The study discussed advanced-level Korean high school EFL learners’ demotivation and remotivation strategies in English learning. Demotivation refers to specific external forces that reduce or harm motivation; remotivation is the process of recovering the reduced motivation. Although both are common in L2 learning, only a few studies address this issue. Using the survey data of 130 participants, the study identified eight demotivating factors through factor analysis. The first factor, negative attitude toward English, indicates that even high school students felt demotivated because of the sheer difficulty of studying English. Descriptive statistics revealed that a negative attitude toward the English-speaking community was not a strong demotivator, which indicated that students possessed Machiavellian motivation. Correlation and regression analysis suggested that no demotivator had a significant negative relationship with English scores; rather, the ways students perceived the demotivators were more important. Eight remotivation strategies were identified; among those, “Keep thinking about the social importance of English” was the most often mentioned one. These results suggested the need for further qualitative, systemic research on remotivators and for training programs for practicing remotivation strategies.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of a two-week English-language orientation program at a Korean university on first-year students’ perceptions of English. This quantitative study contributes to the local literature by documenting the changes on a preand post-course survey that measured participants’ willingness to communicate, foreign language anxiety, attitudes towards English, and perceptions of English as a global language. Key results of independent-samples t-tests indicated that student perceptions showed statistically significant changes on five of the six scales, and that the biggest influences of the program were on willingness to communicate and lessening student anxiety. The study also investigated the link between program satisfaction and experience of studying English abroad, finding that there was no relation between them. However, a one-way ANOVA and correlation analysis indicated that there was a relationship between program satisfaction and students’ self-rated proficiency, finding that the lower-proficiency students were slightly less satisfied than those rating themselves as “average” or “good” English speakers. The study concludes with recommendations for future studies and for planning English-language orientation programs in Korean universities.

This study investigated the production patterns of vowel epenthesis/deletion in Korean learners’ English contrasts of /ʧ/ vs. /ʧi/ and /ʤ/ vs. /ʤi/ in word-final position, where such errors are frequently observed among the learners. Through a production experiment of 20 pairs of English words contrastive in word-final vowel, a total of 800 tokens were obtained from 20 Korean learners of English of high and low proficiency levels. The results revealed that the learners exhibited phonological processes of vowel epenthesis or deletion and that multiple factors such as voicing of a preceding consonant, frequencies of target words and learners’ proficiency in target language were involved. Voicing of a final palato-alveolar affricate played an important role in vowel epenthesis. With regard to vowel deletion, learners with low proficiency levels showed the influence of voicing of a palato-alveolar affricate by deleting the vowel /i/ more frequently after the voiceless /ʧ/ than after the voiced /ʤ/. Overall, the vowel epenthesis error seems to be motivated by L1 phonology while vowel deletion error was influenced by word frequencies. Further acoustic analysis revealed that higher-level learners’ epenthetic vowels, when compared to lexical vowels, exhibited significant differences with regard to vowel ratio and F1 while the low-level learners’ did not.

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit Konzepten und Ansätzen der Landeskunde, die sich in Bezug auf die jeweilige soziale Situation und den Lernerbedarf historisch entwickelt haben. Im Fachbereich Germanistik herrscht seit 20 Jahren die Krise der Geisteswissenschaft. Statt Literaturveranstaltungen, die von Studenten abgewählt werden, wurde Landeskunde als ein neues Veranstaltungsangebot in den Vordergrund gestellt, damit die Germanistik wieder einen Aufschwung erleben kann. Aber in Korea wurden die Begriffe, Konzepte und Inhalte der Landeskundeveranstaltungen noch nicht festgelegt, z.B. ist unklar, was man unterrichten soll und auch wie man unterrichten soll. Aus diesen Gründen wurde in der vorliegenden Arbeit versucht darzustellen, wie Landeskunde im Fachbereich Deutsch als Fremdsprache in Deutschland diskutiert wird. Zuerst wurde die historische Entwicklung der Landeskundeansätze vorgestellt, wobei das Konzept und der Inhalt bzw. die Schwerpunkte diskutiert werden, was mit den Zielen und dem Lernerbedarf des Fremdsprachenunterrichts zusammenhängt. Darüber hinaus wurde am Ende der Arbeit ein didaktisches Konzept kurz vorgestellt. In Korea werden im Rahmen der Universität die zahlreichen Landeskundeveranstaltungen meistens von Literaturwissenschaftlern angeboten, sodass der Themenbereich Literatur als Kultur zu sehr hervorgehoben wird, was dem Bedarf der Lerner und der Gesellschaft überhaupt nicht entspricht. Kommunikative und interkulturelle Landeskunde beschäftigt sich mit der Situation und Themen bzw. Inhalten, die unsere Lerner motivieren, weil solche mit ihnen selbst und ihren Interessen sehr eng verbunden ist.

