The purpose of this paper is to provide the efficient methodes of the basic English conversation learning. Various theories have been proposed to explain how children manage to acquire the adult language. The acquisition of a second language parallels the acquisition of a first native language. If a second language is learned early in life, it is usually acquired with no difficulty. The difficulties encountered in attempting to learn languages after puberty have given rise to a critical age hypothesis that refers to a biological period in which language can be acquired without overt teaching. A number of second-language teaching methods have been proposed, reflecting different theories of the nature of language and language acquisition. These methods, however, do not explain the apparent differences between first and second language acquisition.In order to obtain a complete picture of a second language acquisition process, it is necessary to combine the findings from both naturalistic and experimental studies, keeping in mind that differences in the tasks may affect the results. Studies conducted on a wide range of different languages are also needed in the quest for universal of second language acquisition.

본 연구에서는 영어 단어 및 문장을 학습하기 위한 컴퓨터 카드 게임을 개발하였다. 이 게임은 첫째, 학습자에게 카드놀이라는 친숙하고 흥미로운 요소를 제공하여 학습자에게 학습 동기를 부여한다. 둘째, 교육적인 요소를 통하여 학습 효과를 향상시킬 수 있도록 한다. 셋째, 난이도 선택과 반복 학습을 통하여 지속적으로 학습 동기를 유지하도록 한다. 뿐만 아니라 시간, 점수, 실패 여부 및 성공 여부의 제시를 통하여 도전감을 제공한다. 학습자는 이 게임을 통하여 영어 듣기 학습 및 영어 읽기 학습을 할 수 있다. 그리고 영어 단어 또는 문장을 들은 후 원어민이 말한 것을 따라서 말해봄으로써 발음 학습 및 말하기 학습 또한 가능하다.

본 연구에서는 영어 단어 및 문장을 학습하기 위한 낚시 게임을 개발하였다. 이 게임은 첫째, 학습자에게 낚시라는 친숙하고 흥미로운 요소를 제공하여 학습자에게 학습 동기를 부여한다. 둘째, 교육적인 요소를 통하여 학습 효과를 향 상시킬 수 있도록 한다. 셋째, 난이도 선택과 반복 학습을 통하여 지속적으로 학습 동기를 유지하도록 한다. 뿐만 아 니라 점수, 실패 여부 및 성공 여부의 제시를 통하여 도전감을 제공한다. 학습자는 이 게임을 통하여 영어 듣기 학습 및 영어 읽기 학습을 할 수 있다. 그리고 영어 단어 또는 문장을 들은 후 원어민이 말한 것을 따라서 말해봄으로써 발음 학습 및 말하기 학습 또한 가능하다.

This paper aims to examine the differential degree of the task difficulty presented in high school English activity books. To achive the aim, the researchers analyzed tasks for three levels(high, intermediate, and low) in five English activity books currently published based on the revised 7th National Curriculum for high school freshmen. The criteria utilized for grading task difficulty are modified from Ellis(2003a, 2003b) which were developed to account for task complexity in terms of input, conditions, processes and outcomes. The results revealed that in general, the tasks of the activity books were organized in the sequential order of difficulty from low, imtermediate to high proficiency, but the difference of task difficulty across the three proficiency levels was not significant. It was also discovered that among three main factors determining task difficulty, task condition, task process, and task outcomes, task process and required task outcomes were more frequently adopted to di fferentiate the task difficulty level. In addition, there was lack of communicative tasks integrating four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) in all the five activity books. Further study suggesiotns and limitations are followed.

The present study reports the findings of a study that analyzed the use of formulaic sequences in an NNS corpus (i.e., EFL teaching demonstration data) and an NS corpus (i.e., MICASE data). In order to investigate the structural and functional aspects of formulaic expressions in English, the most frequent 4-word formulaic expressions were identified and classified both structurally and functionally. The result of the analysis demonstrates Korean EFL learners’ overuse of the formulaic sequences. In other words, the repeated use of the formulaic sequences resulted in the high frequency of formulaic sequences in the learners’ data. The analysis of formulaic sequences by the structural subcategories shows the high frequency of the clausal expressions, which is one of the major characteristics of spoken discourse. The present study also reports the results of the functional analysis of the formulaic sequences, which indicate that both native speakers and learners mainly employed formulaic sequences to express epistemic and modality stance.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the overall effectiveness of the English immersion program of a Korean University. In order to achieve the ultimate purpose of the current project, researchers describe the educational principles and curriculum in detail and provide an overall evaluation of the program. The three-week English immersion program in winter 2008 was designed to help students satisfy their graduation requirement and improve their general English proficiency such as listening, reading and writing abilities, by providing them with an immersion English program. To check if there is any improvement after the program, students' achievement was measured by TOEIC both before and after the program. Students' responses from questionnaires were used to identify their needs and satisfaction toward the program. On the basis of the extensive evaluation of the program, it was found that students' needs are more complicated and a re-setting of the program goal is mandatory to reflect students' varied needs and wants as a better program in the future.

