The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of research on learner factors in second language acquisition by reviewing relevant studies published in English Teaching over the past 50 years. A total of 182 articles on various learner factors were extracted from the journal. Further detailed analyses were conducted on 110 articles on strategy, motivation, and personality traits in terms ofpublication year, research topics, participants, methods, and researchers' concentration. The results reveal that research on learner factors has significantly expanded over time in terms of volume and diversity, reflecting increasing research interests in the field. As for research methodology, a quantitative approach was far more frequent but qualitative and mixedmethod approaches have gained visibility since 2000. Yet, most of the studies focused on tertiary level learners, while overall neglecting primary and secondary level learners. Furthermore, individual researchers' interests in the factors looked rather sporadic as revealed in the lack of research concentration. Based on the findings, suggestions for future research on learner factors are made.

This study investigates the effects of working memory capacity (WMC) and the types of vocabulary learning, i.e., explicit vs. implicit, on the acquisition of English multi-word verbs. For this purpose, a total of 60 middle school students, divided into two groups (control and experimental), participated in the study. The participants in the control group were taught multi-word verbs in a traditional and explicit manner, whereas the participants in the experimental group were exposed to multi-word verbs with short passages. The results manifested that both of the instructional styles had positive effects on the learners’ acquisition of multi-word verbs in the short-term. Although there was not a significant interaction between WMC and the overall scores on the immediate post-test, according to the scores on the gap-fill tasks which tested learners’ productive knowledge, there were significant differences between the low-WMC and high-WMC groups. High-WMC students learned more target multi-word verbs than low-WMC students on average. The results also showed that WMC and the two different learning types did not affect the students’ acquisition of multi-word verbs in the long-term. Further, the interaction effect between WMC and learning type in the long-term was not significant.

Willingness To Communicate (WTC) is one's volition to enter into communication at a particular time with a specific person or persons using an L2. Despite the growing interests about WTC in ESL and EFL context, there is little research done in the Korean EFL classroom context with young learners. This study investigated variables affecting WTC of young Korean EFL learners in regular English classes. A total of 149 fifth graders participated in the study. Data were analyzed using factor and correlation analysis, cross-tabulation, and the ANOVA. The results confirmed the consensus about the positive correlation of competence and the negative correlation of apprehension to WTC. The most powerful predictor of WTC was communication with the native teacher and the second was prohibition of L1. There were partial statistical differences of WTC, Frequency of Communicative Behavior, and Self-Perceived Communicative Competence according to the age of onset, the amount of studying, and the length of stay in English speaking countries.

This study examined how smart device applications affected elementary school students who have learning difficulties in English. Five 6th grade students who needed remedial instruction were selected and given 50 hours of instruction using English vocabulary flash cards in a smartphone application. one hundred vocabulary words were chosen and developed for flash cards for the students to examine their intellectual and emotional changes in English learning. The research results showed that the students' vocabulary improved in listening, reading and speaking. It also revealed that the students gained confidence and interest in English learning, and their anxiety decreased. In addition, the application was easy and convenient for the students to use, especially in recognizing the pronunciation and the meaning of the vocabulary words. This study recommends further development and use of smart device applications for elementary school English instruction.

이 연구는 역진행 상호학습 프로그램을 교수·학습 과정 및 평가에 적용하여 영어 의사소통능력을 신장시키고자 하는데 목적이 있다. 영어과 교육과정에서 영어 의사소통 능력을 길러 주는 것이 중요한 목표이지만, 인성교육과 창의성 교육도 중요하게 생각하여 영어 교육을 통한 인성 함양을 강조하고, 교수-학습 방법에서도 창의성 계발이나 인성 교육을 고려한 교수-학습 계획 수립을 강조하고 있다. 그러나 현실은 교과서 위주 수업으로 소통이 단절되거나 학생과 교사간의 1:1 소통만이 겨우 이루어지는 경우가 빈번하다. 이러한 점들을 고려하여 학습자 중심의 학습, 배움이 중심이 되고 학생 개개인의 수준과 특성을 고려할 수 있는 역진행 상호학습(Flipped Learning)을 실천하여 학생들의 영어 의사소통 능력을 신장시키고자 한다.

