Young Sang Cho

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 9-37, 2009

This paper presents a case study that examined the use of one of the Web 2.0 services, a social networking site (SNS), in an adult ESL writing class. The main purpose of this study is to investigate and describe how the SNS was implemented, and how the students perceived its use for their learning. Data were collected over a five-month period, including classroom observations, online artifacts, and interviews with the instructor and the seven ESL students. Drawing on activity theory (Leontiev, 1981) and situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991), the researcher analyzed factors that contributed to the unsuccessful use of the SNS in this particular writing class. The findings of this study show the major conflicts that existed between the English teacher and the ESL students in terms of their ontological views on learning, which resulted in reducing the students` sense of achievement, belonging, and recognition in the process of learning to write with the SNS. The educational implications for using Web 2.0 services in L2 classes have been discussed.

Web 2.0, social networking site (SNS), L2 Learning

Kyung Bin Im

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 39-66, 2009

This study investigated the current ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) use in Korean elementary English classes in relation to the use of English CD-ROM to suggest ideas for improvement. It is widely accepted that the use of ICT in schools has potential positive effects in many aspects of education such as school achievements, learner motivation, and school administration. However, for the successful implementation of ICT teaching/ learning material, many factors should be considered, for example, educational policy, infrastructure, content ware, personnel and financial resources. Therefore, it is important to investigate the effects of ICT teaching/learning materials continuously, such as the English CD-ROM which is being widely used in elementary English classes as one of the main tools of ICT teaching material. In this study, 161 elementary school students and 54 elementary school teachers participated in a survey. This survey intended to find out the participants` frequencies of using the English CD-ROM and the activity preferences. The survey results indicate that the English CD-ROM should be considered for improvement to increase learners` interest and frequency of use. As a conclusion, this study suggests several implications which may help to design more helpful ICT English teaching/learning materials. The main idea of the suggestion is related to learners` interests, the connection between school work and home study, and user interface design.

ICT, CD-ROM, English teaching, elementary English teaching, young Learners

Kyu Tae Jung , Kyung Suk Chang

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 67-92, 2009

This study reports a teacher-initiated classroom investigation on how interaction can be enhanced through peer feedback among students in the college online English class. Data were collected from different sources including student self-assessment, questionnaire, students` written work, pre- and post-tests, and teacher`s diary entries. The research used quantitative and qualitative research methods in the complementary manner. The gathered data were triangulated to improve the validity of the finding. It was found that peer review in writing activity could promote interaction among students in the online class and benefit students` second or foreign language learning. It was also found that peer feedback activity could bring change in the traditional teacher-centered online class by giving students an opportunity to get self-directed and to work in collaboration with their peers. Through classroom research the teacher was involved in the critical reflection upon his practice, and his ownership of change was enhanced over the investigation process. The finding of the current study in terms of continuing professional development suggests that teachers learn and develop through the investigation into their own language class.

online/distance education, interaction, peer review, classroom-centered research, action research, teacher development

Sung Yeon Kim , Young Sook Ryoo

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 93-115, 2009

The present study aims to identify the association between Korean students` vocabulary profiles and their reading and writing proficiency. For the purpose of the study, 107 college students from two universities in Seoul were asked to write an argumentative essay on the following two topics: English Only Classes (EOC) and the Additional Point System for conscripts (APS). In addition to the writing tasks, the students took a reading comprehension test. Then based on their scores on the reading test, the students were assigned to a high proficiency group (n=17) or a low proficiency group (n=17). The students were also classified into a high (n=26) or a low proficiency group (n=29) based on their performance on the first writing task (EOC). A Lexical Frequency Profile (LFP) was then used as a measure of vocabulary knowledge to examine the relationship with other variables, such as writing topic, writing proficiency, and reading proficiency. The findings indicate that the students` written essays on the two topics displayed significantly different vocabulary profiles. Interestingly, the students` vocabulary profiles did not differ according to their writing proficiency whereas their use of academic words differed according to their reading proficiency. The findings are discussed in greater detail, along with pedagogical implications.

