This study investigated EFL college-level learners’ expectation on and their experience in an online English-medium instruction (EMI) course focusing on how participants interacted with their classmates and the instructor in their online class (zoom session) based on assumptions and rationales of Interaction Hypothesis and classroom interaction research. Analyses of questionnaire, observation, and interview data revealed that participants’ experience of interaction and their perception of interaction opportunities in the zoom session were significantly related to how they would evaluate the course-taking experience. It was also found that cognitive strategy such as participants’ preparation for each class rather than L2 confidence was more relevant to their level of satisfaction with the course. Results of analyses suggested that an online class could be more effective than a face-to-face class in terms of engaging EFL adult learners in an academic course offered in participants’ L2, English. Based on study results, suggestions on how to increase interaction opportunities in online EMI course are made.

This study examined the language choice for modality patterns to express the degree of probability specifically in email texts based on Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) analytical framework. Participants were students enrolled in an English writing composition course at an online-based Korean university. They were required to write an email thanking their professor, in which they stated their future plans (definite or indefinite) with a degree of probability. The text analysis was compared with two groups of students' scores (high-scoring group n=40 and low-scoring group n=29), based on an assessment of the course assignment. After building up two learner corpora, UAM Corpus Tool version 3.0 was used to analyze the language choice closely using a modality system of the SFG framework. The high-scoring group showed more range and frequency in the use of modal verbs combined with a modal Adjunct or another modal expression. Explicit teaching on the importance of expressing the appropriate degree of probability using a range of modality devices, rather than relying heavily on the primary modality (choice of modal verbs) is highlighted as a pedagogical implication.

In spite of the benefits of English oral presentations on EFL learners' proficiency and competence, English presentations have not obtained much attention as instructional medium in the field of English education. With the belief that EFL learners' experience of English presentation performance can provide valuable insights for educators and researchers, this study intended to describe how EFL learners perceive their presentation performance through their reflective self-assessment. In particular, adopting Otoshi and Heffernen's (2008) rubric of evaluation, this study examined what a group of Korean EFL learners were concerned in regard to their presentation performances and how they evaluated them. The data collected were 41 reflective self-assessment papers written by 41 Korean college students. The papers were coded, categorized and interpreted. Findings showed that voice quality is the area the students in this paper were most concerned about. Negative evaluations of their presentation performance outweighed the positive evaluations except in the area of Power Point use. Lastly, rehearsal and visual aids education sessions as well as differentiating spoken and written English were suggested as instruction implications for educators.

This study examined EFL college-level learners’ perception toward the contentbased instruction (CBI) by focusing on their participation in and expectation on the courses practiced in a strong form of CBI. Having analyzed the data collected from a questionnaire, observation and interview, the study found that the participants, 39 students who enrolled in two different CBI courses at a university in South Korea, put top priority on the enhancement of content-knowledge considering their CBI course as a content-course, not as a language-course. Second, the participants seemed to prefer participation opportunities induced by a required and prepared speaking task such as presentation through which they can practice a formal speech appropriate for their education experience and cognitive maturity. They also seemed to favor instructor-initiated interaction rather than being put into pair- or group-discussion between and among themselves. Third, the lack of participation was mainly attributed to the lack of understanding contents rather than lack of language skills. Based on the research findings, the study made suggestions on how to offer CBI courses more effectively for a particular group of EFL college-level learners who already earned basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS), yet to reach cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP).

This study was an attempt to explore how EFL college-level learners perceive flipped learning or flipped classroom approach which would be practiced with Content-Based Instruction (CBI) courses. As an effort to find a way for the CBI learners to be served more effectively in terms of earning content-knowledge and improving L2-using skills, the new approach of flipped learning has been tapped into first of all by looking into their expectations and concerns that they might have if the new approach would be employed in their CBI classroom. The analysis of the data provided by the 159 participants revealed that they did not show clear preference or strong negative attitude toward the new approach. While the young college-level learners appeared technology-savvy, they did not seem confident enough in the new approach mainly due to the on-line component of the flipped classroom approach, which would require more responsibility of their learning. The study also made suggestions on what should be considered if the new approach can be successfully implemented and help the learners earn better learning experience.