This study investigates the effects of collocation task types on Korean high school students' collocation learning and learning attitudes. A total of 118 Korean high school students participated in the experiment, and they were divided into four groups: control group, receptive treatment group, productive treatment group and combination treatment group. In order to investigate the effects of collocation task types on students' English proficiency, each group of students was classified into a high proficiency group and a low proficiency group. The students took a pre-test before the experiment and a post-test after the experiment. After the post-test, the post-questionnaire survey was conducted to examine the students' learning attitudes. The results of the study were as follows: (1) The three types of collocation tasks were effective in learning receptive and productive collocations; (2) in the delayed retention test, it was revealed that the effect of the three types of collocation tasks on both receptive and productive collocation learning lasted; and (3) the result of post-questionnaire survey showed that learning collocation through collocation tasks had positive influence on most students in terms of raising their interest and increasing their self-confidence.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of two different types of vocabulary activities on Korean EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and perceptions. The participants of the study were 30 Korean middle school students in Seoul, and they were divided into two groups (typography and web-based authoring). The former employed the word meaning and spelling image association technique and the latter used a multimedia vocabulary authoring tool for 42 target words. The major findings of the study are as follows: (1) Both the typography and the web-based vocabulary authoring groups showed significant improvement on the posttest of vocabulary test, which indicated the equal effectiveness of the two vocabulary activities; (2) with respect to different English proficiency levels, the low-level group showed much higher improvement of the mean difference between pre and post tests than the higher group; and (3) the participants’ perceptions turned out to be more positive when they participated in creating English word spelling image than authoring multimedia vocabulary learning materials. The results suggest the beneficial effects of active student involvement in the vocabulary learning process. Pedagogical and practical suggestions are made on the effective teaching of English vocabulary in Korean classroom settings.

This study aims to develop an English writing model using pattern-based reading materials and to apply it to the elementary classroom. The meaning of “patterns” was searched for in the language learning and teaching methods, and their roles were examined in terms of language acquisition and learning. The writing class was connected to the reading class so that learners could properly model and transfer their forms and meanings of the patterns recognized in the reading class to what they want to write in the writing class. The experiment was conducted on one class of grade 6 elementary school students in which the reading and writing class was integrated into the regular English class during one semester. Six pattern-based reading materials were selected with a range of genres including stories and poems. The effect of the pattern-based reading materials on the writing class was examined through writing test and a questionnaire about the affective domain before and after the experiment. The result showed that writing scores were increased significantly in all the leveled-group learners. As for the affective domain, interest, participation, confidence, and adventure each had a significantly increased score. The sense of adventure increased the most. This is considered attributable to the feedback which ignored grammatically trivial errors and focused on how to properly express the contents learners wanted to write.

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 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 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 research on washback of a test has little been carried out in Korea while it has been flourishing in language testing researchers overseas. This paper investigates whether the advent of NEAT has affected the perception of test takers and the teaching/learning practices in English classrooms of Korea. In addition, we also want to investigate the relationship between variables such as perception of test users, teaching/learning practices, and test scores. We carried out a survey with 601 students who were seated at NEAT administered in April 2013 as well as 3,267 third-year high school students who had no experience on NEAT. The analyses revealed some evidence to support that NEAT has an effect on the perception of the participants. However, the analyses also revealed that NEAT was not effective to appeal for a change in teaching and learning practices in English classrooms in Korea.

This study investigates the effects of writing to learn on sixth graders’ English development compared with speaking to learn and examines their perceptions. The study established the following research questions: (a) what are the effects of writing to learn on English speaking and writing abilities compared with speaking to learn? and (b) what are the students’ perceptions of writing to learn compared with speaking to learn? Students in the experiment group had experienced learning English through writing to learn, whereas those in the comparison group had learned English through speaking to learn. As for the results, writing to learn had significant effects on developing speaking and writing abilities in terms of complexity, accuracy and fluency. Also the students had more positive perceptions on writing to learn in cognitive and behavioral perspectives. Writing to learn has been confirmed as effective in learning English, leading students to use English to express their own ideas with more extensive vocabulary and complicated syntactic structures.

This study investigated how Korean EFL students’ self-directed English learning abilities, learning strategy use, and the relationship between the two constructs change as they advance to upper level schools. Data were collected from 447 elementary, middle, and high school students in Seocho-gu, Seoul, using Self-Directed Language Learning Readiness (SDDLR) and a revised version of Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). The results showed that elementary school students’ SDDLR and SILL scores were significantly higher than those of middle and high school students, with no significant difference between the two groups. Among the learner factors, interest toward English study was the only factor which affected all the three groups’ SDDLR as well as SILL scores. The influence of study-abroad experience and starting age of private education was limited to the elementary school student group, indicating their short-lived effects on self-directed learning and strategy use. Lastly, there was a high or moderately high positive correlation between SDDLR and SILL in all the three groups. However, the specific relationship among subcategories of the two constructs was complicated and different among the three groups.

