Jiun Baek , Chung Hyun Lee

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 11-36, 2018

Language learners in Asian EFL contexts find spoken English challenging due to insufficient exposure and opportunities for practice. Many researchers investigated multiple tools and methods to improve this, and one of the ways that has been gaining increasing popularity is the incorporation of mobile devices. Although its potential is widely recognized, it is seldom realized in real classes. A popular teaching approach using such technology appears to be blended learning, which attempts to maximize practice and promote autonomous learning. This study employed a blended learning environment using mobile devices and a social networking app to investigate students’ engagement in English speaking classes. Participants in this study were 112 intermediate students at a university in Korea, using Kakaotalk to discuss and summarize lesson contents as well as a medium for peer and teacher feedback. A questionnaire and classroom observations were used to examine students’ perceptions on mobile assisted blended learning (MABL), and their engagement of the activities. The results showed highly positive perceptions and engagement overall for the framework of MABL, although some students were skeptical due to the difficulties they encountered. Assessment of the effectiveness of MABL in enhancing students’ speaking performance is suggested for future research.

mobile assisted language learning, blended learning, English speaking, perceptions, engagement

Jongbum Ha

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 37-56, 2018

The potential of Slido―an online platform with which the teacher can get a voice from his or her students―for effective management of foreign language classrooms motivated this study. 110 students at a university in South Korea experienced six weeks of Slido activities in which they were asked to present questions and key words through Slido after reading authentic passages within a limited time. A survey of written questionnaires was used for data collection, which included general questions about students’ perceptions on the use of Slido in class as well as its effects on their participation, comprehension, and motivation. The results suggest that Slido was effective, leading to students’ active participation, better comprehension, and higher motivation. The anonymous and spontaneous nature of Slido enabled students to present their questions with little hesitation for instant feedback from the teacher and share their ideas with other classmates in the form of real-time word clouds. Slido was considered the most ideal form to trigger students’ questions among the given choices although it has both positive and negative aspects. Implications are suggested based on the findings of the current study, and several limitations as well as a suggestion for further study are presented.

Slido, participation, motivation, foreign language learning, effective management

Sei-hwa Jung

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 57-81, 2018

This paper reviewed the current body of research on the use of blogs in second/foreign language education. The purpose was to investigate research trends and provide a comprehensive review of the current state of research, including theoretical frameworks, methodologies and research topics for future research based on the review. A total of 38 research articles published in six peer-reviewed journals for the past decade was selected for review. Then, major trends from the existing studies were re-examined and thoroughly analyzed. This review found that many studies did not explicitly provide a theoretical base of the investigation. Moreover, an increasing number of research on blogs have adopted mixed-method research designs. English as a second/foreign language was the most commonly investigated target language, followed by Spanish and French. The most frequently addressed topics included developing productive language skills, promoting intercultural competence, creating shared space and a sense of community, and understanding individual differences. The results showed not only the educational potential of using blogs in the second/foreign language classrooms but also limitations found in the current review study. Also, implications for researchers and language practitioners were provided for their future directions.

blogs, language learning, language teaching, Web 2.0 technology

Seo Young Kim , Chung Hyun Lee

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 82-110, 2018

Peer response has been considered one of significant activities to improve learners’ writing skills in second language (L2) writing classes. However, a few studies have been examined in terms of peer response focusing on lexis and grammatical structure in a blended learning environment. This study aims to explore these feedback types of lexis and grammatical structure in peer response, and to investigate the influence of peer response on students’ lexis and grammatical structure in L2 writing in a blended learning environment. A case study was conducted on eight university students who were enrolled in an English writing course and engaged in online and offline peer response sessions. The findings are as follows. First, the most repeatedly occurring feedback type was Direct Correction, and more Indirect Correction occurred in online peer response sessions. More language related episodes (LREs) were produced in online peer response sessions than in the offline context. Second, there were increases in scores from Essay 1 to Essay 4. The students’ active participation in peer response sessions throughout blended learning seemed to have a positive influence on their lexis and grammatical structure in L2 writing. Suggestions are made for content literacy in L2 writing and further research directions.