Lexical Frequency Profile, writing topic, writing proficiency, reading proficiency, productive vocabulary, vocabulary instruction, writing instruction

Sang Min Lee

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 117-137, 2009

As an accessible and popular learning tool, TV provides a great deal of quality English learning programs at low costs to a large body of audience. EBSe, the government-funded English learning channel, has offered a variety of English learning programs for different age groups in different language proficiencies with different learning goals. With a large amount of programs, EBSe now functions as a lifelong English learning channel; thus, it will be fruitful to evaluate the EBSe programs as lifelong English learning curricula and as learning materials. The study employed both the checklist method (quantitative method) and the in-depth method (qualitative method) in materials evaluation. Overall, most EBSe programs scored over 3 in all five categories under consideration, except for the adult-level programs. However, the study discovered the weaknesses of the programs, such as over-focus on receptive skills, over- development of kindergarten and elementary level programs, and a lack of higher level learning programs. The result of the study will give a valuable insight into future TV English learning programs.

TV English Learning program, materials evaluation, Lifelong education

박선호 Seon Ho Park , 임혜숙 Hye Sook Lim

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 139-168, 2009

The purpose of this study is to examine elementary English teachers` perceptions of the elementary English learning web sites of the public institutions and their use of them. Seventy-two elementary school teachers responded to the questionnaires about their opinions of English learning web sites under the public and private education systems. Interviews were also conducted with 4 teachers and a researcher who was in charge of web maintenance of a public educational institution. The results showed that teachers made use of the Internet generally actively to get ideas and materials for their English classes. However, they tended to indicate more satisfaction with English learning web sites of the private institutions than those of the public ones. With regard to the sites of the public institutions, the authentic materials which could be easily employed in the English classes were more favored than their design and maintenance. On the basis of the results from the survey and the interviews, the ways to elevate the practical use of public English learning web sites are proposed and some suggestions for the effective use and maintenance of the public web sites are also made.

elementary English, English Learning web sites

신동광 Dong Kwang Shin , 정다운 Jeong Da Wn

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 169-193, 2009

The present study aims at developing a program which could be used for making word lists with graded affixes. First of all, valid and reliable criteria were proposed for distinguishing various levels of affixes not explained even in Nation and Bauer`s (1993) classification of affixes. The classification was elaborated and applied to Nation`s (2004) 14,000 word family list. That is, by giving numbers of three to seven, Nation`s word family list was coded according to the level of the word difficulty. Some errors found in Nation`s (2004) word family list were corrected during the coding procedure. Thus, four word family lists at levels four to seven of affixes were developed and each of the word family lists was loaded onto the RANGE32 program (Heatley & Nation, 2,000) to create graded word family lists into 250, 500, and 1,000 word family bands for example. The RANGE32 programs loaded with four different word family lists were respectively named Familizer7, Familizer6, Familizer5, and Familizer4 which are downloadable at http://cafe.daum.net/sdhera. These programs could contribute to popularizing the skills of making word family lists and developing graded teaching learning materials. The article concludes with some suggestions for further research.

familizer, family List, affix, corpus

오주연 Joo Yeun Oh , 신상근 Sang Keun Shin

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 195-209, 2009

The present study investigated how the types of vocabulary activities affected vocabulary learning of seventy-three Korean middle school students. The participants were divided into three groups. Group A practiced target lexical items using all the functions of a computer vocabulary learning program, including creating their own word lists, testing their learning results, and tracking their progress whereas Group B utilized the same functions except the tracking functions. Group C practiced the target words without using the computer program. The results of the study are as follows. First, the activity types brought a significant difference in vocabulary learning across the three groups. Group A performed significantly better than both Group B and Group C, suggesting that the tracking function of the computer program facilitated the students` vocabulary learning. Second, the students were very positive to the usefulness of the computer vocabulary learning program.