Heinrich Manns Professor Unrat weist charakteristische Merkmale des ‚Gesellschaftsromans’ auf: Repräsentativ zu erwähnen ist die Darstellung der Schule als ein Modell der Gesellschaft. Heinrich Mann zielte mit seinem schulsatirischen Professor Unrat darauf ab, die kaiserliche Bildungsanstalt zu kritisieren, und weitergehend psychologisierende Kritik an der zeitgenössischen bürgerlichen Kultur und Gesellschaft auszuüben. Zu diesem Zweck gestaltet der Autor die Schule und die darin agierende Figuren als eine Art Modell, das in einer vertretenden Funktion für die Gesellschaft steht. Dieses Gesellschaftsmodell führt eine Reflexion über den Bankrott der humanistischen Bildungsvorstellungen in der Wilhelminischen Zeit und ebenso über die Doppelmoral des Bürgertums in der Übergangssituation zur Moderne herbei. Hinsichtlich dieses Gesellschaftsmodells ist zu betrachten, inwiefern das Verfallen der neuhumanistischen Bildungsidee und das Verkommen bürgerlicher Kultur im Roman unterbreitet werden. Vor diesem Hintergrund kann der Protagonist des Romans Professor Unrat als Repräsentant des Bildungsbürgertums dieser Übergangszeit verstanden werden, in der die neuhumanistische Einheit der Bildungstradition verfällt.

The knowledge, that the human brain has the faculty of multilingualism, is no result recently revealed by the picture giving processes of the modern brain research. It is simply a matter of fact, shown through everday life. (Nevertheless impressing is indeed the visualizing of the three-dimensional network systems which embed languages in the brain.) Also the knowledge, that languages are learned (and also forgotten) in early childhood age most easily, is not at all a new research result. So, if modern brain research may provide an original contribution in promotion of multilingualism or not, is not a so important question at this moment. The bottom line is the well-known fact, that promotion of language acquisition / learning should be realized in a motivating environment. This is an old pedagogical task. The modern brain research confirms the fact that the only one ideal language acquisition method does not exist. Since language acquisition / learning is realized on individually shaped different ways. To promote multilingualism in a person requires the knowledge of his / her individual language biography. This can be described by the so-called Laswell-formula. To shaper the focus onto the language learning group of grown-up persons, the best language learning method exists in conscious making. This method is not only related to the foreign language but also to the differences between foreign language and mother tongue and thereby to the special features of the mother tongue itself. However the degree of consciousness related to the mother tongue is usually very low. Translation with its two main methods, i.e. documentary and functional translation, is also a very use- and helpful language learning method in grown-up persons. Since it makes conscious of the differences in semantics and syntax of the related language pair. Especially functional translation as one type of intercultural communication further makes conscious of the differences in communication situations between source and target language.

