In order to humanize and contextualize ESL/EFL learning, poetry writing has been suggested and considered as an effective strategy for meaningful literacy. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence for the pedagogical significance of poetry writing on language learning. To make up for the dearth of research about poetry writing, the present study explored to what extent a primary English language learner can express herself through poetry writing in an American classroom and the significance of poetry writing as meaningful literacy in ESL/EFL learning. Adopting a qualitative research approach, this small-scale case study conducted textual analyses of a young English language learner’s poetry works and in-depth interviews with her. Findings suggest that poetry writing encouraged the participant learner to express herself with her own voice, enhanced her L2 linguistic awareness, provided meaningful learning opportunities―authorship and readership―, and motivated the learner to overcome challenges as an English language learner. The present study contributes to the understanding of young English language learners’ poetry writing in the field.

As Korea has recently become a multicultural society, English teachers acknowledge the need to address anti-racism in the classroom. However, how to raise students’ racial awareness and ways to incorporate racial issues into English language instruction have not been sufficiently studied in the Korean teacher education context. The aims of this study were to provide pre-service English teachers with a guide to implementing antiracist pedagogy in their language teaching and assessing its impact on their racial literacy development and to examine how pre-service English teachers’ racial literacy can be developed through multiple self-reflective practices and microteaching experiences in their teacher education programs. This paper first introduces an anti-racist curriculum for pre-service English teachers intended to raise their multicultural awareness, and then provides multiple educational resources and teaching strategies to help them become culturally responsive language teachers. The paper concludes with some pedagogical implications regarding the necessity of including culturally responsive teaching in teacher education programs.

This study investigated the effects of complex problem-solving activities involving children’s literature on students’ critical thinking dispositions and English production. Thirty-one sixth-grade students were given lessons over a seven-week period. Various types of data were analyzed qualitatively, and the results of a critical thinking disposition test were analyzed quantitatively. Results were as follows: First, the critical thinking dispositions test revealed positive changes in open-mindedness, independence, objectivity, and inquisitiveness. The highest score was found for open-mindedness. The largest increase in score was for independence and objectivity. Second, changes in critical thinking dispositions enriched children’s English production. Open-mindedness helped with spoken language production as it encouraged students to share their opinions freely. Independence was mainly expressed in writing form in which students could question and evaluate the text. Greater objectivity was applied to spoken and written language production as the subjects were able to recognize the importance of evidence. Inquisitiveness affected children’s writing as it drove them to write down the results of their own research.

This paper examined the effects of online English-medium instruction (EMI) on high school students’ performing English face threatening speech acts, by assessing indirect expressions and token agreement (agreement plus but). Participants completed an English placement test and English pretest and posttest through a Google survey. English proficiency, required for study participation was measured using the English placement test. An English pretest and posttest measured English pragmatic performance. The students were given approximately four weeks to complete eight online lectures. The experimental group completed eight online lectures which taught five face threatening speech acts, based on formal situations in the United States. The control group completed eight online lectures about worldwide cultures. The experimental group showed a significant improvement in the English posttest compared with the control group, based on improvements observed in the use of indirect expressions and token agreement. A difference between groups using indirect expressions was observed in an unfamiliar person scenario but not in a familiar person scenario.

This paper explores the L2 motivation of 11 students about to start studying English as junior college English majors. The participants took part in a ten-day L2 motivational program designed to help them with L2 skills and life on campus. To understand how they participated in the program, data gathered from online learning logs were coded using qualitative thematic analysis. Consequently, the participants shifted to embody ‘none to something’ qualities in terms of L2 selves and effort during the program. That is, they established self-images to believe in when using and learning English, which eventually developed into effort-driven attitudes and behavior. The students also set goals and plans according to their L2 selves created or revealed during the program. Although the program was comparatively short with a small number of participants entering a junior college, the findings indicate that an L2 motivational program for new adult students could be conducive to promoting and sustaining their effort, L2 selves, and motivation.