The purposes of this study are to examine the effects of the speech-analysis software on Korean college students' pronunciation improvement, and to find out ways to enhance the efficiency of computer-based visual feedback in the teaching of English pronunciation. The participants of the study are 89 English-major college students who are required and expected to have native-like pronunciation. A total of 178 recorded pronunciation data of pre-and post-tests were analyzed in terms of consonants, tense/lax vowels, consonant clusters, and phonological changes. The major findings of the study are as follows: First, the use of speech-analysis software was effective in improving the students' pronunciation. Second, the use of speech-analysis software was more effective at the discourse-level than at the word-in-isolation or sentence levels. In addition, it was more effective to students with low level pronunciation proficiency than those with high level proficiency. Third, the use of speech-analysis software was the most effective in training word-initial [h]-deletion of function words at the sentence level. Fourth, the participants responded that the visual feedback of speech-analysis program was useful in self-monitoring and self-correcting their pronunciation errors. Based on these findings, some pedagogical suggestions are made with respect to the didactic use of speech-analysis software in the teaching of English pronunciation.

Based on Vygotskian sociocultural theory, this study aims to investigate the longitudinal changes in English as a second language (ESL) learning, especially on motivation and learner beliefs for two recent Korean immigrants to Toronto. For 10 months, the researcher interviewed the two participants who shared similarities in age, previous work experiences, and perceived socio-economic status. Their comments were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by using NVivo, a qualitative data analysis software program. The findings indicate that Korean immigrants' ESL learning motivation was comprised of six constructs: job motivation, communicative need, heuristic motivation, context-specific motivation, self-satisfactory motivation, and demotivation/amotivation. Despite the two participants' external similarities, their monthly changes in ESL learning motivation showed drastic differences. An L2 learner belief of the positive relation between English proficiency and increased job opportunity was identified as a major explanatory factor for this difference between the two participants. This study suggests that L2 learner's beliefs may function as mediational tools from the perspective of sociocultural theory, with the learner's belief influencing job motivation.

This article reports on research into self-directed English leaning of Korean university students, focusing on their motivation and metacognition. In general, university students in Korea undertake independent learning to improve their English competence outside the classroom, rather than relying on English courses provided by their universities. Although much of their English learning is self-directed, little has been known about how they carry out their out-of-class English learning. To obtain a better understanding of their self-directed learning, this study, employing a qualitative approach, analyzed reflective journals written by 25 university students during one semester. From the analysis, students’ motivation and metacognition emerged as important themes involved in the students’ self-directed learning. The findings of this study suggest that student motivation continuously ebbs and flows as a result of its complex interrelationship with contextual factors. In addition, it was found that students’ metacognitive knowledge played a crucial role in directing their out-of-class learning as students adopted learning strategies based on their metacognitive knowledge, which was again formed and revised in the course of their learning process. Finally, this article presents suggestions for promoting students’ self-directed English learning.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a university English conversation program which had employed on-line homework and outside-class interviews with native English instructors. After over 1,200 sophomores took the conversation course for a semester, questionnaires were administered to measure the students' satisfaction for the program and their perceived usefulness and effectiveness of the in- and outside-class activities. The results showed: first, students perceived the in-class lessons and outside-class interviews with the native English instructors as useful, but not the on-line conversation practice; secondly, the students' perceived usefulness, affective effects, and content evaluation of each activity were shown to have significant effects on their perceived effectiveness of the outside-class activities. Lastly, significant differences were not found by the different groups of proficiency level in their perceptions of the usefulness, affective effects, and content evaluation of the outside-class activities. However, different proficient groups showed different amount of study efforts and preference for activities.