This study explores the perceptions of Chinese engineering-major students towards their English learning experience after taking a mandatory English composition course in an EMI college. The investigation centers on first-year students’ perceptions of transitioning to EMI, with a focus on how the composition course has assisted students’ transition as a primary language support. Data were collected through a metaphor elicitation technique in which students expressed their perceptions of English learning, complemented by a thematic analysis of 86 reflection essays on the composition class. An analysis of the 334 metaphors identified students’ enhanced confidence in English, the importance of the English-using environment, positive views of learning communities, and increased agency in the learning process. It also revealed that many students were stressed and unaware of learning strategies, therefore suggesting institutional-level language support. One implication is to promote the culture of the learning community. The findings can be particularly useful for programs that are implementing language support for non-English major students.
This study investigated the effects of multisensory memory strategies of pairing visual and aural learning strategies of aural lexical advance organizers (LAO) and read-alouds on 146 Korean high school students learning the meaning and pronunciation of 18 unfamiliar English words. In this quasi-experimental design, the control group learned the words on a single mode of written LAO and silent reading as opposed to two treatment groups of aural LAO and silent reading, and of aural LAO and read-alouds, respectively. The effects were tested three times via pre-, post-(immediately after learning), and delayed (30 days later) tests. The immediate and long-term effects were examined by detecting the differences across the three groups in post- and delayed-tests by one-way ANOVA, and the retention of effects was examined by paired t-tests in each group across the three tests. The results indicated that pairing aural LAO and read-aloud strategies was most effective in learning and retention of both vocabulary meaning and pronunciation.
This study investigated the convergence of content and language integrated learning, translanguaging, and global citizenship education in an EFL tertiary English class. Conceptualized within translanguaging as an assemblage for meaning-making, machine translation was incorporated into the course in a way that EFL bilinguals could fully avail themselves of their linguistic repertoire for the learning of global citizenship and language. The analyses of thirty-three students’ response essays and survey results demonstrate the success of MT as both a scaffold for bridging language-content gaps and a tool for language acquisition. Design features, perceived as important, were a careful introduction and training on MT use and teacher feedback on MT-assisted writing. Survey results emphasize the crucial role of the students’ L1 in meaning-making. The study offers a practical guide for educators interested in using MT in L2 writing instruction and encourages further research on the theoretical and pedagogical applications of translanguaging in diverse EFL contexts.
This study investigated primary teachers’ knowledge of pronunciation instruction, and its manifestation in classroom practices in Korean EFL contexts. To this end, the questionnaire data collected from 47 teachers were quantitatively analyzed. The emerging themes from 5 teachers’ interviews were qualitatively analyzed, based on content analysis. Findings revealed that they had an appropriate knowledge base of pronunciation teaching, equipped with the better understanding of content knowledge (CK), followed by pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and technical pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). No statistically significant difference was found in teachers’ knowledge between males and females, and also between the 4 groups with different teaching experience. They manifested their knowledge mainly acquired from the past course lectures into classroom practices, employing controlled and free practices such as listening and repeating, shadowing, songs, chants, games, and role play, including different types of corrective feedback. Most notably, they integrated role play effectively into classroom practices to improve young learners’ pronunciation in interestprovoking and enjoyable ways.
This longitudinal study examined how an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teacher transformed her teacher identity over time. Hinging on the close relationship between teaching and identity construction, this study was grounded on the notion that teaching a language is becoming a person who teaches it (Benson, 2017). Data were collected through six face-to-face interviews and six electronic interviews with the teacher during a four-year period. Findings demonstrate that becoming an ESP teacher is a complex process of constructing and negotiating identities. The teacher started ESP teaching as a scared general English teacher, and then negotiated her identities as a struggling but hardworking collaborator and learner. Later, she positioned herself as a novice ESP teacher, and then finally constructed her identity as a competent, helpful ESP teacher. Significant factors affecting identity transformation include needs analysis, enhanced subject matter knowledge, capacity to develop teaching materials, and teacher agency. Based on these findings, this study suggests implications for ESP teacher education programs.
The present study explores the educational potential of multiliteracies-based pedagogy to enhancing pre-service teachers’ creativity-convergence competency in an EFL literature classroom. To examine the pedagogical effect, both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed, including the pre- and post- creativity-convergence competency tests, participants’ course evaluation questionnaire, and students' reflective journals. The results from the quantitative analysis indicated that multiliteracies pedagogy employed in the EFL literature classroom enhanced participants’ creativity-convergence competency significantly (p<.05) in its all components, including creativity, problemsolving ability, convergent thinking ability, and self-efficacy. The findings in the analysis of participants’ views on the positive potentials of the multiliteracies pedagogical approach in fostering learners’ creativity-convergence competency were identified as follows: (1) use of multimodal resources in the communication process promoted their creativity-convergence competency, (2) transformative practices served as the facilitator to foster creativity-convergence competency, and (3) critical literacy practices helped them develop problem-solving ability and self-efficacy. The paper ends with some pedagogical implications and suggestions for further research.