James S. Gale (1863-1937), a Protestant missionary to Korea (1888~1927), was well-known for his extensive and profound influence on Korean studies and for his translation of the Cloud Dream of Nine (九雲夢), which was the first Korean classical novel translated into English by a Westerner. However, it is not well-known that Gale published a translation of the Great Learning (Daxue, 1924) and arranged for the publication of the Mean of the Doctrine, the Analects and Mencius. This is because it was known that Gale regarded Chinese characters and Confucian scriptures as obstacles to establishing the Christianity during his early period of mission in Korea. This paper examined the change of Gale’s perspective of Chinese characters and the characteristics of Gale’s Daxue. The analysis compares Gale and James Legg in their translations of the Chinese characters ‘命,’ ‘天,’ ‘明’ and ‘君子’ He employed the pure Korean word ‘Hananim’ for ‘God’ from a traditional Korean religion and its Korean etymology, while he rejected the use of Sino-Korean ‘Sangje上帝’, or ‘Chunju天主’ in the Korean Bible. Gale subsequently translated Daxue from a Korean point of view. However, his Korean perspective is mingled with Christianized concepts, which are illustrated in his translation of ‘命’ as ‘God’s command’ ‘天’ as ‘God’ ‘明’ as ‘glory,’ and ‘君子’ as ‘good man’ and ‘godly man.’

The study aims to investigate Korean English learners' usage of pragmatic discourse markers in their impromptu speech. Korean English Learners' Spoken Corpus, abbreviated as KELSC, is the main data source for analysis(Jung, 2021). To analyze the features of pragmatic discourse markers in KELSC, three focal pragmatic discourse markers(PDM) okay, like, and so are selected and analyzed by using WordSmith 7.0(Scott, M. 2016) and Lancsbox 6.0(Brezina et al., 2021). The findings indicate that three focal PDMs okay, like, so are not appearing more frequently in the higher levels of learners, unlike previous studies. Instead, the intermediate levels of B1 and C1 used two focal PDMs, okay and like the most, respectively. However, the lowest A1 learners rarely used the focal PDMs in their speech. Two PDMs okay and so are used as a co-occurring pattern in level C while so and they have a shared collocate in level A.

This study addresses the lack of comprehension data in second language acquisition research by focusing on English existential there-constructions (ETCs) with a locative extension (e.g., there is an X on the Y). The post-copular noun X used in the present study consisted of two types: actual and nonsense. Participants included 40 native speakers, as well as 40 advanced and 40 intermediate Korean learners of English, who completed an online picture selection task. In one picture, X was placed on the nearby Y; in another picture, X was placed on the far Y. The choice of both pictures was the correct response because ETCs are used to describe the existence of something regardless of its distance. There was a statistically significant relationship between English proficiency and the interpretation of ETCs. However, there was no relationship between the noun type and the interpretation of ETCs. In the Korean English curriculum, the distinction between expletive there and locative there must be emphasized.

This study aimed to examine the effects of creativity-enhanced tasks on middle school students’ English performance, creativity development, and perceptions of creativity and affective factors including motivation and attitudes toward English learning. The participants were 49 middle school students in Seoul, Korea. The experimental group was treated with creativity-enhanced tasks whereas the control group received traditional English instruction. The overall study was carried out for fourteen weeks. The main findings are summarized as the following. First, there were no significant differences found between the experimental and the control group in terms of language performance. Second, the experimental group indicated substantial improvement in creativity, especially regarding fluency and originality. Finally, the results revealed positive changes in students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and attitudes toward English learning. The findings of this study are expected to provide practical insights to English teachers and educators who hope to foster creativity in students by supporting a creativity-enhanced language classroom.

Nearpod, an online teaching cloud-based platform, offers great potential to generate pedagogical tasks and yield better results in teaching communication skills. This study thus examined the effects of Nearpod-based English-speaking classes. To this end, one-on-one speaking tests were conducted twice in a semester, and a questionnaire was administered to assess university students’ perceptions of the usefulness of Nearpod in offline classroom. The participants comprised 39 university students who took a mandatory English class titled Communication in English. The paired samples t-test results indicated that the students’ overall speaking performance has improved over time. Specifically, compared to the high-level students, the low-level students showed a significant increase in speaking performance. The questionnaire analysis demonstrated that most students were satisfied with Nearpod-based English speaking classes because of enhanced interest, active participation in class, and increased interaction with class content and peers. The pedagogical implications are suggested and the limitations of the study are further discussed.

The present study examines English loanwords appearing in a Korean television drama, Start-up, to understand how English is incorporated into Korean discourse in the settings of everyday life. Data analysis revealed that the drama contains a relatively high number of English loanwords presumably due to the protagonists' young age and the tech-based start-ups that it features. One of the distinct characteristics of English loanwords in their forms is the extensive use of ‘English-hada’ words and other types of words combining Korean and English elements. In addition, the use of English often extends beyond the word level to phrases or even sentences. The functions of English loanwords in the drama were found to fill a lexical gap in the Korean language, strengthen the sense of belonging and bonding among the members of a particular generation or group, create a humorous atmosphere, and symbolize professional competence and thus an elevated level of the speakers' social status.

