This article reports on an experimental study that investigated the effects of different conditions of listener backchannels on the fluency of L2 speakers. The participants were 15 advanced Chinese learners of Korean who performed oral tasks in three different backchannel conditions: (1) verbal + nonverbal (V+NV), (2) nonverbal-only (NV), and (3) no backchannels (NB). The verbal backchannels included “[ŋ~] (Non lexical verbal form)”, “[ne]”, “[ɑ]”, “[ɨm]” while the nonverbal backchannels involved head nodding. Fluency was assessed via three temporal measures: Rate A, Rate B and MLR. The data was statistically analyzed using SPSS 25 package. The results showed that 15 Chinese participants in the NV condition were more fluent than in the V+NV or NB conditions. However, no significant differences were found between the V+NV and NB conditions. These results suggest that nonverbal backchannels may facilitate the fluency of advanced Chinese learners of Korean during oral tasks depending on the nature of backchannel use in their L1 and sociocultural environments. The present research theoretically broadens the scope of both fluency and backchannel studies and provides valuable data and methods for empirical studies on backchannels to Korean.

This paper explores the L2 motivation of 11 students about to start studying English as junior college English majors. The participants took part in a ten-day L2 motivational program designed to help them with L2 skills and life on campus. To understand how they participated in the program, data gathered from online learning logs were coded using qualitative thematic analysis. Consequently, the participants shifted to embody ‘none to something’ qualities in terms of L2 selves and effort during the program. That is, they established self-images to believe in when using and learning English, which eventually developed into effort-driven attitudes and behavior. The students also set goals and plans according to their L2 selves created or revealed during the program. Although the program was comparatively short with a small number of participants entering a junior college, the findings indicate that an L2 motivational program for new adult students could be conducive to promoting and sustaining their effort, L2 selves, and motivation.

To investigate L2 adolescent learners’ use of machine translation (MT), an MT error correction (EC) test was developed, based on the analysis of MT errors arising from translating the learners’ L1 of middle school EFL textbooks. Learners were also asked to report on their use of MT EC strategies on the EC task. Results indicated that mistranslated sentence and verb tense are the most difficult types of MT errors to correct. Furthermore, to resolve MT errors, guessing from context and literal translations were the two most frequently employed EC strategies. When multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the contribution of EC strategies to the learners’ ability to correct errors, the mid proficiency learners’ reliance on literal translations and the low proficiency learners’ use of multiple EC strategies were positively associated with improved corrections of MT errors. The results of the study are discussed in light of how L2 learners need to develop competence for using MT in L2 writing.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between students’ cognitive engagement with written corrective feedback (WCF) and their revision behavior. Based on the assumption that different levels of cognitive involvement are linked to learners’ use of the feedback, we investigated how different post-feedback activities (i.e., reading, copying, and explaining the feedback) would affect second language writers’ behavioral engagement with WCF during the revision phase. Ninety-eight students were divided into three experimental groups and one control group. Experimental groups performed one of the three post-feedback activities before revising their original writing. The participants’ revision behavior was examined by their uptake of WCF. Additionally, the change in writing quality between the first and the revised drafts was investigated. Results showed that activities that promote deeper cognitive processing generally led to higher uptake of WCF in revision. The effects of post-feedback activities, however, varied for error types. All the post-feedback activities were effective in improving the quality of writing.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of input- and output-based planning (reading a sample passage vs. writing a draft) on the oral performance of L2 learners with low-proficiency. In this study, 16 Korean female junior college students of low English proficiency were divided into two different planning groups. The reading group was required to read a sample passage of the given topic, designed to encourage “noticing” and “focus on form” using input enhancement, while the writing group was asked to write a draft of their speech, using only their own L2 knowledge. After such planning activities, both groups recorded their assigned speaking tasks using Kakao Talk. Eight planning activities and oral performances were completed over the period of the semester. In order to compare the effects of input- and output-based planning on the improvement of overall proficiency, pre- and post-tests, in which the students produced the same narratives, were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Furthermore, this study explored any difference in speaking performance after each type of planning and what the learners were actually doing during planning time. The results showed that output-based planning had positive effects on speaking performance and its repeated practice led to the improvement of overall proficiency.