본 연구는 구성주의 PBL 협동학습 프로그램을 적용한 영어 감성기반 문제해결능력을 신장시키는데 목적이 있다. 다양하고 복잡한 사회문제와 갈등이 있을 것으로 예상되는 미래 사회에서 살아갈 우리 학생들에게 문제해결능력이 요구된다. 이러한 문제를 해결하는 능력은 혼자서는 한계가 있으므로 협력적 문제 발견·해결력이 필요하다. 이것은 문제해결 과정에서 동료와 공감하고 교류하는 공동 전략의 아이디어를 가지고 공동의 학습 목적을 달성하기 위해서 동료와 협력하여 감성적 상호 협력적 관계를 바탕으로 지속적인 상호작용을 해야 한다. 따라서 영어과 교육과정과 영어 교과서를 재구성하고 감성기반 문제해결능력 신장 교수 학습 내용을 추출하여 PBL 협동학습 프로그램 모형을 구안하고 감성기반 협동학습 프로그램을 적용한 결과 영어 수업 에서 감성기반 문제해결능력이 향상됨을 보였다.

This study examined the effects of teaching contextual inference and word association strategies on 5th grade elementary school students' vocabulary knowledge development. A total of 56 students participated in the current study, as divided into either the contextual inference group or the word association group. The vocabulary proficiency levels of the participants were also considered and the students in each group were further divided into either the upper level group or the lower level group. The participants experienced six treatment sessions, and in each session they had to study five vocabulary items using each of the two vocabulary learning strategies. The posttest and delayed posttest results indicated that both strategies were effective for the vocabulary knowledge development of the upper level group as well as the lower level group. Some possible implications for elementary school English classrooms in Korea are discussed.

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 explored the effectiveness and second language (L2) writers' perceptions of process-oriented writing, using portfolio-basedinstruction in a secondary English class at general school settings. The participants were 110 high school students enrolled in a private independent school in Gyeonggi. They learned to produce a four-paragraph-English-essay based on the process-oriented writing methodology, keeping a portfolio note for the entire semester. The instructor was a bilingual teacher of English whose native language is Korean. The 17 weeks' records written in the portfolio note were analyzed to portray whether the approaches enhanced overall performance and understandings about essay-writing. Findings revealed that the participants were satisfied with this approach and improved their writing skills using portfolio-based- instruction. For the sake of implementing the new assessment appropriately at public school settings, further studies are suggested to develop how to enhance classroom environment in order to increase the degree of learner-satisfaction in the essay-writing classes.

The purpose of this study was two-fold: to evaluate the effectiveness of an English program under a practical curriculum for English majors in college and to investigate the relationships among students' perceptions of the program, language learning styles and strategies, perceived and actual improvement in English, and their satisfaction with the program. To this end, the study followed the changes in college students' perceptions of the program and their learning of English for four semesters from their freshman to sophomore years. Questionnaires were administered four times to measure and trace the students' perceived utility of the program, affective attitude, use of language learning styles and strategies, perceived and actual improvement in English, and satisfaction with the program. The results showed a statistically significant increase every semester in actual improvement in the students' TOEIC scores. Compared to their high expectations for improvement, the students' perceived improvement was shown to be the lowest at the end of the first semester, after which it got slowly higher each semester during the 2-year period. However, their overall satisfaction with the program got lower each semester. Native speaker instructors and interactive activities in class were found to positively affect the students' perceptions of program utility and affective attitude, which, in turn, significantly affect the students' use of language learning styles and strategies.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of information transferring activity on listening comprehension and the affective domains of high school students. A total of 140 students participated in this study, and they were divided into two groups: The control group taught to follow traditional listening instruction, and the experimental group taught to transfer information in listening text to visual materials. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in understanding aural texts between the two groups, indicating the positive effects of the use of information transfer technique on listening comprehension. In addition, short-answer and multiple choice techniques produced different results, suggesting a significant test method effect on test results. Lastly, the participants provided generally positive responses to the usefulness of information transfer technique.