Yoko Tawada’s drama Kafka Kaikoku (2013) depicts Japan’s encounter with Western culture from the Meiji era on as the catalyst for a metamorphosis much like Gregor Samsa’s in the work of the same name by Franz Kafka. Ironically, the victim of this East-West clash turns out to be Izumi Kyōka (1873-1939), a man who was anything but an enthusiastic adopter of European literary style. Interweaving elements also from Kafka’s Ein Landarzt (A Country Doctor, 1919), Tawada’s play suggests further that Izumi’s fate was set, since he—and, by extension, all Japanese—could not resist roles the West had prepared for him. Ultimately, this article explains, Kafka Kaikoku offers a critical view of modernization as a force that made Japanese into beings with a hybrid literary consciousness who lacked both much of their own native particularity and also their very humanity.

There is increasing pressure on world language educators to expand the cultural instruction in their curriculum and to advocate for their language programs as a means to prepare learners with 21st century skills (The Four Cs: Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, and Critical thinking). In similar vein, ACTFL’s Global Competence Position Statement (2014) further described the need for language instructors to foster learners’ interactional abilities and behaviors to perform effectively and appropriately when interacting with others who are linguistically and culturally different from self. Yet many language educators are confused about best-teaching practices during this transition time from methods that focus primarily on students’ ability to use the language to communicate, to a time where it is increasingly emphasized that students should access content information through the language for meaningful cultural reflection. This paper demystifies some confusion about fostering learners’ intercultural competence in instructed language learning and concludes with a variety of tools and techniques to integrate computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and meaningful cultural inquiry at beginning levels of instruction.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between the contents of textbooks and assessments by comparing major discussions on textbooks before and after the reform of the Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP). To draw implications for analyses, thirty-three previous studies were examined against the basic structure and contents of the KIIP. Further analysis was conducted on whether the items requiring reexamination and improvement had been properly applied to the revised versions of textbooks and assessments. The results are as follows. In the beginning stage, the discussions on the KIIP appeared to have focused mainly on the policy until the reform in 2013. In addition, the item, ‘topic and culture’, presented the highest reflection rate compared to that of the pre-revised textbooks. However, the ‘topic and culture’ item in the five stage assessment, including a pre-program level test and the Korean Language Culture Test, showed that only the level 2 test had the proper contents for its objective, adequate subject coverage and cultural knowledge. Furthermore, the text seemed biased in terms of the type, failing to take into account the realities of immigrants. The results indicate potential for improvement in the linkage between textbooks and assessments to achieve a true ‘social integration’ through ‘language education’, and reconfirm the necessity of continuous research in this area.

The purpose of this study is to develop a teaching and learning method that enables students to learn self-directed knowledge by inducing them to participate actively in class by breaking away from their passive role. The design and basic operating rule of student/faculty collaborative course are as follows. Firstly, students participate in designing and operating a course and professors will act as a coach instead of an assessor. Secondly, valuation standard will not be applied uniformly, but by individualized levels for each student. Thirdly, what matters is students’ growth change by semester in the long term of four-year. Their growth and changing process will be noticed by recording their presentations and utilizing it. The significance of student/faculty collaborative course is that almost all the students were interested and actively participated in the class. Students should be able to apply positiveness and confidence achieved through the course to daily life naturally. If this type of course is processed systematically in four year’s time, students will be able to develop the ability to realize problem and resolve actively. This will be a significant educational alternative for the students who remain at the middle to lower rank in the cramming educational system.

The purpose of the study was to theoretically develop a measurable instrument of an ideal L2 self with six sub-factors: the degree of desire, the vividness of mental imagery, learning strategy, the degree of plausibility, the frequency of thinking about the future, and the degree of fearfulness. All factors were supposed to be part of one of the categories of human emotion, cognition, expectation, and desire. Through the process of scale construction, the study confirmed that this instrument had statistically reliable and valid factorial structures. After an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, ideal L2 self was able to justify the hierarchical sub-scales. The analysis of the structural equation modeling revealed the strong influence of ideal L2 self on the language learner’s effort, learning desire, and learning autonomy. Therefore, this instrument helps us systematically understand the concept of ideal L2 self and observe other factors related to ideal L2 self as well as effectively highlights the discrepancy between Gardner’s integrative motivation and the ideal L2 self.