Ko, Bo-Ai. 2018. “Thematic Patterns in Formal Email Writing of Korean EFL College Learners”. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 26(1). 31~59. This study explores the Theme types and the thematic progression in the formal email writings of Korean EFL college learners, based on the Theme-Rheme analytical framework of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG). Data was collected from 99 college students, enrolled in an English Writing Composition course during the second semester of 2017 via a cyber university in Korea. Their main writing activity involved email writings in the form of requesting primarily based on the Genre Approach. Text analysis was conducted with the comparison of the high- scoring group (15), the medium-scoring group (15) and the low-scoring group (15), based on assessment of the course assignment. Employing the coding step of identifying the Theme and Rheme of each T-unit, the text analysis sought to figure out which Theme types were used for each T-unit and which thematic progression patterns were used for overall text flow and cohesion. The key finding was that there were certain discourse-specific thematic patterns of formal email writing. Among the range of thematic features, this study will highlight marked Themes, interpersonal Themes and thematic choices of nominalization for the purpose of formal email writing texts.

There has been considerable research which investigates whether the underlying linguistic competence of L2 learners is constrained by principles and parameters of UG, parallel to the situation in L1 acquisition. In terms of the Scope Principle (henceforth SP), a principle of UG, which is associated with the scope interaction between a quantified expression and a wh-phrase, some experimental studies in EFL settings were conducted to investigate whether or not interlanguage grammars can be characterized by the principle. These experiments were carried out through the Truth Value Judgment Task (henceforth TVJT) alone, showing contrasting and confusing results, especially between Japanese learners and Korean learners. That is, while Japanese EFL learners observed the SP, Korean EFL learners did not despite the fact that both Japanese L1 grammar and Korean L1 grammar disallow the distributive interpretation, especially in the ambiguous sentence like what does everyone have? Therefore, the present study aims to confirm whether the same results are obtained provided that the identical experiment using the TVJT is repeated in other EFL learners. Noticeably, this study employed an additional, complementary task (Question and Answer Task, QAT) in addition to the TVJT as an attempt to increase the accuracy of the task and reflect learners’ actual knowledge of the target features. In QAT, the subjects were asked to write the answers to the target questions involving quantifiers and wh-questions in English. Results from the TVJT appeared, on the face of it, to provide support for the claim that the Korean EFL learners are under control of the Scope Principle. However, findings from QAT revealed that they are not constrained by the principle. Thus, it would be reasonable to conclude that the results of the present experiment do not fully support the claim that the Korean EFL learners’ interlanguage grammar has access to the UG-driven Scope Principle. Instead, it can be argued that Korean learners' interlanguage grammar may be affected by their L1 grammar, which gives rise to the claim that the explicit instruction on the interpretation of those sentences is required as part of overcoming this problem.

The primary objective of this study was to explore the relationship between L2 reading motivation and L2 reading strategy use. 283 Chinese college EFL students participated in this study. They answered a questionnaire with 65 items that measured the three constructs of reading motivation, reading strategy use and their self-perceived reading proficiency. Confirmatory factor analyses were applied to check the validity of each construct. Based on their motivation scores, the subjects were divided into different clusters; 22.6% of the subjects to the most highly motivated cluster; 34.4% to the moderately motivated cluster; 43.1% to the least motivated cluster. Discriminant analysis showed that such variables as advanced comprehension strategies, repetition and comprehension enhancing strategies were statistically significant variables that distinguished the three groups from each other. These results imply that EFL learners may be instructed to be aware of the importance of L2 reading motivation and L2 reading strategies for improving their L2 reading proficiency.

This paper aims to identify what is needed to improve the English for Specific Purposes(ESP) curriculum for English as a Foreign Language(EFL) college learners at navigation school. Different needs from learners and experienced professionals are identified through diversified methods, and the findings from these are analysed and consolidated from a balanced point of view. For this purpose, putting learners at the centre of analysis, identifying their subjective and objective needs serves as a point of departure in formulating the curriculum. Then, the target situation is analysed according to the short-term aim of getting a job, followed by long-term needs for successfully fulfilling future duties as a pilot. Based on findings, it is suggested that ESP curriculum for learners in navigation studies should be focused on the successful language performance of their actual duties and tasks to be given in the future working situations, rather than on immediate needs for getting a job. In particular, special attention needs to be paid to enhancing learners’ productive language competences through a series of hands-on trainings and a wide range of extra-curricular activities, specifically for a higher command of oral communication. For this, not only ESP, curriculum for EGP(English for General Purposes) should be systematically structured as ESP-oriented EGP, and naturally move onto areas of ESP in a coherent manner.