처리심도와 『구덩이』 어휘 학습

Depth of Processing and a Vocabulary Lesson of Sachar’s Holes

The concept of mental lexicon lays a foundation for planning a vocabulary lesson in English literature class. Words do not exist separately in the mental lexicon. When a new word is recognized, it is categorized and organized in semantic fields. Mackey defines the semantic field as a network of associations, in which each word can be a centre of web of associations radiating in all directions. Categorization and organization in semantic fields facilitate storage and retrieval of words. The concepts of mental lexicon and semantic fields emphasize the importance of meaning in vocabulary lesson. Craik and Lockhart’s ‘depth of processing’ argues that retention and retrieval of words depend on the depth to which a new word is processed, and that only deeper processing leads to an improvement in memory. Depth of processing is interpreted as semantic processing, which emphasizes pre-existing knowledge and relationship of words. The depth of processing can be applied to a vocabulary lesson of an English literature class which reads Holes by Louis Sachar. This paper suggests selecting key words that can be centers of related themes through brainstorming, and building networks of words and developing those networks into semantic fields. Words like hole, gap, water, femininity, zero are presented as key words. Students are asked to suggest words associated with the key words, and to provide text details that explain their association logically. Sessions following the vocabulary lesson should be organized to ensure cumulative repetition of words tackled in the vocabulary lesson and to strengthen students’ knowledge and analysis of Holes.