Earticle

Writing is one of the most challenging and neglected areas of English education in Japan, particularly with regard to developing critical argument and establishing writer identity. This problem requires exploration into English writing classrooms in Japan in order to uncover the problems students face in their practice with these features of writing, and to discuss possible solutions. The purpose of this study was to find out what one Japanese university’s approaches were to English writing. This was achieved through classroom observations, interviews with students and teachers, and an analysis of students’ written texts. It was found that students worked diligently with what was given to them in class, although most of them felt it was not enough, while the teachers felt uncertain about what to give their students. The analysis of the students’ texts revealed that students were able to apply newly acquired skills, but were limited by only superficial understanding of the techniques.

This study aims at investigating Korean university students’ product and process of writing in English to see the impact of L2 writing proficiency and reader awareness, using a software program for recording keyboard activity and compose-aloud protocols with retrospective interviews. It analyzes compose-aloud protocols of eight students of two different levels of English writing ability (LP and HP) for two tasks (one with specific information on the target reader and the other without it), which were combined with the data recorded by the computer program Inputlog. The results of the study illustrate the effects of L2 writing proficiency on the written product and writing process on-line of Korean students. Both groups spent most of their time writing, but the HP group did more editing. The LP students verbalized more often for language form searching. The study also reveals some impact of reader awareness, which was more observable in the HP group. The HP students were aware of the reader role in English writing; thus, they used audience-related strategies regardless of the tasks. But its frequency increased in the task where the target reader was given, while no clear impact of reader awareness was noted in the overall quality of both groups’ writing.

Today there is no doubt about the pluricentricity of the English language. Kachru’s (1988) theory of concentric circles, with the division of English functions into three types – English as a Native Language (ENL), English as a Second Language (ESL), and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) – has become axiomatic. However, attitudes to the status of EFL in Russia are complex and even confusing. Most Russian linguists and educators, though admitting the existence of World Englishes as regional varieties of English, deny the existence of Russian English among them. When asked what kind of English they speak, most Russians will say that they use British or American English. The reasons for this are to be found in education traditions which saw the British model dominating Russian school textbooks. This article discusses the results of a sociolinguistic survey of both teachers and students of English in the Russian Far East. The aim of the survey was to investigate Russian communicators’ attitudes to the English language they learn / teach, their preferences in communication through English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), and their name of their variety of English they speak. The results of the research are compared with those obtained by Campbell, Ekniyom, Haque, and Smith (1983) and Kachru (1982) in other countries of the Outer and Expanding Circles.

This study investigated the language learning processes and literary experiences of Korean adolescent students enrolled in a literature-based program. This study utilized practitioner research in which the researcher bridged the gap between theory and practice by teaching an EFL class and carrying out research with the intention of changing her own teaching practice. Data collection consisted of audio-recordings of classroom conversations and interviews, students’ writing in and outside of the classroom, a survey, the teacher’s field notes, and other classroom documents. Data was analyzed to address the following research questions: 1) How do young EFL learners in a literature-based communicative language learning context respond to literary texts? and 2) What is the role of the classroom teacher who promotes responses from EFL learners in response-oriented communicative language instruction? Data analysis revealed 1) that the students perceived the use of literature as a new and effective way of learning English; 2) that the students’ experience went beyond language learning; 3) that the teacher promoted oral and written communication that focused on responses to the literature used. Considering the impact of literature on the EFL students, the author suggests implementation of literature-based instruction and further studies in EFL settings.

This paper firstly defines language learning strategies and briefly reviews the literature on the relationship between strategies and success in language learning. It then describes a study involving two language learners studying at the same language school in Auckland, New Zealand and living in the same homestay, an accommodation arrangement involving placing international students with local families. The two students in this study were both females from East Asia who had come to New Zealand to study in an English-speaking environment. Meg, who was 26 years old, wanted to learn English to prepare herself for her new job, and Kay, who was 19, wanted to learn English to go on to university. They arrived in New Zealand to start their courses at the same time, and were initially placed at the same level (Elementary). It soon became clear, however, that Meg was making much faster progress with her language learning than Kay. This paper looks at a range of variables which might have affected the progress of these two students. A number of strategies are identified which Meg was observed to use frequently and effectively, and suggestions are made regarding the implications of these findings for successful language teaching and learning.

This paper investigates socio-political aspects of English as a foreign language (EFL) learning motivation and attitudes toward Americans and toward English learning among Korean high school students. I analyzed the nature of situation-specific language learning motivation and attitudes among 364 Korean high school students who completed questionnaires about EFL learning and an English proficiency test. Factor analyses revealed seven motivational factors, including a situation-specific competitive motivation across gender and age groups. This debilitative motivation might have been due to the negative washback of the nation-wide high-stakes test of college admission. A negative correlation was identified between the attitudes toward Americans and English proficiency, which might be attributed to anti- American sentiment among young Koreans. The results suggest that EFL motivation should be considered as a dynamic construct reflecting the socio-political dimensions of Korean EFL learners’ educational contexts.