This study explores whether there are differences in the types and characteristics of teacher talk between primary English teachers with different degrees of teaching professionalism. Two primary English teachers who were different from each other in their teaching professionalism were selected. They both taught sixth grade students and used the same English textbook. The data for the study were collected while they both were teaching the same unit of the textbook. Their classes were video-recorded and their interaction was transcribed and analyzed based on the framework of ‘constructive’ and ‘obstructive’ teacher talk (Walsh, 2002). The results show that the two teachers differed in the amount of the use of ‘constructive’ and ‘obstructive’ teacher talk. The more professional teacher used more constructive talk while the less professional teacher used more obstructive talk, and the more professional teacher encouraged the students to engage in the interaction by using constructive talk, such as error correction, content feedback, scaffolding, and so forth. On the basis of these results, some pedagogical implications were made.

This study aims to investigate the effect of DDL on English lexico-grammar learning by Korean middle school students with respect to the types of learning approach (deductive vs. inductive DDL), the student’s level of English (low vs. high level), and the complexity of lexico-grammar items (simple vs. complex). A total of five experimental lessons were given to 36 students divided into two groups: one group received the lessons through the deductive DDL approach and the other group through the inductive DDL approach. The study found that both inductive and deductive DDL were effective in the learning of English lexico-grammar by the Korean middle school students. However, deductive DDL was more effective for the high level students, while inductive DDL was more appropriate for low level students. In addition, both deductive and inductive DDL were effective for teaching simple lexico-grammar items, but deductive DDL was more effective for teaching complex ones. Most of the participants showed positive responses about DDL and expressed a view that they were able to learn the meanings as well as the forms of target lexico-grammar items.

The purpose of this study is to investigate in-depth high school students’ strategy use in reading English texts of College Scholastic Ability Test (KSAT). This study employed a think-aloud method to look into the reading process by task types and by reading proficiency. Six high school students, three high-level and three low-level readers, were asked to perform reading tasks of three types, ‘finding a theme’, ‘filling the gap’, ‘finding an irrelevant sentence & inserting a sentence’, thinking out loud after training. The results are as follows. First, the participants used varied types of reading strategies regardless of top-down/bottom-up. ‘Guessing from the context’ and ‘paraphrasing in L1’, were most frequently used, and ‘using schema’ and ‘sensing the logical organization’ were least used.’ Second, different strategy use patterns were shown by task types: Far more strategies were used in ‘finding a theme’ than the others, especially, attending to keyword. Third, the high-level readers employed more reading strategies than the low-level counterparts. Furthermore, the strategy use pattern was very different between groups: The low-level readers seldom used ‘checking discourse markers,’ ‘synthesizing information,’ and ‘questioning’ that the high level readers commonly used.

The purpose of this research is to explore the interaction patterns in an English (L2)-mediated Mandarin Chinese (L3) class (native-taught) for young monolingual Korean (L1) learners. Twenty-nine class videos were collected and transcribed into 152 pages of Chinese, English, and Korean for this analysis. The interaction patterns in the English-mediated Chinese classes were analyzed using the IRF framework of Sinclair and Coulthard (1975) and Tsui (1994). The results and discussions were integrated into four main patterns to interpret the English-mediated Chinese classes: 1) the native Chinese teacher’s needs for class assistance, 2) the students’ enthusiastic but inadequate use of English, 3) the students’ voluntary Korean scaffolding, and 4) the students’ class participation needs. On the one hand, this research has provided the students’ response to the teacher’s use of Chinese and English (in a foreign language-only environment), which is intended for a better understanding of a classroom with a trilingual teacher and monolingual students. On the other hand, the research has implications for understanding use of an L2 to facilitate an L3 classroom, particularly in the situation of using two foreign languages in one classroom.

