강진

DOI: Vol.16(No.1) 11-36, 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine fourth graders’ acceptance of English digital textbooks as learning material in a formal classroom setting. The participants consisted of 313 fourth graders, sampled in Gyeonggi-do, who were surveyed with a questionnaire based on TAM (Technology Acceptance Model). TAM is a theory gauging the acceptance and application of technology by the users. The participants had not had any direct experience of digital textbooks previously, and this experiment was premised on the assumption that most of the students would be in the same level by 2014. In order to investigate the overall results of modified TAM and four research questions, this study was conducted through EFA (Exploratory Factor Analysis) and CFA (Confirmatory Factor Analysis). In comparison with SEM (Structural Equation Model), three research questions were acquired while one research question was dismissed by statistical analysis. The students’ acceptance possibilities of digital textbooks were high, and the factors influencing them included elements of usefulness and playfulness. Therefore, these two factors should be taken into consideration before the English digital textbooks are provided to elementary school students.

digital textbook, primary education, Technology Acceptance Model

권연희

DOI: Vol.16(No.1) 37-65, 2013

This study explores college EFL learners’ usages of smart applications for mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). The current ‘smartphone fever’ increases explosively the number of users and applications for language learning. However, learners are not well-informed of the adequate applications. This study attempts to identify how college EFL learners use their smartphone applications for individual English learning. The research questions are 1) How did college EFL learners use their smatphones for language learning purposes? 2) How did they study English with smartphone applications for twelve weeks? 3) How did they perceive MALL as a medium for language learning after twelve weeks? The findings suggest that with the smartphone applications given by the researcher and the ones they searched by themselves, they conducted ubiquitous as well as autonomous learning with the high preference of applications for practicing receptive skills. Also, they built positive perceptions of MALL in general. This study concludes that smartphone applications enable college EFL learners to engage in successful autonomous language learning and learners routinize MALL with no significant changes in previous smartphone usage pattern. However, the participants did not seem to pursue in-depth learning through MALL.

mobile learning, mobile-assisted language learning, smartphone, smart applications, learner perception, autonomous learning

김두범 Du Beom Kim , 윤충한 Chung Han Yoon , 문태홍 Tae Hong Moon , 김승백 Seung Baek Kim , 채영호 Young Ho Chai

DOI: Vol.16(No.1) 67-91, 2013

This paper aims at developing multimedia English educational contents which can motivate learners to study English and improve their English abilities by applying the hippocampus learning system to the e-Learning system suggested as means of solving the social problem caused by the gap of English abilities among the people. To develop learning contents, this study tried to find an learning method suitable to adolescents, the main target of this research, by examining their peculiar life styles and values, and searched for various elements which can contribute to the improvement of their English learning. Especially, this study focused on factors contributing to formation of long-term memory, and designed components of multimedia which can help learning contents to be stored as long-term memory. The unity game engine was used to implement the designed components. This study also describes optimization procedure for mobile device, sensor-based character control method, interaction methods, speech synthesis-based voice output, and communication with virtual characters using voice recognition as well. Finally, it predicts learning effects through implemented contents, and suggests limits of the implemented contents, and future directions of the English educational contents for the present young generation.

hippocampus, edutainment, e-learning, post digital generation, whole language approach, unity, game engine, text to speech, voice recognition

전희철 Hee Chul Jeon

DOI: Vol.16(No.1) 93-117, 2013

This study deals with English vocabulary learning by elementary school students and the development of vocabulary learning e-Book contents for use throughout Korea’s public school system from 2014. The existing researches on e-Book contents have focused on the development and application of e-Book contents. However, these earlier studies have been limited to offering suggestions such as hardware and software that could be developed for the future. This research is distinct from other studies in that it conducted an experimental class using vocabulary e-Book contents which contained pseudo words and looked at the effects of using e-Book contents. According to the results of the experimental study of this research, the developed e-Book contents helped improve receptive vocabulary through explicit learning in the areas of spelling, meaning, and related sentences. Also, it can be utilized effectively in improving productive vocabulary such as writing words. In conclusion, this study has shown that e-Book contents that will be developed in the future should include various types of multi-media elements such as still images, moving pictures, and sounds to captivate students’ interests and to motivate them.

E-book, vocabulary, pseudo word, smart learning

최홍규 Hong Gyu Choi , 김정렬 Jeong Ryeol Kim

DOI: Vol.16(No.1) 119-141, 2013

The purpose of this study is to develop a Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) smart app in elementary English reading education for extensive reading that gives students their readability index by means of a test before elementary school students began their reading. Compared with the web based Korean elementary English readability index (KEERI), software developed by Kim and Moon (2012), the CAT smart app tends to be a pre-test. And it is based on smart devices and CAT. Based on 700 readability index evaluation questions, the CAT smart app has been developed to measure students’ readability index. The core engine used in the CAT smart app was implemented in PHP, Java SDK and Android SDK. After analysis of a survey conducted by expert group, the need for CAT was recognized. So the CAT system on the web was developed, too. After the development of the CAT smart app, a correlation analysis was conducted with the students’ evaluated readability index and English reading ability performance assessment, and it was found that there was a high correlation. It showed that the students who had a high readability index got high scores in their English reading ability performance assessment and the higher the students’ score, the higher the correlation was.