This study investigated the use of L1(English) by L2(Korean) learners’ interaction with their native-speaking conversation partners from a sociocultural perspective, using the lens of conversation analysis. The data included 64 hours of recorded interactions of 16 conversation pairs of nonnative learners of Korean and their native conversation partners as well as learners’ diary entries. Findings gleaned from qualitative analysis of learners’ use of their L1 (i.e., English) during native-nonnative pair interactions outside the classroom showed that the overall use of L1 by L2 learners found to be facilitative of their L2 learning. The results proposed a model of L2 learners interaction with their conversation partners that attempted to link learner’s use of L1 and their L2 proficiency, and concluded that learners’ interactions played a key role in improving L2 learners’ language proficiency. In addition, pedagogical recommendations based on the research findings were proposed.

This paper first surveys three kinds of learner interview corpora (LINDSEI, NICT-JLE Corpus, and Trinity Lancaster Corpus), paying particular attention to their interview structures. Then, it explains the principles and features of the ICNALE Spoken Dialogue (ICNALE SD), which includes 425 videos and approximately 1.6-million-word transcripts of the L2 English interviews with 405 learners from ten regions in Asia and twenty native speakers. The ICNALE SD is one of the largest learner interview corpora and practically the sole dataset for the analysis of dialogue speeches by various Asian learners. As a case study based on the ICNALE SD, the author sought to find out how fluently learners in different regions speak in the interviews, which words they characteristically use, and which relationship is observed among them.

This paper examined factors affecting Korean EFL learners’ word association types in their L2 mental lexicon. Specifically, vocabulary size of the learners was examined to see if it had any significant relationship with word association types. To this end, experiment procedures that included vocabulary size test and the lexical decision task as well as the word association task were conducted on 40 Korean EFL learners. Reaction time and accuracy of responding to word associations in the lexical decision task were measured. Subsequently, a correlation analysis was conducted with their vocabulary size. Additionally, learners’ word association types were analyzed based on the results of word association task. The results showed that Korean EFL learners’ vocabulary size had significant correlations with their accuracy in identifying syntagmatic and paradigmatic associations, but not in the phonological association. However, their accuracy was not correlated with reaction times. The results indicate that L2 learners’ mental lexicon is partially dependent on their vocabulary size of the target language, and it is variable depending on word association types.

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.

Developing small learner and native corpora, this case study examines how Korean L2 learners used six types of lexical collocations in L2 writing to address (a) the frequency and acceptability of learner collocations, (b) problematic constituents of deviant collocations, and (c) possible sources of the learner difficulties. The overall frequency (about 8% of each corpus) and relative frequencies of each collocation type were similar between the learner and native corpora in descending order of adjective-noun, verb-noun, noun-noun, adverb-verb, adverb-adjective, and noun-verb combinations. The average and individual acceptability rates of each collocation type were around 70% and the problematic constituents were found both in nodes and collocates. L2 influence on learner difficulties mostly lied in confusions about synonyms, overuse of delexical verbs, and use of correct collocations in wrong contexts. Relying on L1 semantic representations, the learners produced non-habitual combinations, misrepresented the intended meaning, and paraphrased L2 collocations. Pedagogical implications arose for teaching L2 collocations about the importance of considering the immediate context of L2 writing and taking different approaches to different types of collocations.

Chinese L2 learners of Japanese are identified as showing difficulties in the production of Japanese geminates. The idea of being difficult-to-listen is embodied in the concept Comprehensibility (Derwing & Munro 2015). This study first reviews the native pronunciation of Japanese singleton vs. geminate contrast. Then, we report findings based on the pronunciation by 20 Chinese learners of Japanese and discuss the issue of comprehensibility in geminate production. While the contrast in the closure duration between singleton and geminate consonants shows a similar pattern to reported Japanese speech, the learners show large differences in the vowel duration preceding and following consonants. We report findings from a linear mixed model that was run with speaker as a random effect. The results show that participants do not make differences in vowel duration, or the difference in vowel duration is reversed from L1 Japanese speakers. Identifying the locus of the source of an L2 accent should be accompanied with intelligibility and comprehensibility. Such identification is important in increasing comprehensibility in speech that is already intelligible.

