Earticle

This study investigated how Korean high school students use English connectives in argumentative writing. The participants were 71 high school second year students. Analysis of data focused on three aspects of connective use: 1) the frequency and kinds of connectives used, 2) commonly used words in each category of connectives, and 3) frequently used positions of connectives. Considering the possible effect of topical knowledge and general English ability, the analysis included the comparison between two topic groups and between two language ability groups. The results showed there was a high similarity between different topic groups and ability groups in the use of connectives, but a significant difference was also found in some limited features. Based on the results, the study concludes that Korean high school students, regardless of the writing topic and language ability, share common features in the use of English connectives. Some suggestions are made for further research and writing instruction.

This study examines learner perceptions into the use of Classwide Peer Tutoring (CPT) as an approach to conduct a mechanical exercise (ME). This research analyzed learner preferences between CPT and other methods of conducting MEs (i.e., oral MEs and written MEs), examined learner perceptions of CPT’s learning effectiveness, and also inquired into student perceptions of CPT’s peer corrective feedback (CF) approach. Forty-six Korean university students participated in this study by completing a survey after experiencing CPT, oral MEs, and written MEs over the course of nine lessons. The data were analyzed through chi-squared, goodness-of-fit tests and descriptive statistics. The results indicated the participants preferred CPT and perceived CPT as more interesting and motivating than the other ME methods. The results also indicated the participants perceived CPT to be more effective than alternative ME approaches. Lastly, the participants had positive perceptions of CPT’s peer CF approach and believed CPT’s peer CF approach was more effective than the CF approach in oral MEs.

This study investigated intra-learner variation in the effects of implicit and explicit focus on form (FonF) on second language (L2) acquisition of the English passive, an interface construction. The study employed a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest design, with five treatment sessions between the pretest and posttests. Implicit FonF was operationalized as textual enhancement (TE), and explicit FonF as consciousness-raising (C-R). Five different outcome measures were utilized to examine the respective treatment effects on the form, meaning, and function of the passive. Data were collected with four Korean high school students, two engaging in TE and the other two in C-R, whose developmental routes through the experiment were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results of the analysis showed that implicit and explicit FonF led to differential variation within each learner, not only across the outcome measures but also over time, yet were suggestive of a potential benefits to each for the different domains encompassed in the passive. These results are further discussed in relation to the learners’ proficiency levels and the types of errors they produced.

This paper explores initiators of humor and the differing characteristics of humor these initiators use in elementary-level English classrooms in Korea. Forty-nine videotaped ordinary classes and interviews with four teachers were investigated. Teachers tended to make learners the subjects of humor, with this type of humor attracting students to participate in learning. Furthermore, teachers encouraged learners to pay more attention to the form of English language features by humorously revealing mispronunciations or expressions that learners could easily make mistakes with. Additionally, among learners, the primary users of humor were middle- to lower-level students. Teachers needed to build a safe environment for English underachievers who unintentionally made humorous mistakes so that they would not be mocked. Also, certain boys intentionally tried humor to get attention. It is noteworthy that teachers and learners jointly constructed humor by supporting each other. This conjoint humor reaffirms the importance of teachers’ reactions and attitudes towards pupils. By listening attentively and accepting learners’ remarks, teachers could make humorous, meaningful interactions. The current paper projects some pedagogical implications concerning how to use or deal with humor for foreign language teachers.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of using films on students’ reading comprehension and attitude toward their English study in the context of a college English class. Specifically, it attempted to examine how a film-based English reading class affected students’ reading comprehension and attitudes toward their study, and how they recognized the film-based English reading class. Thirty-one college students were asked to take pre- and post-tests in English reading, and to respond pre- and post-questionnaires regarding their affective domain, and a focus group of four students was voluntarily interviewed with one of two researchers. Quantitatively, a paired t-test was employed to compare the statistical means from those two samples, and qualitatively, the framework developed by Miles and Huberman (1994) was adopted to describe the major phases of data analysis. The results of data analysis indicated that 1) Using films in the college English reading was helpful for students to comprehend the given text, and to understand other cultures; 2) Also this film-based reading class optimally contributed to the affective domain such as students’ attitudes, interests, and confidence levels. Based on these results, pedagogical implications for effective English reading classes were suggested.

The purpose of this study is to explore inter-grade dividing criteria of the 2015 grade group elementary English textbooks. Elementary English textbooks consist of two grade groups: the 3rd and 4th grade group and the 5th and 6th grade group. L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer(L2SCA) is utilized to investigate the dividing criteria of the communicative functions implemented in these textbooks. Subjects of the analysis were the listening dialogues for their structural sequencing of 3rd to 4th graders and 5th to 6th graders separately within their own grade groups. Data were processed and analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and independent sample t tests for inter-grade textbooks for 14 L2SCA statistical indices. The findings are: 6 indices out of the 14 L2SCA statistical indices turn out to be critical for dividing the 2015 grade group elementary English textbooks. The 6 indices are mean clause length, mean sentence length, mean t-unit length, mean complex noun phrasal number per phrase and per t-unit and mean number of verb phrases per t-unit. Based on the findings, it is suggested that a standardized criteria derived from these 6 indices can be provided as an inter-grade dividing criteria of the 2015 grade group elementary English textbooks.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between high school students’ use of vocabulary learning strategies and their motivation. Its main concern is with how the relationship varies between three student groups divided according to their vocabulary achievement. A survey was taken by a total of 275 students enrolled in a high school in Gyeonggi province. 232 students were selected to be studied. The students were divided into three groups - advanced, intermediate, and beginner levels - based on their performance in vocabulary tests. Their responses were analyzed through SPSS to produce both basic descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show the three groups differ regarding which strategies both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation had a significant impact on - these were memory and cognitive strategies for the advanced level group; decision, social, memory and metacognitive strategies for the intermediate level group, and none for the beginner level group. The results also show that the three groups differ regarding which strategies only extrinsic or intrinsic motivation had a significant impact on.