L2 writing, peer response, feedback type, lexis, grammar, blended learning

Yunjin Kim

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 111-142, 2018

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) are steadily gaining popularity as language learning tools among second and foreign language learners. The purpose of the current study is to explore the language learning findings of previous studies published from 2008 to 2018 through database searches using the keywords: ‘MMORPGs’, ‘online RPG’, ‘RPG’, ‘language learning’, and ‘English education’. Thirty articles that met the research requirements were selected. A qualitative content analysis was adopted to analyze previous studies, dividing them into three categories: 1) game design, 2) language skills and knowledge, and 3) pedagogical processes. Additionally, a theoretical framework was employed in the current study, classifying the content of previous studies into three categories: cognitive, social and affective perspectives, with each category linked with language learning theories including cognitivism, constructivism, socio-cultural perspectives, and behaviorism. The results indicated that the outcomes in MMORPG language learning could be classified into specific themes: communication, collaboration, interaction, and motivation. The design of MMORPGs (character, narrative environments, and quests) has an impact on learning experiences and engagement. The possibilities and potentialities of using MMORPGs were addressed in terms of mediating language learning between real and virtual worlds. Suggestions were made to implement the use of MMORPGs for future language learning in English education based on Csíkszentmihályi’s (2000) flow theory.

MMORPGs, communication, collaboration, interaction, motivation, experiences, engagement, flow theory

Daehyeon Nam

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 143-162, 2018

Recently, many studies of corpus linguistics have explored corpora to investigate how lexical bundles are distributed in terms of their function and structure in diverse language uses. In this vein, while there has been much research of lexical bundles in university students’ L2/EFL writing, there is little research on prospective science and engineering university students. The purpose of the current study, therefore, is to investigate how prospective science and engineering university students use lexical bundles in academic writing. To this end, two corpora of argumentative writing were contributed both by university students with advanced English proficiency, and prospective science and engineering students. A systematic comparison of structural and functional lexical bundles found that there are significant differences in their uses of the lexical bundles. Specifically, the prospective science and engineering university students used more VP-based lexical bundles, a contributing characteristic of conversation register. Moreover, their functional use of lexical bundles was idiosyncratic, indicating that the prospective science and engineering students use less discourse-organizing lexical bundles and more conversation lexical bundles. The findings suggest that science and engineering students need special attention in the earlier stages of their university English education.

lexical bundle, function, structure, prospective students, science and engineering majors

Namhee Suk

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 163-180, 2018

Extensive reading has gained popularity in language teaching and has been practiced in various ways in different settings because of its many benefits. Recently an increasing number of teachers and researchers of extensive reading have incorporated an online assessment tool, MReader, in their extensive reading programs to hold students accountable for reading. However, there has been little research on the effect of MReader on facilitating extensive reading. This study aimed to explore ESL/EFL students’ reactions to MReader in relation to its effectiveness in promoting extensive reading, employing two case studies in the ESL and EFL contexts at different time periods. This study centered on an analysis of semi-structured interviews with 8 ESL and 7 EFL students who were asked to reflect on their use of MReader, as well as on their teacher’s observation notes during the 15-week semester in each setting. The findings revealed that MReader promoted extensive reading and motivation to read in English, though some skepticism was encountered at the onset of the implementation of MReader in the classroom. Implications for implementing MReader in an extensive reading program in ESL/EFL contexts are discussed.

MReader, extensive reading, online assessment, reading accountability, student perception, L2 reading

Le Thi Hien Thao , Sung Yeon Kim

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 181-210, 2018

The present study explored the collocational behaviors of the two near-synonymous adjectives, wide and broad using a corpus analysis. The study examined similarities and differences of the two adjectives in terms of their overall usage patterns, semantic preferences, semantic prosodies, and nominal collocates. From the comparison of their collocational patterns, the study found that in terms of overall usage patterns, wide was more frequently used in the entire corpus and across all the genres. Wide was most frequently used in the genre of Magazine while broad was preferred in the Academic genre. Regarding semantic preference and semantic prosody, broad displayed more varied semantic preferences than wide, even though they both had neutral semantic prosody. Likewise, while the two adjectives shared many collocates, their collocational patterns were found to be different. It can be inferred from these findings that broad seems to have more diverse semantic usage than wide, even though they are seemingly similar and interchangeable. This implies that classroom teachers should help students develop an awareness of the differences in the usage and meaning of such synonyms and learn how to differentiate them.

corpus analysis, COCA, collocational behaviors, near synonyms, near synonymous adjectives, semantic preference, semantic prosody

Shu-yan Wang

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 211-230, 2018

Task-based language teaching has received tremendous attention in the field of teaching a second language (L2), but task complexity in L2 reading has been under-researched. Furthermore, studies on paper- and screen-based reading were seldom discussed in L2 contexts. The participants in this study were 82 intermediate EFL learners enrolled in a Chinese university. A two-way ANOVA research design was used to examine the effects of task complexity and media of L2 reading regarding fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary learning. Paired-sample t-tests were employed to examine readers’ vocabulary retention within one month. The results found a significant interaction effect between task complexity and media in reading fluency: the Paper-Complex-Group navigated the text slower than the Paper-Simple-Group, whereas the Screen-Complex-Group read faster than the Screen-Simple-Group. Increased task complexity had limited effects on reading comprehension in either media condition. Additionally, the complex reading task maintained or even elicited more vocabulary retention within two weeks, but the facilitating effect disappeared two weeks later. Based on these findings, reading tasks requiring more language-related output are recommended for further research. Pedagogically, paper-reading with risk-free tasks and screen-reading with cognitively demanding tasks can be employed to promote fluent L2 reading.

