Earticle

This study investigates the effectiveness of using rubrics to assess foreign learner’s presentation skills. A total of 43 Japanese learners enrolled in a dual degree program at a Korean university participated in the study. Participants were divided into an experimental group, which received explicit rubric-based guidance and engaged in self-evaluation activities, and a control group which followed traditional speaking practice methods. Quantitative analysis using pre-and post-tests revealed that while both groups improved in speaking performance, only the experimental group showed a significant improvement in discourse competence. Additionally, t-tests comparing the top and bottom 25% of performance indicated a strong correlation between high rubric scores and overall academic achievement. Survey responses and qualitative feedback also revealed learners’ generally positive perceptions of rubric use, highlighting its role in clarifying expectations and promoting focused preparation. However, learners expressed some difficulty in using the rubric to identify personal strengths and weakness, the findings suggest that rubrics serve as effective tools not only for assessment but also for guiding autonomous learning and enhancing speaking proficiency. Based on these results, pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research on long-term and diversified applications of rubrics in language education are discussed.

Drawing on the observed developmental trajectory of indirect question acquisition in learner language, this study proposes a developmental sequence for indirect interrogative clauses, called the Question-Sequence, by revisiting previous research on interrogative clauses. The Q-Sequence is theoretically supported by an analysis of the acquisition processes of indirect interrogatives. In addition, to explore the applicability of the sequence in classroom settings, the study suggests the implementation of Sentence Construction Tests, which include critical indirect interrogatives representing each stage in the Q-Sequence. Using these tests, it is possible to diagnose not only which stage learners are in and what errors they tend to make, but also determine what structures should be presented to them in the next stage of the sequence. This provides valuable insight into timely remedies and tailored teaching for learners. In conclusion, the Q-Sequence offers a potential answer to the pedagogical question of which structures to present to learners, when, and how.

This study aims to explore Korean EFL students’ language learning traits in relation to their self-perceived confidence across the four skills of English. Thirty-seven university students at an upper-intermediate level of overall proficiency participated in the study. A questionnaire scale was developed to examine three constructs of learner traits: styles and functional preferences in language use, sensitivity and processing capacity in language processing, and self-regulated strategic efforts for language development. Data were collected through individual interviews using the scale and then analyzed to determine which learner-internal variables show significant correlations with confidence in using spoken and written English. The results indicated that confidence in spoken English was strongly associated with perceived auditory-articulatory sensitivity, verbal memory, and engaged learning efforts, whereas confidence in written English was correlated only with verbal memory. Contrary to common perceptions, other individual difference factors, such as functional preferences in language use and strategic learning efforts, did not significantly influence communicative confidence.

This paper investigates Obligatory Control(OC) constructions by comparing Chomsky’s(2021) Gengo Kenkyu(GK) framework and Chomsky’s(2023) Miracle Creed(MC) framework, both of which adhere to the Strong Minimalist Thesis(SMT). Unlike the GK framework, which relies on language-specific conditions such as Theta Univocality and the Duality of Semantics(DoS), the MC framework derives similar interpretive effects through the interaction of External Merge(EM) and Internal Merge(IM), along with the phase-based segregation between the propositional and clausal domains. A central mechanism in this account is boxing, whereby IM-generated elements are structurally isolated and excluded from further theta-role assignment. Form Copy(FC) is treated not as a syntactic operation but as an interpretive process at the CI/SM interfaces. This approach eliminates the need for PRO or traces and explains both raising and control constructions via copy pairs interpreted differently at the interface. The proposed analysis offers a simpler, unified account of OC constructions, aligning syntactic derivation more closely with interpretive mechanisms and thereby reducing theoretical complexity.

There are two major types of inversions - Subject Auxiliary Inversion(SAI) and Stylistic Inversion(SI). In the minimalist approach, SAI can straightforwardly be analyzed as movement of an auxiliary from T to C for feature checking, with the subject remaining in the canonical subject position Spec,TP. By contrast, SI constructions involve inversion around a full lexical verb rather than an auxiliary. This poses a significant challenge for the minimalist theory of derivation, as it cannot be straightforwardly accounted for by movement of the verb to T or C. This is due to the widely accepted analysis of English, according to which main verbs generally do not undergo overt movement. In this paper, we aim to focus on SI constructions, especially Quotative Inversion(QI), demonstrating that they are also derived systematically. As we discuss the derivation of QI, we will put forward the following claims. First, contrary to some claims that the EPP can be violated under certain conditions in SI, we will argue that the EPP should be reanalyzed as a Criterial requirement, allowing elements other than default subjects to satisfy it. Second, contrary to some proposals that the subject in SI constructions uniformly remains in its base position within vP, we will show that in the case of QI, the subject occupies the canonical Spec,TP position. Third, we propose that SI results from the interaction between syntax and phonology and/or semantics.

The study aimed to investigate the effect of test types on measurements of vocabulary knowledge. Sixty-nine EFL learners participated in the vocabulary test involving three types of tasks(stimuli: L1-translation equivalent, L2-meaning, and L2-context). Based on the findings from ANOVA analysis of the results, the study confirmed that learners with the same vocabulary knowledge may vary in their test scores across different task types. It was also found that the learners' vocabulary learning methods vary among the types of stimuli. More importantly, a positive correlation was found(confirmed by Kendall's tau-b correlation) between the task type and their vocabulary learning methods. The study suggests that the vocabulary knowledge of the same test-taker may be measured higher in the L1-prompted than in the L2-prompted tests because the L1-translation type may be less cognitively demanding and better correspond to their L1 translation-based learning method. Lastly, the study has some implications for researchers and educators.

The present study investigates the effects of two post-reading activities— summarization and question generation—on the reading comprehension of EFL students in a tertiary education context. A total of 64 students participated over the course of one academic semester. Students in the summarization group were tasked with writing a brief summary after reading an academic text of approximately 500 words, while those in the question-generation group created reading comprehension questions based on the text. Pre- and post-tests were administered to both groups to measure changes in reading proficiency. Results indicated that both groups demonstrated significant improvement over the semester, with the question-generation group showing a slightly higher average gain. Notably, while more proficient students appeared to benefit exclusively from the question-generation activity, less proficient students showed significant improvement from both types of post-reading tasks. Additionally, students in both groups reported that the activities were helpful for understanding and retaining the content and expressions of the reading texts. Based on the findings, the present study provides pedagogical suggestions for incorporating meaning-focused output activities to enhance EFL students’ reading comprehension in EAP contexts.