This paper analyses the foreign language curriculum of general high schools in China. The Chinese educational authority announced an experimental version of its language curriculum in 2003, revised it in 2017, and revised it in 2020. In 2003, the foreign language curriculum included only three foreign languages: English, Japanese, and Russian. German, French, and Spanish were added from the 2017 curriculum. The 2017 curriculum consists of three categories: ‘required’, ‘required optional’, and ‘optional’. The required courses meet the requirements for graduation by all students. Students intending to go to college must complete all required optional courses. The six foreign language curriculums equally set four core competencies: language ability, cultural consciousness, thinking ability, and learning ability. In addition, this paper investigated curriculum structure of the six foreign languages, learning vocabulary, and items included in the appendix, and compared the foreign language curriculum in China and Korea. In conclusion, Korea’s next curriculum suggested that achievement standards and evaluation criteria should be more specific in preparation for the high school credit system, and that achievement standards and evaluation criteria should be described so that the curriculum and college entrance can be linked.

本论文分析中国普通高中外语课程标准。 2003年，教育部印发了普通高中课程方案 和课程标准实验稿。之后教育部印发了2017年版和2020年修订版。2017年普通高中 课程标准有两大变化。一是调整外语规划语种，在英语、日语、俄语基础上，增加德 语、法语和西班牙语。二是将课程类别调整为必修课程、选择性必修课程和选修课 程。六门外语课程标准共同具备四种学科核心素养:语言能力、文化意识、思维品质和 学习能力。本文还对六种外语课程结构、包括语法项目和词汇表等的附录进行了研 究, 并比较了中国和韩国的外语课程。 因此，韩国下届课程建议，在准备高中学分 制度时，应更具体地制定课程标准, 各类课程的功能定位与高考互相衔接。

This article considers the content and utilization of cultural elements that promote effective learning in Japanese language education classes, based on a survey and analysis of cultural elements that Korean learners of Japanese are interested in. Effective learning means that learners ‘discover’ their own culture in the process of inter-action through learning and activities, recognize and understand other cultures, find problems through mutual understanding and critical thinking, and fosters cooperation and creative problem solving.　As a result of analyzing the cultural elements surveyed, <B2. Products(with substance)> in the analysis framework was the most common, followed by <C. Practices>. In this way, students, regardless of whether they majored in Japanese or not, were highly interested in products and practices as external cultural elements. However, it does not mean incorporating all the cultural elements that the learners desire into a class is proper. There are variables such as the environment and purpose of learning the target language, goals, interests, Japanese level, motivation to sustain learning, communication effectiveness, time constraints, and whether or not the learner is a Japanese major. It is necessary to incorporate ‘cultural elements’ with these limitations in mind.

本稿では、韓国人日本語学習者が関心のある文化要素について調査分析したも のをもとに、日本語教育の授業において効果的学習を促す文化要素の内容と活 用について考察した。効果的な学習とは、学習者自らが学習･活動を通して、イ ンターアクションのプロセスにおいて自文化を「発見」し、他文化を認識･理解 するという相互理解と批判的思考による問題発見と、それを解決するために協 働し創造する能力の育成を可能とする学習である。調査した文化要素を分析し た結果、分析枠組みの<B2.所産･産物(実体あり)>が最も多く、続いて<C.習慣･慣 習>であった。このように、日本語専攻･非専攻を問わず、学生たちは外面的文化 要素としての所産･産物と習慣･慣習への関心が高かった。しかし、学習者が望 む文化要素をすべて取り入れるということではない。目標言語を学ぶ学習者 の環境や目的、目標、興味･関心、日本語レベル、学習を持続させる動機、目標言語 のコミュニケーション遂行に効果的かどうか、時間的制約、日本語専攻かどう かなど、あらゆる変数を視野にいれて「文化要素」を取り入れる必要がある。

This study is undertaken to design a Korean presentation class for academic purposes based on CALLA (Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach) and to find its effectiveness. In this study, 10 foreign graduate students participated in the class which teaches presentation strategies for 15 weeks. According to CALLA, some useful presentation strategies were introduced and practiced repeatedly, and the students’ presentations in Korean considering their major were completed gradually. As a result, positive effects from the presentation class on the perspective of language, non-language and data organization could be acquired through repetitive feedback and practice. Thus, the students could use the proper discourse for topics ranging from the introduction and development of the presentation to concluding presentation. The learners have shown a lot of improvements in presentation ability through the CALLA course regardless of language proficiency but the class design used in the study should be conducted in other presentation classes for academic purposes.