This study investigates whether model dialogues in currently available middle school English textbooks present appropriate pragmatic input in the realization of speech acts or communicative functions with a focus on the authenticity of the textbook dialogues. To attain this purpose, a total of 18 textbooks were scrutinized in terms of communicative functions. The results showed that many of the textbook dialogues are devoid of adequate treatment of speech acts or communicative functions. The poor representation was evident in a wide array of communicative functions such as requesting/favor-asking, thanking, inviting, encouraging, complaining, responding to complaints, expressing sympathy, expressing surprise, refusing and responding to refusals. The misrepresented functions were largely due to the lack of sensitivity to situational constraints, interlocutor variables, and/or formality. Some cases were ascribed to pragmatic transfer from the native language. This study will contribute to the improvement of the currently available textbooks so that they can provide authentic speech act input.
This study examines the effects of the integrated reading-writing tasks (e.g., writing summaries or reflective essays) on college students’ writing performance. A pre-test and a post-test which consisted of reading comprehension questions and a writing task were administered to 207 EFL college students at the beginning and end of a semester. The data was analyzed both quantitatively using ANOVA and post-hoc test, and qualitatively using a questionnaire survey and interviews. The mean scores of the posttest for the classes which utilized the integrated reading-writing tasks were higher than that of the control group. Also, higher level students in the two experimental groups and a control group showed that there were improvements between the pre-test and post-test, specifically in the treatment groups. The analyses of the questionnaire survey and interviews revealed that the treatment groups which integrated reading-writing in class perceived writing summaries and reflective essays as helpful and effective tools for enhancing their writing ability. The overall results of the study indicated that implementing the integrative approaches to language instruction in the EFL classroom is beneficial in improving learners’ writing performance regardless of the learners’ proficiency level.
The purpose of the current study was to explore the effects of background knowledge, time pressure, and involvement on reading comprehension. One hundred and twenty college students read three passages and answered comprehension questions in eight different experimental conditions: activated vs inactivated background knowledge, with vs without time pressure, and high vs low involvement. The results showed main effects of background knowledge and involvement on reading comprehension, indicating essential roles of background knowledge in facilitating the processes of reading comprehension in Korea’s EFL educational contexts. In addition, the study found an interaction effect of background knowledge and time pressure on reading comprehension. Pedagogical implications are suggested.
This study delves into the temporary English teachers’ identities through at their reflective journals and interviews, grounded on Norton’s (2000, 2013) and Wenger’s (1998) conceptions of identity. In taking second/foreign language teacher education course at a TESOL MA program, 16 teachers’ reflective journals and interviews were analyzed qualitatively for emergent themes, in terms of the three modes of belonging in identity formation (Wenger, 1998). The analysis revealed that the participants represented the identities of the controller, the diverse teaching program participant. the teaching activity sharer, the negative future dreamer, and the language expert. Moreover, most of the participants, as non-regular teachers, concerned themselves about their future career as part-timer. To empower non-regular teachers’ voices, this study discussed and suggested how to strengthen temporary teachers’ identity for their professional development.
The purpose of this study is to investigate elementary school teachers’ and students’ experience of teaching and learning English grammar and how they perceive English grammar education with regard to its role in learning English and the need and ways of including grammar instruction into the curriculum. Questionnaires were administered to 123 teachers and 1513 6th grade students. In addition, written interviews with 20 teachers were done through e-mail. Major findings from the analysis of this survey are three-fold. First, most of the teachers and the students had experiences of teaching and learning English grammar and they perceived that English grammar knowledge plays a positive role in learning English. Second, majority of both the teachers and the students believed that grammar instruction should start in 5th grade, but there is a gap between the teachers and the students with respect to grammar teaching approaches; the teachers prefer the inductive method, while the students prefer the deductive one. Third, many teachers considered that grammar instruction would not have a negative effect on English classes based on the communicative language teaching approach, but they believed that activities for grammar instruction should be well designed in order to keep students interested in learning English. Based on these results, several suggestions for improving English education in elementary schools are made.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vocabulary learning activity types via smart-phones on vocabulary learning and the attitude of Korean college students. The participants were 56 college students, who were divided into 4 groups: a competitive and self-paced group (Group 1), a competitive and controlled-paced group (Group 2), an individual and self-paced group (Group 3), and an individual and controlled-paced group (Group 4). Vocabulary tests were administered before and after the experiment. The analyses of the post-test results showed that Group 3 had improved most and Group 1 earned the second highest score, indicating that competition can make a positive effect on vocabulary learning via smart-phone applications. The results also revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in the post-test scores between self-paced and controlled-paced groups. In addition, vocabulary learning via smart-phone applications improved the participants’ attitudes toward vocabulary learning.