task complexity, reading tasks, reading media, screen-based reading, EFL learners

김혜숙 Kim Hea-suk

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 231-246, 2018

This study aims to investigate the effects of movies on English listening for university students. 46 students participating in this study were divided into two groups: low and high proficiency based on their TOEIC scores. Students were asked to practice listening through selected movies for 12 weeks in order to address the following research questions: 1) Is there any significant difference in the TOEIC listening results before and after the pre- and post-test scores?; 2) Is there any significant difference in the TOEIC listening results between the low and high proficiency groups?; and 3) What are college students' perceptions toward developing English listening through movies? Pre-and post-TOEIC listening tests were administered to measure students' improvement. The results revealed that all students showed improvement in their TOEIC listening test scores. However, the high proficiency group achieved better improvement gains than did the low proficiency group in the post-test. A survey and in-depth interviews revealed that students showed positive attitudes towards English listening skill improvement using movies in the classroom. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future studies follow.

movies, English listening, proficiency, listening skill

이인혜 Lee Inhye , 김정태 Kim Jungtae

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 247-266, 2018

Test takers’ scores of a computer based English speaking test are affected by task types and difficulty factors (Brindley & Slatyer, 2002) and yet there is little literature on the relationship between them. This study investigated the effect of task types and difficulty on test takers’ speaking performance, as well as on their perceptions of the speaking test’s task difficulty and task types. For the purpose of the study, 78 university students were given an English speaking test, immediately after which they completed a survey. Based on Skehan and Foster (1997), four task types were proposed: read-aloud, personal, description, and decision-making tasks. The results showed that mean differences among all tasks were significantly different with the exception of the mean difference between read aloud and personal tasks. Secondly, students’ perceptions of task difficulty indicated that the read aloud task was easiest, while the describing task was perceived as most difficult. However, the correlation coefficients between test takers’ speaking test scores and their score expectations indicated a low to moderate relationship. Some suggestions are discussed in terms of task types and speaking performance.

task type, task difficulty, speaking performance, English speaking test, students’ perceptions, CBT

조영우 Cho Young Woo

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 267-297, 2018

The present study introduces a new methodological framework that meets the emerging needs of coaching for foreign language learning. More specifically, this study presents technology-supported coaching as a viable methodological paradigm for facilitating autonomous foreign language learning in the upcoming new era where cutting-edge technology in artificial intelligence may significantly lower the burden of language teaching and training. To this end, this study first provides a historical sketch of how the traditional paradigm of teaching and training has shaped the current foreign language education landscape, and then points out some key limitations associated with approaches driven by the teaching-training combination. This is followed by a discussion of the conventional roles of language teachers and their new role as coaches with a focus on the communicative nature of language and learner agency. It is stressed that a language learning coach, rather than just a language teacher or trainer, is expected to play a central role in the future in fostering learners as active agents of communicative language use. Finally, four specific coaching process models are presented to help language coaching professionals implement coaching sessions in a technology-supported learning environment.

coaching, coaching for foreign language learning, technology-supported language coaching, language learning, English teaching

진승희 Jin Seunghee

DOI: Vol.21(No.4) 298-322, 2018

The present study aims to explore the effects of using smartphone applications (apps) for vocabulary flashcards and SNS based mobile collaborative learning on EFL university students’ development of vocabulary knowledge. Over one semester, 22 students in a smartphone app-assisted learning group learned target vocabulary words using a flashcard app (Cram) and participated in mobile collaborative learning on a social networking service app (Facebook) outside of the classroom, while the other group of 20 students learned the same target words using paper-based flashcards, a traditional vocabulary learning tool. The results show that the smartphone app-assisted learning group outperformed the traditional learning group in vocabulary gains. The superior results of the smartphone app-assisted learning group was demonstrated again in a delayed test, demonstrating that using smartphone apps for vocabulary flashcards and SNS based mobile collaborative learning was effective for both short- and long-term retention. The students’ positive response indicated that this new kind of instruction was interesting, helpful, and useful in increasing their motivation and engagement. The study suggests that smartphone app-assisted vocabulary learning can be incorporated into the current curriculum to provide effective learning opportunities and to develop students’ vocabulary knowledge.

mobile collaborative learning, vocabulary learning, smartphone-assisted language learning, smartphone application, SMART education, SNS, flashcards, EFL