This paper investigates the cognitive processes involved in English word recognition among young EFL learners using eye-tracking methodology. A quasi-experimental mixed method design was used to investigate how young L2 learners engage with basic words, with or without pictorial cues. A total of seventeen 6th-grade pupils from two schools participated in the experiment. The participants were presented with a list of 20 words and were asked to read them aloud while their eye movements were tracked to discern their viewing patterns. Immediately after the reading task, stimulated-recall interviews were conducted to triangulate and validate the participants’ viewing behaviors. Results indicate that participants focused significantly more on the text than the accompanying pictures yet demonstrated better performance in recognizing and reading the words presented in a picture-based mode. Some participants reported that the pictures were not viewed because the words were easy to read. In contrast, others struggled to read certain words due to an over-reliance on their background knowledge, which sometimes led to misinterpretation. These results emphasize the importance of integrating visual cues with word recognition instruction in early language learning contexts, highlighting when and how these cues should be utilized effectively.

This study investigated the effects of exposure frequency, depth of processing, and activity repetition types on vocabulary learning. In total, 78 South Korean fifth-grade students were divided into four conditions. Students in each condition were asked to read a passage with four of the eight target words (exposure: four times) and the other four words (exposure: once) for three days, and to perform the vocabulary activities assigned to each condition. According to the results, exposure frequency and activity repetition type had significant effects on vocabulary learning. Activity repetition type also had a significant interaction effect with exposure frequency and depth of processing. Notably, presenting a word 12 times (4x3) in reading intervals had a more positive impact on vocabulary learning than presenting it three times (1x3), particularly when different vocabulary activities were repeated. Meanwhile, when the same activity was repeated, an activity with a higher depth of processing was more effective for vocabulary learning.

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.

Presenting semantically related L2 words is a popular method in EFL coursebooks, but the research results on this issue remain inconclusive. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of semantic clustering on Korean young learners’ English vocabulary learning. The study was conducted with 174 primary school students. The subjects were divided into two groups: a semantically related words group (SR) and a semantically unrelated words group (SU). For the six weeks of treatment, the two comparison groups were taught the same 40 vocabulary items in different clusters. The vocabulary test results showed that both vocabulary presentation methods had a positive effect on vocabulary learning. However, the SU group significantly outperformed the SR group. These findings indicate that presenting new L2 words in semantically unrelated sets might be more effective than semantically related sets.

The knowledge of spelling cannot be earned by learning the relations between the sounds and graphemes. However, this study shows that the learners' knowledge is not a mere result of simple memorization. The current study found that the learners’ spelling knowledge is interwoven with their established phonemic inventory and their imperfect knowledge of the target language spelling. Using a learner corpus (KNU English Learner Corpus) constructed from young learners, primary school grades from 4 to 6, enrolled in a gifted English program, we extracted and examined 125 erroneously spelled words each from the basic level and the advanced level subcorpus. Building on Justicia et al. (1999), the error data were classified into six categories and an additional category of morpheme error (MOR) with substitution and omission errors accounting for 76.3% of the total errors. Conducting further analysis, we were able to identify typical cases of the errors and the underlying causes inducing the errors. Generally speaking, the substitution error is found to be due to the variability between grapheme and sound whereas the omission error is often caused by the learners’ tendency to prefer simpler graphemephoneme relations. There also exists considerable intervention of the learners' Korean phonemic inventory, particularly in lower level learners. The findings from this study can be used to provide various specific guides for effective spelling instruction and help learners become more confident about their writing.

Melody with text has been known to play a positive role as a memory aid and a learning facilitator. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of song on young EFL learners’ text recall, especially focusing on the factors of memory retention, L2 proficiency, and text length. 41 Korean young learners of English between the aged of 11 and 12 years participated. As a result, significant effects of song text have been observed in the young EFL learners’text recall in L2. They appear to undergo the process of text and melody integration and take an advantage of the song mode in recalling the words and even a longer phrase for a larger amount of time, especially in their second language. The findings shed lights on pedagogical application of songs to second language teaching for young learners.

Boon-Joo Park and Jihye Shin. 2016. Song Effects on Young EFL Learners’ Text Recall in Korean (L1) and English (L2): Focusing on Proficiency and Text Length Factors. Studies in Modern Grammar 90, 117-136. Melody with text has been known to play a positive role as a memory aid and a learning facilitator. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of song on young EFL learners’ text recall, especially focusing on the factors of memory retention, L2 proficiency, and text length. 41 Korean young learners of English between the aged of 11 and 12 years participated. As a result, significant effects of song text have been observed in the young EFL learners’text recall in L2. They appear to undergo the process of text and melody integration and take an advantage of the song mode in recalling the words and even a longer phrase for a larger amount of time, especially in their second language. The findings shed lights on pedagogical application of songs to second language teaching for young learners.

본 연구는 영어를 외국어로 배우고 있는 한국 EFL 초등 학습자들의 부족한 영어 노출 시간을 연 장하면서 말하기 능력을 향상하기 위한 방안으로 게이미피케이션을 접목한 스마트 러닝 과제학습을 설계했다. 경쟁, 보상, 맞춤형 캐릭터 등의 게임 요소를 영어 교육에 접목한 ‘교육 게이미피케이션’의 일환인 본 연구는 모의실험에서 발견된 개선점들을 반영해 주의 집중 시간이 상대적으로 짧은 초등 학습자들에게 과제 학습이라는 부담을 줄이고 영어 말하기 게임을 재미있게 받아들여 적극적인 게임 참여를 유도하는데 중점을 뒀다. 특히 영어 문장을 만드는데 어려움을 겪는 학습자들이 ‘카카오 톡’의 장점인 즉각적인 상호작용과 음성 녹음 기능을 활용한 실시간 및 비실시간 게임을 통해 실력 향상과 더불어 자기효능감도 고취시킬 수 있는 교육 게이미피케이션의 다양한 시도가 요구된다.

The present study examined the effects of gender and grade level on English reading comprehension proficiency of young Korean English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners. Through a nationwide reading comprehension assessment event, nine hundred seventy-nine young Korean EFL learners in Korean elementary school grades 1 through 6 were tested for their English reading comprehension measures. Statical analysis was conducted to investigate between and within group differences as well as possible interactional effect of gender and grade level. Results showed significant main effects of gender and grade level on reading comprehension. However, there was no interactional effect of gender and grade level on English reading comprehension of the young Korean EFL learners.

Syntactic priming effect is defined as a tendency that speakers are more likely to use the syntactic structure in the case that the same structure was used in a preceding sentence compared to the case in which a different syntactic structure was used in a preceding sentence. The purpose of the study is to investigate the difference of the syntactic persistence between young and adult EFL learners. Also, the present study investigated the implicit learning effect. Participants consist of three groups: elementary school students, middle school students, and university students. For the implicit learning effects, each participant took part in the experiment three times with an interval with ten days. As a result, the salient priming effects and implicit learning effects were observed in university students. Weak effects were shown for middle school students and the weakest effects for the elementary school students. Especially, the priming effects on passive and double object dative structure were not observed for the elementary school students, weak for the middle school students, and strong for the university students. The results imply that young EFL learners who are in lack of cognitive prerequisite on L2 linguistic forms are limited to both the priming effects and implicit learning effects. Pedagogically, the young learners who are in lack of cognitive prerequisite knowledge require more explicit instruction for L2 grammar.