The purpose of the study is to provide an analysis of lexical, syntactic, and cohesive features, which were utilized to distinguish written products of L2 writers in the individual writing task from those in the group writing one using Coh-Metrix. In addition, the study attempts to explore linguistic differences in their written outputs with regard to their L2 proficiency and the correlationships between receptive lexical knowledge and productive lexical knowledge. A total of 105 Korean university students participated in this study. Results show that L2 learners’ written outputs varied in several variables used in this analysis such as lexical diversity and word frequency. L2 learners in the individual task yielded more cohesive texts, and they were able to incorporate more difficult words into their written products. Meanwhile, learners in the group task produced longer texts with using more logical and temporal connectives. When proficiency level was considered, L2 learners at the advanced level did not produce more cohesive texts, but instead produced more syntactically complex texts. The scores of productive lexical knowledge in the individual task positively correlated with those of receptive lexical knowledge from two different vocabulary tests. Meanwhile, the scores of productive lexical knowledge in the group task did not yield the similar results. The results implied that Korean university learners in the individual task were more task-oriented and produced a better written output.

Kim, Suyeon. 2017. “L2 Learners' Perception of STAD and its Relationship with Learning Styles”. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 25(2), 73~102. This study aims to examine the relationship among cooperative learning, L2 learning, and learning styles. To that end, I utilized Slavin's Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD) and investigated how learners perceive the effect of STAD on second language (L2) learning and how the effect of STAD is associated with their learning styles. I implemented STAD in two college English conversation classes during a semester, with 44 learners completing two questionnaires and six participating in interviews. Three key findings emerged: 1) L2 learners perceived STAD as being more useful than lecture-centered classes in improving their conversational skills, promoting more active participation and interaction, and developing higher self-confidence and lower anxiety, 2) while avoidant learning styles had a significant negative correlation with students' perception, a significant positive correlation resulted with the majority of learning styles, and 3) collaborative and independent learning styles had a more significant effect on L2 students' perception of STAD than other learning styles. The results show that through cooperative learning, L2 learners are scaffolded to improve conversational skills, and STAD accommodates diverse learning styles by giving learners equal opportunities for success. This study implies that L2 learning can be maximized when teachers employ a strategy that allows learners with different learning styles to participate.

This study investigated the effects of dual coding elucidation on raising learners’ awareness of L2 lexical errors and correct usage. Participants included 135 Korean EFL middle school students assigned to either a single-coding or dual-coding group. The single-coding group studied the incorrect and correct usage of target lexical items under a verbal-code-only condition. The dual-coding group studied the incorrect and correct usage under a verbal-plus-visual-code condition. Participants completed posttests at two intervals: immediately after studying the materials and four weeks later. Analyses revealed that dual coding elucidation had significant positive effects on facilitating learners’ awareness of lexical errors and correct usage; these effects remained over time. The results also indicated no significant correlations between learning style and the effectiveness of visuals. Qualitative data demonstrated that students perceived visuals as being helpful in improving accurate lexical use and their engagement in learning vocabulary. The article concludes by discussing the facilitative role of visual encoding in L2 lexical knowledge development, thus expanding on the dual coding theory.

This study compared aural and written modes of presentation for the two item types, to explore the effects of question/option presentation mode and item type on EFL learners’ listening comprehension performance and their perception. One hundred and fifteen Korean college students who were divided into three different proficiency groups participated in the study. The participants took a listening test which consisted of dialogue-completion and Q&A multiple-choice items in the aural and written modes, followed by a survey on their perceptions, and a stimulated recall interview. The results showed that the least proficient group was more critically affected by the mode than the other two groups. The least proficient group performed significantly better in the written mode than in the aural mode, while they received similar scores on the two item types. The major factors that caused the discrepancy among the groups were memory capacity in the aural mode and reading ability in the written mode. The implications and suggestions on listening test development are discussed.

