCES 1. X. G‘ulomova, T. G‘afforova “Ona tili darslari 1-sinf” O‘qituvchilar uchun metodik qo‘llanma.2012.3-b 2. Аhmedоvа Hаlimа “Tilshunoslikda leksik va frazeologik birlik tushunchalarning ro‘li”. Tamaddun nuri jurnali.2024. 196-b. 3. D.Sh. Yuldasheva “Ona tili” 1-sinf II qism. Umumiy o'rta ta’lim maktablari uchun darslik.2023.7-b. 4. Matchonov Safo, Bakiyeva Hilola, Gulyamova Xolida, Yo`ldosheva Sharofat, Xolboyeva Gulnora “Ona tilini o‘qitish metodikasi” darslik.Сhirchiq – 2020.500-b