This study investigates the effect of strategies-based English reading programs on reading proficiency and affective domains of underachieving elementary school students. Eight fifth-grade students were selected and assigned to either the phonics/vocabulary learning group or the vocabulary/sentence learning group for two hours a week for 16 weeks. To address the research questions, data were collected from four main sources: English reading tests, questionnaire surveys, students’ learning logs and in-depth interviews with the students. The results of the study revealed that the English reading programs had positive impact on the students’ understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds, word recognition ability, and sentence reading. As students accumulated successful reading experiences, their self-confidence, interest in reading, and class participation increased while anxiety decreased. The study also revealed that there were differences in using strategies among students in each group, with higher level students tending to use higher-dimensional strategies with more variety than less able students. In conclusion, the leveled English reading programs customized for underachievers appear to be effective in assisting underachievers in their English reading skills.
The purpose of the study is to compare the nature of teacher talk between the native and non-native speaking professors with its focus on language functions and interaction modifications in English-mediated writing instruction. The study analyzed the classroom languages of two professors who were teaching college-level composition courses using the same textbook and syllabus. The classes taught by the two professors were videotaped, transcribed, and analyzed based on the AS-unit. The results showed both professors used all of the five functions in the order of information, suasion, opinion, future plans, and checking. The NS professor, on the other hand, used the information function more often, while the NNS professor relied more on the suasion function. The data also displayed that the NS professor gave more feedback responses, whereas the NNS professor asked more clarification requests and repeated their own utterances. The findings implied that the types and distribution of the teacher talk may be influenced by the subject-matter and the instructional foci of each professor.
The present study explores the relationship between teacher-efficacy and selected teacher variables, such as teachers’ demographic variables, self-efficacy, English proficiency, and teacher training experiences, of Korean English teachers. The study employed four questionnaires including Sherer et al.’s (1982) General Self-Efficacy Scale, Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk-Hoy’s (2001) Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale, Chacon’s (2002) Self-Reported English Proficiency Scale, and background information. The participants of the study were 120 Korean English teachers. The main findings of the study indicate that the participants’ standardized English proficiency scores exerted no significant influence on their teacher-efficacy. Yet, the teachers’ self-assessed English proficiency levels accounted for a significant amount of additional variance of their teacher-efficacy after controlling the variance explained by their self-efficacy, suggesting the significant impact of teachers’ positive assessment of their own English proficiency on their teacher-efficacy, regardless of their actual English proficiency. The study results also suggest that teachers’ professional training experiences generally contribute to their teacher-efficacy. Discussions and suggestions for future research are provided.
This study investigated spelling errors in English stories written by 206 students in an elementary school implementing Korean/English immersion education. Errors were analyzed using crosstab and MANCOVA. Findings are as follows. Spelling errors occurred in 4 categories in order from the most frequent to the least: substitution, omission, addition, and transposition. The error occurrences differed depending on grade level changes: lower grades (Grades 1-3) vs. higher grades (Grades 4-6). The students in both grade levels made more errors in substitution and omission: these error types were significantly decreased as they progressed to the higher grade levels. Errors in addition and transposition showed much fewer occurrences for both grade levels, and these errors did not show a significant decrease because of their rarer occurrences. Overall, the students’ spelling ability increased remarkably as they progressed in grade levels in the immersion environment.
The purpose of this study is to provide compared evidences on the definition and variables of intrinsic motivation of French and English learners. In spite of its prevalence and importance, intrinsic motivation in learning has been underestimated and ill-defined. This study highlights the limitations of contemporary studies and suggests implications for further research. In this article, studies on intrinsic motivation in learning are reviewed around two main issues: First, the types and characteristics of student’s motivation; then, the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation to learn. The findings showed that, set aside intrinsic values, all the variables for learning English are significantly higher than those for learning French. However, the results indicated that the intrinsic motivation for learning French is significantly higher than that for learning English.
This paper suggests a new pedagogical method, namely ‘applied Korean and Chinese language education’. It argues that the previous teaching method, which focuses exclusively on Korean students, should be changed to help Korean and Chinese students study together. By setting the goal of teaching practical abilities demanded by society, the paper explicitly considers six different levels of teaching processes: 1) pronouncing and listening, 2) expressing ideas, 3) understanding cultures, 4) reading and writing, 5) presiding and giving speeches, and finally 6) experiencing internship and preparing for interviews. This paper emphasizes that the skills of translation and interpretation should be applied to all of the six levels. In addition, a special evaluation method is suggested in order to encourage student motivation, thus ultimately improve their adaptive abilities in the society.
The purpose of this paper is to compare between Korean and Arabic in terms of phonology and seek effective ways of teaching Arabic for Korean students. Arabic as a Semitic language has 28 consonants and 3 basic vowels (each of which is short and long, and 2 diphthongs). Meanwhile, Korean has 19 consonants and 22 vowels. Due to the phonological differences between Korean and Arabic, it is somewhat difficult for Korean students to learn the correct Arabic consonant phonemes. In this paper, firstly, the consonants are grouped into two: one group common to both languages, and another unique to Arabic consonants. They are explained by phonological and phonetic methods to teach the correct pronunciation of Arabic consonants. Secondly, the Arabic vowels are explained through the examination of allophones in comparison with Korean. Thirdly, the syllables are explained by the structure, sorts, and characteristics. Lastly, it is suggested that professional training in phonology and phonetics fields be provided to instructors so that they can teach correct Arabic pronunciation.