Soojin Ahn , Eun Seon Chung

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 10-35, 2020

This study investigated students’ views on the use of online machine translation (MT) in L2 writing by collecting survey responses from 171 Korean learners of English upon completion of actual writing tasks in the classroom and comparing these responses for different proficiency levels and text genres. The participants first wrote a paragraph without using MT or any other resources and then wrote another paragraph using only Google Translate a week later. The study found that students are generally satisfied with using MT for L2 writing and are also willing to use MT in future writing tasks. More importantly, responses by students in different proficiency levels and text genres showed notable differences. Low proficiency learners had the highest acceptance rate of MT output and showed the highest degree of satisfaction and willingness to use MT for L2 writing. The genre groups also showed differences, as the narrative group was significantly less satisfied with MT use, less likely to accept the MT output, and less willing to use MT in the future than the argumentative group. Based on these findings, we discuss the implications for the use of MT as a pedagogical tool in L2 writing classrooms.

L2 writing, online machine translation, L2 proficiency, text genre, students’ perceptions

John Burrell , Jee Eun Lee

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 36-52, 2020

The study was carried out to determine students’ and teachers’ perceptions of a blended learning course given at a Korean University. The students filled out a questionnaire at the end of the course asking their degree of agreement with statements concerning the course. The three teachers participated in a semi-structured interview. The Cronbach’s Alpha test was used to show the internal reliability of the questionnaire. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine if there were any differences in responses between male and female students or between freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors. The instructors’ interview was taped and transcribed. The transcription was then manually coded using inductive coding to look for common themes. The results showed the majority of the students had not had any experience with a blended learning before this course; however, they were positive towards the blended learning format. There were no differences in responses found among any of the groups. The teachers indicated that the blended learning format was suitable for the students even though the course required more preparation than a traditional course. The study supports previous research showing positive responses by students towards blended learning courses.

Blended learning, Korean university, student perceptions, higher education, learning styles, reading activity

Hee Choi

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 53-74, 2020

This study analyzes the effects of multimedia-based instruction using Open Educational Resources (OER), when taking into account various learning styles and English proficiency levels of elementary school students. A total of 94 students participated in the study, with 47 in the experimental group and 47 in the control group. The experimental group received instruction using edited audio and video clips taken from OER, as well as using AI-based materials. In contrast, the control group completed class content as normal, relying on only the regular textbook and CD. The statistical analysis revealed no significant difference of post-test score between the control and experimental groups. While the results did not successfully demonstrate the effects of OER-based multimedia education, it should not be concluded that OER is not effective in the teaching of English. It was found from the in-depth interview with the participating teacher and students that the new teaching method was appealing to the students, and encouraged active participation by the students. More research is needed in this area and it is important to consider in future studies the issues of teacher preparation, software usage, and test item development to determine if there is any positive effect of OER-based multimedia education.

OER, Open Educational Resources, OER-based multimedia education, AI based materials, CALL

Jae-hyun Im

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 75-97, 2020

The rapid development of portable communication devices and social networking platforms, along with nationwide fast Internet, has changed the way people socioculturally and transnationally engage in multimodal literacy practices. Since 2016, when the number of hours of mobile Internet usage outnumbered that of desktop PCs, people have increasingly enjoyed “snack” culture, in which they watch more mobile-friendly, condensed content than full-length content. Thus, a crucial question is how this new trend impacts English learning. This paper explores what characteristics of mobile English learning attract the digital native, or iGen, youth and how meaningful interactions on mobile platforms happen while learning English. Drawing theoretically upon the new “technical stuff” and “ethos stuff” of New Literacy Studies (NLS), English learning content on three popular platforms (YouTube, AfreecaTV, and Instagram) and interactions among users (e.g., teachers and learners) were analyzed. The findings show that the content has characteristics of gamification, snack culture, teaching with authenticity, and guidance for extra learning. Interactions on the platforms display multimodal interactive modes of communication, learners’ voluntary compensation, and a blurred distinction between learners and teachers. This study calls for more attention to out-of-school, mobile platform content.

Mobile-assisted language learning, mobile learning, new literacy studies, multiliteracy, multimodality, social network

Chahyun Kim

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 98-120, 2020

This study aims to examine whether there are linguistic differences in College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) English using corpus linguistic programs such as Readability Formulas and Lexical Complexity Analyzer (LCA) on the basis of the criterion-referenced assessment introduced in the 2018 academic year. The study compares CSAT English reading from 2015 to 2017 academic year (norm-referenced assessment) and 2018 to 2020 academic year (criterion-referenced assessment). There are no significant differences on any of the measures. As level of difficulty in CSAT English is to be maintained, we see that the exam purpose has been achieved. However, the results of evaluation with the Readability Formulas web-site indicate that the level of CSAT reading texts is too high for twelfth grade students in Korea. Previous studies have found that the policy of linking EBS and CSAT has produced difficult reading passages in CSAT English. In accord with the aim of the national curriculum to enhance students’ communicative skills, decreasing the difficulty level of reading texts and removing some word families or vocabulary at too high a level may cause teachers and students to focus more on speaking and writing; and speaking and writing skills need to be directly assessed.

corpus linguistic tool, Readability Formulas, LCA, Lexical Complexity Analyzer, CSAT English, English education policy, criterion-referenced assessment