With a recognition of a profound effect that teacher identity has in students’ language learning, the present study explores how teacher identity, especially that of native speaking (NS) and nonnative speaking (NNS) teacher in EFL context, shapes the teacher-student interaction and influences students’ learning differently. Data was gathered through classroom observations and video recordings of teacher-student interaction of a total of six hours of class sessions. The data comes from the interactions of three nonnative Korean teachers, one native speaker, and six university students in Korean EFL co-teaching classroom. To analyze the data, the method of discourse analysis was used. The findings show that the native teacher acted as an interaction provoker who stimulated classroom discussion and also an expert of both target language and culture. On the other hand, nonnative teachers acted as an activity guider by helping student understand the classroom activities. As sharing L1 and the same culture, nonnative teachers were flexible with the language choice of the students and understood the difficulties they had in the class. The study further draws attention to the pedagogical implications regarding the co-teaching of native and nonnative teacher in EFL classroom.

This qualitative study, grounded in the sociocultural perspective, attempts to explore a Korean English teacher’s identity construction by employing a self-study, through narrative inquiry. As a self-study, the participant, Sofia, will also be the researcher. Data from her teacher life story narrative and reflective journals were analyzed to see how she reconstructs her identity through reflection of her own experiences. The study revealed four major themes showing the identity formation of the participant: (1) identity formation by resisting identity assumptions or stereotypes; (2) identity formation through influence of context; (3) identity formation through previous learning experiences; and (4) identity formation through conceptualizing teacher as professional. Based on these findings, the present study generates implications for teacher education practice and future research.

This study investigates how voice-chat conditions affect learners’ affective factors. In order to examine the effects of voice-chat conditions on Korean EFL learners’ attitudes towards English language learning and perceptions of voice-chat, 123 college students participated in this study. Participants were divided into two experimental groups: voice-chat with peers and voice-chat with robots. During the 16-experiment week, participants had a chat with either peers or robots. All participants in both voice-chat conditions showed positive attitudes towards English language learning and positive perceptions of voice-chat. Results indicate that both voice-chat conditions are effective in enhancing the learners’ confidence in English speaking, motivation to develop their English language skills, interests in English language learning, and beliefs in the improvement of their English speaking ability. In addition, engagement in voice-chat appears to help learners to reduce their stress and anxiety level. Findings suggest that EFL teachers integrate chat robots into their language teaching process.

This paper examines the putative universality of the Overt Pronoun Constraint (OPC) (Montalbetti, 1984) postulated for pro-drop languages by observing the interpretational status of overt and null pronouns in the context of quantified antecedents that contrasts between Korean (pro-drop language) and English (non pro-drop language). In pro-drop languages, an overt pronoun cannot have a bound variable interpretation when the antecedent is a quantified NP (e.g., everyone, someone). Twenty three Korean learners of English took a forced-choice picture task, in which they had to select one of the two pictures that best depicted a sentence they heard that carried ambiguous meanings. Results showed that Korean speakers accepted a quantified antecedent with Korean overt pronoun ku, violating the OPC. The imperfect knowledge of the OPC by Korean speakers was attributed to the influence of the English overt pronoun he on the Korean overt pronoun ku. Pedagogical implications are discussed on the explicit instructions on the meanings of lexicon used in the OPC construction.

The purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) to find context-specific motivational factors in Korean college contexts within the framework of Gardner’s integrativeness and Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self System; (2) to examine how those motivational factors explain motivated behavior. For this purpose, motivation data by 787 students was analyzed. The factor analysis revealed eight factors in Korean context: promotional instrumentality, bad learning experience, ought-to L2 self, integrativeness, elusive ideal L2 self, ethnocentrism, intercultural avoidance, and international posture. The regression analysis showed that four motivational factors, bad learning experience, ought-to L2 self, elusive ideal L2 self, and promotional instrumentality, significantly explained the participants’ motivated behavior. The findings indicate that there existed context-specific motivational factors which could better explain success of L2 in Korean EFL college contexts. The theoretical and pedagogical implications were provided at the conclusion.