The purpose of this study is to investigate the constraints on implementing task-based language teaching (TBLT) and strategies that make TBLT feasible with novice second language (L2) learners in college. When the researcher (a bilingual teacher) struggled to implement tasks into traditional English courses with almost 210 novice undergraduates throughout three separate semesters, a number of constraints were identified for the task syllabus, and TBLT was modified and adapted to a localized college-level context. The study was conducted over three 16-week-semesters, and its process was recorded in field notes. The findings demonstrated that there were four major constraints on implementing TBLT: 1) irrelevant topics in the coursebooks, 2) novice learners’ writing dependence and limited use of the second language, 3) excessive use of the first language, and 4) an irrelevant examination system. As four strategies to adapt TBLT in a local college context, the following were practiced and suggested: 1) a needs analysis is necessary, 2) instead of task-supported language teaching, a new hybrid form of TBLT and presentation-practice-production might work, 3) teaching English in English is necessary but specifying strategies for selective use of first language (L1) is needed, and 4) relevant tests are necessary. It is hoped that these findings will enrich the actual process from adoption to adaptation of localized TBLT for novice L2 learners in Korean colleges.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of no planning and online planning on complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) in L2 spoken and written tasks. The study was designed into 2x2 with two independent variables: planning conditions (no planning and online planning) and task modality (speaking and writing). First, 80 Korean EFL undergraduates performed two tasks in a laboratory setting: a proficiencyassigning narrative spoken task and a randomly assigned main task. The main task had four different conditions: no planning in speaking, online planning in speaking, no planning in writing, and online planning in writing. The participants’ spoken and written performances were measured and analyzed for syntactic complexity, accuracy, and fluency. The findings demonstrated that the no planning (NP) group improved accuracy and fluency significantly more than the online planning (OP) group in the spoken task and that the NP group improved their fluency more than the OP group in the written task. Additionally, in both planning conditions, the written task increased accuracy more than the spoken task, whereas the spoken task increased fluency more than the written task. It is hoped that these findings will facilitate understanding of the supportive role of planning in task manipulation in terms of L2 learners’ limited attentional resources and its relationship with linguistic performance.

Due to modern trends with postponing child-bearing and getting worse living environment in women, an ovarian aging increased pregnancy failure and other complications with menopause or premature ovarian failure. Although several theories have been suggested such as mitochondrial malfunction, DNA damage/repair/methylation, caloric restriction, studies regarding ovarian aging-related molecular mechanisms for development of therapeutic methods are insufficient so far. Our objective is to determine molecular pathways of ovarian aging that result in pregnancy failure and other complications in women health to develop treatment strategies. This study is consisted of two parts: in Phase I stage, we analyzed distinct gene expression profile between young and aged mouse ovaries, and in Phase II stage several preferentially expressed genes in both ovaries were selected and analyzed their physiological functions and involved molecular networks related to ovarian aging for development of diagnostic markers and therapeutic methods. Ovaries from 10 week and 11 month-old FVB/NJ female mice with synchronized estrus cycle were collected for this study. A half of each ovary was used for RNA preparation and the other half for histological analysis. Using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 System, preferentially expressed genes were identified. Functional annotation database-based gene-set enrichment analyses and Pathway Studio® were employed to evaluate aging-related molecular networks. These findings were confirmed through qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. To validate RNA-Seq data, we examined expression patterns of marker genes (Amh, Bmp15 and Nobox) that were wellknown to be decreased in ovarian aging process. In young or aged ovary, preferentially expressed 876 genes were identified and extracellular matrix (ECM; p<0.001) and chromatin/nucleosome-related (p<0.001) protein-coded genes have the majority in these genes by GOTERM analysis. Amongthem, we selected several candidate genes and confirmed their expression profiles by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry followed by molecular network analysis. Regarding molecular interactions in these genes, PathwayStudio® was employed to predict aging-involved molecular networks in mouse ovary. Here we report a couple of candidate molecular networks and medicines (chemicals) for targeting these preferentially expressed genes/proteins. Further analyses are scheduled to produce transgenic animal models and with human ovarian tissues/cell lines.