The purpose of this study is to investigate affective factors that distinguish the high spoken English use group from the low spoken English use group among Korean EFL middle school students. This study focuses on the variables of communication strategy, willingness to communicate, self-concept, motivation, and anxiety. A questionnaire on communication strategy, willingness to communicate, self-concept, motivation, anxiety, and the use of spoken English was designed and administered to 112 students of eighth grade in a province. The findings of the study are as follows: (1) the middle school students’ levels of extrinsic motivation and speaking anxiety were high, while the levels of self-concept, intrinsic motivation, and the use of spoken English were low, (2) the highest positive relationship was found between willingness to communicate (WTC) and the use of spoken English, while the highest negative relationship was observed between speaking anxiety and the use of spoken English, (3) willingness to communicate (WTC), academic self-concept, and communication anxiety were statistically significant factors that distinguished the high spoken English use group from the low spoken English use group. Based on the findings, some suggestions were made in regard to helping students improve their use of spoken English.

This study explores whether there are any differences between the scores of amotivation, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation of a middle school group and a high school group. It examines the effects of two factors on the difference in the scores of each motivation subtype: whether students receive private education, and when students first start learning English. T-test results indicate higher scores for the middle school group in all the subtypes than for the high school group. Statistical significance was not obtained in support of the effect of private education. The group that started learning English in the third grade of elementary school showed a higher amotivation mean score than the group that started in the first or second grade. Also, amotivation was proven to be a viable variable to group subjects with in addition to extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation, supporting the motivation system proposed in Selfdetermination Theory. These results imply that teachers need to understand motivation as a dynamic construct and attempt to promote it through groupspecific approaches in English classrooms.