This paper investigates Korean EFL students’ learning (de)motivation factors according to the level of students’ English learning motivation. A total of 41 undergraduate students reflected on their past ten years of English learning experiences and submitted autobiographic essays with ‘motigraph,’ marking their annual changes of English learning motivation from 0 to 10. The data were analyzed with Grounded Theory. The findings revealed that the factors that increased or decreased English learning motivation were different according to students’ level of motivation. Students with low-level motivation were influenced by their teacher or parents, while those with high-level motivation were influenced by their past L2 learning experiences perceived positively by themselves. In both groups, the factors of emotional experiences caused by negative L2 learning experiences were the main reasons for demotivation. This paper emphasizes the importance of subjective appraisal in maintaining students’ L2 learning motivation and recovering from the state of demotivation.

This study was aimed at finding pedagogical answers to the question of ‘what are the qualities of native English speakers at a Korean middle school’. In this study, research results were derived using phenomenological methods from seven native English teachers at a middle school. The results of the study are as follows; 1) native English teachers should teach English effectively, 2) native English teachers should be able to adapt to their positions in Korea, 3) native teachers are ‘new information providers’ and ‘introducers of new cultures’. Korean society has focused on the external conditions and specifications of native speakers. However, it is now necessary to clearly define the qualities that native teachers should have and use them for recruitment and education of native teachers. Also, native teachers who want to work in Korea need to be trained according to the cultural and educational situation in Korea. Through this study,it is critical to consider measures to improve the legal status of native English teachers.

To investigate L2 adolescent learners’ use of machine translation (MT), an MT error correction (EC) test was developed, based on the analysis of MT errors arising from translating the learners’ L1 of middle school EFL textbooks. Learners were also asked to report on their use of MT EC strategies on the EC task. Results indicated that mistranslated sentence and verb tense are the most difficult types of MT errors to correct. Furthermore, to resolve MT errors, guessing from context and literal translations were the two most frequently employed EC strategies. When multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the contribution of EC strategies to the learners’ ability to correct errors, the mid proficiency learners’ reliance on literal translations and the low proficiency learners’ use of multiple EC strategies were positively associated with improved corrections of MT errors. The results of the study are discussed in light of how L2 learners need to develop competence for using MT in L2 writing.

This study attempts to examine the distributions and characteristics of language forms and learning activities necessary for communication used in the middle school textbooks based on the 2015 revised national curriculum. To this end, 12 textbooks were analyzed and compared by grades and 4 textbooks by different publishers. The results are as follows: 1) Of the 38 language forms required for communication in middle school textbooks, 23 forms were commonly addressed in all the textbooks, while 12 forms were optional or missing, which may cause problems in articulated learning. 2) Even in the same language form, the level of difficulty increases as the grade goes up, which follows spiral curriculum. 3) Some language forms were omitted in the list presented in the 2015 revised curriculum, where only examples were presented without explanation. Explicit explanations need adding with elaborately classified examples. 4) Although the activities in the textbooks focus more on language acquisition than language use, they are well-organized to practice core language forms focusing on meaning in a controlled manner and gradually apply them to real life situations.

This study explores the ways in which sociocultural perspectives on English language education can contribute to teacher education the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Three key words that represent the relationship between sociocultural perspectives and English teacher education—context, interaction, and social practice—can each be linked to the key concepts of criticality, multimodality, and action research. Teachers of English need to be ready for the forthcoming changes in the AI era, for which they must be equipped with a critical ability to focus on issues and needs in the Korean context. This ability can be applied in teaching students various types of interactions, especially those involving the use of computers, and will create opportunities for teachers to conduct research of their own and cultivate a professional teacher identity. This study concludes by recommending substantial changes in the current pre-service and in-service English teacher education programs in accordance with these key concepts.

This study is to explore and analyze three current English teachers’ thoughts and attitudes on their TEE practices in elementary English classroom settings. Adopting a qualitative approach, data were collected through interviews, teachers’ journals, and informal communications from the three elementary school English teachers. The analysis of data revealed three main themes: 1) thoughts on effective TEE classes, 2) factors affecting TEE classes, 3) the difficulties of conducting TEE classes. The participants presented their views on effective TEE classes. They also expressed their opinion on the timing and usage of TEE. The teachers said TEE classes are influenced by teachers’ English communication ability and willingness to use English as the instructional language, students’ English proficiency and the class atmosphere. Finally, the participants said that TEE classes were difficult due to the same factors influencing TEE class effectiveness. This study has implications for the direction of TEE implementation in elementary education.