vocabulary Learning, computer-assisted vocabulary Learning program

조세경 Sei Kyung Cho

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 211-228, 2009

This study explores how smartphones can be used for foreign language learning. For this purpose, it stars with the definition of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning and the review of how cell phones have been used for foreign language learning. The transition to an information society, the need of lifelong learning, and fast developments in mobile information and communication technology establish the foundation of mobile learning. The ever-increasing ownership of mobile devices such as cellphones, MP3 players, PDAs, smartphones and wireless laptops has led teachers and learners to integrate mobile technologies into everyday practices of education in general. Foreign language learning is one of the promising areas that seem to benefit from these developments. Learners can not only make good use of the mobile devices to listen to and record audio and watch video at any time, but also be supported by the rising availability of podcasts, mobile Web, and other services which encourage authentic and spontaneous interactions in collaborative way. Recently, in particular, smartphones have captured tremendous attention of foreign language teachers and learners as an ideal tool for satisfying new needs of mobile learning era. This is attributed to the fact that the state-of-the-art smartphone has developed into a tool which combines audio, video, text and data files with an Internet connection. Along with this trend, the launch of iphone service has brought in a massive amount of educational applications to the market. Some of the most promising applications designed for foreign language learning will be presented. Finally, some drawbacks and challenges of smartphone-based foreign language learning will be discussed.

mobile Learning, Language Learning, smartphone, iphone, application

최수영 Soo Young Choi , 고연정 Yeon Jeong Ko , 백호 Ho Baek

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 229-255, 2009

The purpose of this study is to investigate what are the effects, and their degree, of blended learning(combining on and off-line) on the speaking proficiency and attitude of college students of English. The on-line courseware was TALL developed by Brigham Young University. The TALL is a blended learning system, and provides an individualized and adaptive learning and courseware management system. For measuring speaking proficiency "PhonePass" was used. The blended learning positively affected the students` speaking ability, and they gained confidence in communicating in English. With a well organized curriculum of on-line courseware, a teacher could lead the class more smoothly without being overwhelmed by responsibility and having many teaching materials to prepare. The students had more opportunities to express their ideas being supported by the TALL and class activities. They gained much confidence in speaking and enjoyed the blended learning.

e-Learning, Blended Learning, ICT English Language education, Multimedia-assisted Language Learning

최인철 Inn Chull Choi

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 257-286, 2009

The ever-increasing demand for English communication skills has required implementation of the method of Teaching English in English in every English classroom setting in Korea. This has necessitated recruitment and employment of large numbers of native English speaking teachers (NEST), which has proven difficult due to the scarcity of competent NESTs. With the advent of state-of-the-art technology designed for teleconferencing, however, e-Learning has the potential to provide a viable approach to tackling this problem. The present study investigated the efficacy of a web-based teleconferencing English teaching program in which native English teachers taught English to about 9,000 elementary and secondary students on-line with the help of Korean co-teachers during the spring semester of 2009. The study explored the extent to which students improved their English oral communication skills through a web-based oral proficiency test, and the degree to which students and teachers were satisfied with the e-Learning system based on a survey. The research findings revealed that the teleconferencing-based English teaching program enabled students to improve their English communication skills and was endorsed by the majority of elementary students.

video conferencing, e-Learning, team teaching

최희경 Hee Kyong Choi , 윤귀양 Kwi Yang Yoon

DOI: Vol.12(No.3) 287-322, 2009

This study attempted to investigate ways of utilizing a Cyber Home Work (CHW) site for elementary school students`s English learning. For this, an on-line class based on the CHW site was designed and peer tutoring was introduced. The participants were thirty-four fifth graders at an elementary school. They were paired up according to their level of English proficiency; high-level students with low-level ones and intermediate-level students with the same level ones. The students used the CHW site for 15 weeks with their partner helping each other. To examine the effectiveness of the utilization of the CHW site through peer tutoring for English learning, pre and post tests and questionnaires regarding the students` English ability, affective attitude towards English, and self-directed learning ability were carried out. Qualitative data such as students` self-directed learning notes, students` on-line writings, teaching journals, and interviews were also gathered from eight case study participants. The analysis of the data showed that the use of the CHW site through peer tutoring: 1) was effective in developing the students` speaking, reading, and writing skills except for listening skills. Especially, it was most effective for the low-level students because of their partners` help, 2) positively changed most students` affective attitude towards English, and 3) was also effective in developing the students` self-directed English learning ability. It was also revealed that the utilization of the CHW site through peer tutoring was most beneficial for the low-level students`s English learning. Based on the findings, several suggestions were made with relation to the contents and design of the CHW site and its utilization for elementary English education.

elementary school English, Cyber Home Work, peer tutoring