The present study was designed to examine the effects of a variety of factors on English vocabulary achievement. To this end, a total of seven hypotheses were posed in light of previous research on vocabulary learning. To test these hypotheses, an SEM procedure was performed for a sample of 368 Korean university students. The effects of gender and academic specialization on English vocabulary achievement were also examined through multi-sample analyses. Results of the present study demonstrate that Korean university EFL learners’ English vocabulary achievement was a direct function of motivation and vocabulary strategy. The effects of confidence, learner beliefs, and vocabulary learning methods, however, were found to be only indirectly connected to vocabulary achievement through motivation and strategy use. The results of multisample analyses for learners of different gender and academic major groups identified a total of four path coefficients whose effects functioned differentially across different learner groups. Implications of the present are also discussed.

Assuming that implicit and explicit knowledge are two different constructs, the current study takes unpaired English unaccusatives as its target grammar feature to investigate these two types of knowledge among Korean EFL learners. In line with the growing body of research utilizing a battery of tests, this study adopts a combination of validated tests to assess implicit and explicit knowledge. In doing so, this study lends support to previous studies, in that the L2 learners’ two types of knowledge are not on par. The findings indicate that proficiency was not correlated with the learners’ explicit knowledge, while it was highly correlated with their implicit knowledge. Moreover, regardless of the grammaticality of the unaccsuative sentences, the role of subject animacy varied depending on the learners’ different type of knowledge in relation to proficiency. Finally, a critical discussion on the importance of separating the two constructs of knowledge and implications for future research are provided.

L2 learners tend to encounter and use morphological derivatives more frequently as their L2 skills develop. To pronounce the morphological derivatives correctly, L2 learners have to be aware of the phonological changes occurring in the derivatives with affixation. The four phonological rules (stress shift, vowel laxing, consonant coalescence, and vowel reduction) in English, applying to morphological derivatives, are examined with respect to the entities that the rules affect (stress, vowels, and consonants); the number of rules (only one and more than one rule); and rule interaction (interacting and non-interacting) in L2 phonological acquisition. This study reveals that 1) the accuracy of consonant coalescence is highest although its significance with respect to the accuracy of stress shift and vowel laxing varies according to the number of rules; 2) stress shift and vowel laxing show different order in accuracy depending on the number of rules; 3) the three rules (stress shift, vowel laxing, and consonant coalescence) exhibit distinct behaviors with respect to the number of rules; 4) in the interacting rules, the accuracy of the fed rule (vowel reduction) is significantly lower than the feeding rule (stress shift) while in the non-interacting rules, the accuracy of one rule appears to have no influence on that of the other rule. Based on the results, implications for teaching pronunciation of the derivatives are suggested.

Despite the increasing interest in noticing by second language (L2) learners during the output process, little attention has been given to child L2 learners’ noticing and output. Thus, the present study investigated what child L2 learners of different English proficiency levels noticed as they composed a text and received written corrective feedback (WCF) (error correction vs. models), and how they incorporated the noticed features into their revised texts. Data were collected from twenty-six child pairs throughout three stages (composition, comparison, and revision stages) and note-taking was employed as a means of measuring learner noticing. It was found that learners were able to initiate noticing on their own when composing texts, and that highproficiency learners tended to attend to grammatical problems more frequently than medium/low-proficiency learners. WCF played a facilitative role in leading learners to notice, and their attention to language was mediated differently by different types of WCF. Learners incorporated the noticed features into their revisions, and textual revisions were mostly lexical. Error correction (EC) triggered more grammatical revisions, while the model text helped learners to notice something beyond what they could produce on their own. These findings suggest a facilitative role for output and WCF as a means of learner noticing, and the different roles of EC and model texts.