This paper investigates L2 motivation and demotivation of college English majors in a Korean junior college. The participants’ L2 (de)motivation was explored by the oughtto L2 self, an element of the L2 motivational self system. Data were collected from two rounds of interviews with 59 and 31 students in all four years and analyzed qualitatively. The sources of the ought-to L2 self varied; however, it was a matter of how the participants recognized others’ expectations and pressure (i.e., manageable or beyond control). It was also relevant to how they comprehended and internalized these external influences for their L2 learning and (de)motivation. The findings indicate that the oughtto L2 self could be a contributing factor in sustaining L2 motivation and exerting effort. Finally, this paper calls for more needs to ensure and promote personalized and meaningful L2 learning for college English major students.
This study investigates the social construction and continual (re)production of the cultural Other through educational materials, focusing on Korean middle school English textbooks. Twelve middle school English textbooks from four publishers were collected and analyzed, with a focus on how they (mis)represent cultures and practices of minority groups. Utilizing critical content analysis to examine both visual and written texts in the textbooks, this research uncovers recurring patterns of exoticizing and commodifying Hawai’ian culture, homogenizing African culture, and romanticizing Indigenous peoples. The findings contribute significantly to our understanding of how cultural representations in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks shape perceptions and influence societal dynamics. They also illuminate how these representations reflect and perpetuate Eurocentric colonialist discourse. Moreover, the results underscore the importance of equipping educators, especially English teachers, with critical literacy. This empowers them to identify hidden power relations that reinforce stereotypes, and actively engage in the construction of a more inclusive and equitable society.
This study aimed to compare the effects of self-regulation, goal orientation, and speaking anxiety on speaking performance between metaverse and face-to-face contexts. We randomly assigned 253 Korean middle school students to either metaverse or face-toface groups for 12 weeks of English-speaking lessons. Before and after the experiment, students completed speaking tests and submitted a post-questionnaire. Structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis revealed that student attributes had a similar impact on speaking performance in both settings. Specifically, self-regulation and mastery goal orientation positively influenced speaking performance, while speaking anxiety had a negative effect, regardless of the context. Furthermore, self-regulation played a mediating role in reducing speaking anxiety in both settings. This implies that metaverse-mediated and face-to-face classes offer similar learning environments, where students can leverage their goal orientation and self-regulation skills to manage speaking anxiety. Ultimately, students can enhance their speaking performance by employing selfregulation strategies and nurturing a mastery goal orientation, irrespective of the learning context.
This study investigated whether the framework of writing for English learners should be guided by the well-established reading-writing relation or by the receptive and productive nature of literacy skills. The writings of 209 advanced English learners in Korea were analyzed in relation to receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension while controlling for writing fluency. Two sets of structural equation models were fitted: (1) productive skills (productive vocabulary and writing fluency) mediating receptive skills (receptive vocabulary and reading) and (2) reading mediating receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge. The results supported the second model in which reading completely mediated the contribution of receptive and productive vocabulary to writing. Although there were no direct effects of receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge, both had significant indirect effects on writing through reading and writing fluency. These results show that reading has a strong direct effect on writing above and beyond vocabulary, and that vocabulary knowledge contributes to writing development through reading.
This study examined translingual practices in two playdates of a Korean four-year-old boy (Theo) with a Korean boy and an American boy. The boys played a game called Candy Land. In both playdates, the boys’ naturally occurring English and Korean communication strategies were observed and analyzed based on Canagarajah’s (2013) four types of negotiation strategies: envoicing, recontextualization, interactional, and entextualization. They adapted and accommodated translingual practices in communicative situations using strategies such as body language, whispering, codemeshing, and codeswitching. Interviews were conducted with Theo to examine his understanding of his language as a user of Korean and English in the United States. Theo expressed his thoughts about language in metaphor, using his hands, and asserted that he needed English to have a sense of belonging and access to resources in his preschool.
This study investigated the effects of exposure frequency, depth of processing, and activity repetition types on vocabulary learning. In total, 78 South Korean fifth-grade students were divided into four conditions. Students in each condition were asked to read a passage with four of the eight target words (exposure: four times) and the other four words (exposure: once) for three days, and to perform the vocabulary activities assigned to each condition. According to the results, exposure frequency and activity repetition type had significant effects on vocabulary learning. Activity repetition type also had a significant interaction effect with exposure frequency and depth of processing. Notably, presenting a word 12 times (4x3) in reading intervals had a more positive impact on vocabulary learning than presenting it three times (1x3), particularly when different vocabulary activities were repeated. Meanwhile, when the same activity was repeated, an activity with a higher depth of processing was more effective for vocabulary learning.
This article aims to suggest a model of critical literacy in English as a Foreign Language (hereafter EFL) contexts. The paper will introduce previous critical literacy models in first or second language teaching and learning and those in EFL contexts. Then, several empirical studies based on the models are introduced suggesting important issues to consider in implementing critical literacy in EFL contexts. A model of critical literacy in EFL contexts is, consequently, suggested with the three key elements for successful critical literacy implementation in EFL contexts, language for criticality development, affects and criticality development and citizenship and criticality development. The model pursues balancing conventional literacy education, critical literacy education and citizenship education. The researchers suggest balancing conventional skill-based literacy, affective pedagogy, and citizenship education with the development of critical literacies. Teacher-initiated practice and guidance, incorporation of community-sensitive topics and materials, and students’ active participation are key elements practitioners should consider in their adaptation of critical literacy instruction in EFL contexts.