The present study investigated students’ preferences for the types of tasks used to assess English speaking performance. It further examined whether students’ task type preferences affected their perceptions of test effectiveness. One hundred eighty-two high school students responded to a self-report questionnaire. A series of frequency analysis and paired samples t-tests were used for the analysis. The results showed that students’ most preferred task types and their least preferred ones overlapped with each other, suggesting that the task types of English-speaking performance tests used in schools are limited. The four key reasons determining students’ task type preferences were identified, including task difficulty, emotional comfort, practical value, and interest. In addition, the results indicated that students’ task type preferences could affect their perceptions of task effectiveness. Overall, the results suggest the need for developing more varied task types for English-speaking performance tests as well as helping students become familiar with English speaking performance tasks. Pedagogical implications were discussed along with study limitations.
The present study examines the effects of manipulating cognitive task complexity on high school English learners’ narrative and persuasive writing. Participants were 156 high school students. They were divided into four groups. Each group was given one of four different types of writing that were classified based on their genres (narrative vs. persuasive writing) and dimensions of task complexity (resource-directing vs. resource-dispersing). All participants completed both simple and complex writing tasks for their assigned type of writing. Participants’ written products were measured in terms of complexity, accuracy, and fluency. The results revealed that increased task complexity, along with the resource-directing dimension, somewhat positively affected the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of both narrative and persuasive writing. However, increased task complexity, along with the resource-dispersing dimension, showed differential effects of cognitive complexity on participants’ written products between the genres. It resulted in decreased scores in fluency and accuracy, and had no significant impact on the complexity of narrative writing. As for persuasive writing, on the other hand, it lowered the fluency, increased the complexity, and had no impact on the accuracy. The pedagogical suggestions drawn from the results are provided along with the limitations of the study.
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.
The present study explores the effects of peer intimacy on Korean primary English learners' collaborative group work in terms of writing achievement and peer interaction. Fifty six elementary school students engaged in small group work on English writing tasks. They were grouped in three different types: high intimacy level group, low intimacy level group, and random group. The study results indicated no significant group differences in the students' abilities and attitudes of English writing. However, the three groups differed in the quantity and quality of peer interaction. The high intimacy group produced the largest number of utterance and the most collaborative interactions. The low intimacy group, on the other hand, produced more utterances but less collaborative interactions than did the random group. Overall, the study results suggested that peer intimacy may have no immediate effect on students' learning through small group work but it possibly has delayed effects in prolonged group work by mediating the quantity and quality of peer interactions. Limitations of the study and pedagogical suggestions are provided.
This study was performed to evaluate the type and concentration of TVOC and formaldehyde emitted from asbestos stabilizers, because the stabilizers can be applied on the surface of asbestos contained building materials(ACBM). The emission test of three organic and synthetic resins(OSBS) and five inorganic based stabilizers(IBS) were tested for 7 days. The amount of emission and concentrations of TVOC were measured using GC/FID and GC/MS. In case of formaldehyde, quantitative analysis was carried out using HPLC. The average concentrations of TVOC and formaldehyde of 8 stabilizers were 1.173 mg/m2․h and 0.007 mg/m2․h, respectively. The maximum TVOC concentration among five OSBS was 5.698 mg/m2․h and exceeded the TVOC emission standard(4.0 mg/m2․h) for general building materials. According to the this study results, the applied stabilizer can be role one of pollutant sources like paints, floor tile etc. The emission test has to be tested one of stabilizers efficiency to manage the indoor air quality of building.
According to a recent government study, development and distribution of functional building materials are increasing in Korea. In this study, we evaluated reduction performance of formaldehyde and toluene by sorptive building materials using small-scale chamber(20L) test method for 7 days. According to the results of this study, 18 building materials showed that the effects of formaldehyde reduction among the 23 building materials. And the number of the building materials with respect to its ability to reduce the concentration of toluene was relatively small. The mean sorption rate and total amount of sorption for formaldehyde were 36.8% and 1,525.4㎍/㎡, respectively. The sorption rate and total amount of sorption for formaldehyde were in the range 1.5∼78.4% and 87.5∼3,086.0㎍/㎡, respectively. And the mean sorption rate and total amount of sorption for toluene were 11.6% and 1,054.4㎍/㎡, respectively. The sorption rate and total amount of sorption of toluene were in the range 0.1∼62.4% and 29.6∼6,764.0㎍/㎡, respectively. In most cases, the performance of the building materials with respect to its ability to reduce the concentration of pollutants has steadily decreased within 7 days.
This study investigated how adult second language learners negotiate their social, relational identities in real-life communicative interactions within professional, institutional social settings. Based on the sociocultural approach to identity formation (e.g., Lantolf & Pavlenko, 2001; Penuel & Wertsch, 1995), this study examined five Korean graduate students’ experiences with and perspectives regarding their real-life communicative interactions within U.S. academe. The study findings suggested the importance of English learners’ enactment of positive, relational identities in enhancing their agency in order to actively participate in English communicative practices and continue to improve their English proficiency. Pedagogical implications for enhancing Korean students’ agency in learning English were also discussed.
내진상세가 적용되지 않은 철근콘크리트 교각의 거동특성 및 내진성능을 살펴보기 위해서 축소교각모형실험을 수행하였다. 횡방향 철근이 심부를 구속할 만큼 충분히 배근되어 있지 않은 중심 원형 단면의 실교각을 대상으로 기초 상단의 소성 힌지 부위에서 겹침이음이 된 주철근을 사용했을 때와 연속철근을 사용했을 경우로 구분되도록 철근상세를 결정하였다. 이에 따라 3기의 축소교각시험체를 제작하여 수직방향 축하중을 가한 상태에서 준정적 반복하중을 재하하는 실험을 수행하였다. 실험결과를 통해서 겹침이음이 있는 교각시험체는 연성거동을 하지 않지만, 겹침이음이 없이 연속철근을 사용한 교각시험체는 어느 정도의 한정연성거동을 하는 것으로 분석되었다.