Hyung-sun Kim , Baegseung Kim

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 121-143, 2020

This study analyzed the scripts of two TV dramas, The Newsroom and Suits, to examine the distribution of tense-aspect constructions. It followed the discourse perspective on pedagogical grammar which includes pursuance of i) discourse-level grammar over sentence-level grammar; and ii) communicative grammar for spoken discourse over the typical grammar based on written discourse. The scripts were extracted from the DVD subtitles so that they can be mostly composed of spoken lines. The time segments and scene descriptions were removed. All 3,392 verb phrases were manually annotated for twelve combinations of tense and aspect and more varieties. 78% of all tense-aspect constructions were simple tenses carried by main verbs; 91%, when the simple tenses carried by Aux were included. Tense realization by non-typical forms was prominent in the future tense. For some modal verbs, miscellaneous modals occurred more frequently than core modals. While the main verbs far exceeded the modals in terms of tense-carrying frequency, the latter was more crucial in delivering important details. It is proposed that L2 communicative grammar focus on a smaller subset of more practical tense-aspect constructions and spoken language features. Further drama-corpus studies for L2 learning purposes are recommended for diversified topics in larger scopes.

tense-aspect constructions, drama corpus, discourse grammar, functional approach

Yeonhee Kwon , Heyoung Kim

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 144-174, 2020

Mobile assisted language learning (MALL) has emerged as a potentially effective paradigm for the past two decades. However, the important question that still remains unanswered is its sustainability. The purpose of this research is to examine whether individual learners would be able to conduct sustainable MALL at a tertiary level and how learner factors affect the sustainability. For this study, fifty three college students in Seoul were asked to conduct individual MALL with their mobile applications, posted their study logs, and interacted with one another on social media for twelve weeks. In this process, one of the researchers, as a facilitator and an active participant, assisted the students to study English with mobile applications on their own and encouraged them to post their study logs as well as to interact with one another on social media. For the qualitative analysis, this study collected students’ study logs, collaborative talks on social media, and conducted an open-ended survey. The findings suggest that individual students actively participated in individual MALL overall. With the intervention of the facilitator, students’ degree of participation at a social networking service (SNS) gradually increased. The large collection of students’ collaborative talks constructed collective knowledge, social trust, and a huge information resource which enabled students tosustain MALL individually. SNS seemed to foster a learning community which was a virtual place to enhance self-directedness of individual MALL learners.

mobile-assisted language learning, MALL, sustainability, individual MALL, sustainable MAL L, social networking service, SNS

Kyle R. Van Horn

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 175-214, 2020

Educators have long used background music to enhance learning environments of classrooms. Until now, however, one area of research that remains largely undocumented is the effect of background music in the classroom on L2 oral production. This paper presents a mixed-method study that investigates the effects of background music on oral production in an intermediate university EFL context in South Korea. The study first asks if (122 first-year) university EFL learners perceive themselves as better L2 speakers with background music present during classroom speaking activities. The study then examines whether or not the learners' perceived self-efficacy equates to actual output outcomes in terms of 1) beginning speaking activities more quickly and 2) speaking a larger total amount of words when background music is present. Qualitative analysis of student surveys confirms that learners generally view background music as beneficial to their L2 speaking output. Furthermore, the author recorded and transcribed 230 small group conversations, then implemented paired samples t-tests, which confirm that student perception of self-efficacy is valid in that background music 1) can lead to quicker initial utterances and 2) is not a detriment to total words spoken. Methodological limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

background music, EFL, MALL, L2 oral production, learner self-efficacy

김성연 Kim¸ Sung Yeon , 신동광 Shin¸ Dongkwang , 김경숙 Kim¸ Kyung-sook

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 215-235, 2020

This study examined both lexical and collocational knowledge of Korean college students in relation to their writing proficiency measured by a diagnostic writing test. The study analyzed essays written in response to two topics by college students at three different proficiency levels (high, mid, low). In a comparison of vocabulary used in the essays, the study noted differences between the proficiency levels in terms of token and type frequencies. However, the lexical distribution patterns in reference to graded word-lists were similar across the proficiency levels. Regardless of the topic, approximately 90% of words used in the essays were from the first 2K words, and about 95% of words from the first 3K words. As to learner use of collocation, collocational expressions were more frequently used by advanced learners, compared to intermediate- or low-level learners. Despite the difference, collocational distribution patterns according to the graded collocation-list were also similar across the three proficiency levels. Regarding part-of-speech-tagged collocation, students tended to overuse a limited set of patterns, such as AJ-NN, NN-NN, and VP-AVP. Findings are discussed in more detail, along with pedagogical implications.

corpus analysis, vocabulary, productive vocabulary, collocation, writing proficiency, part of speech tagging

이현주 Lee Hyeonju , 조혜선 Cho Hyesun

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 236-259, 2020

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of an ICT-based “participation points system (PPS)”, which is used to encourage students’ participation by giving them immediate compensation for their in-class participation. In the treatment-control experiment, an ICT-based PPS tool was used for the treatment group (84 students), and was not used for the control group (51 students) for a semester. A post-survey was conducted to examine the effects of the PPS on students’ perceived participation and affective factors (interest, confidence, attitude, motivation, and anxiety). In the pre- and post-test experiment, pre- and post-surveys were conducted for a group of 77 students to examine the effects of the PPS. Linear regression results indicate that the use of the PPS was highly effective in the affective domains and the perceived degree of participation, especially in interest and confidence. This seems to be due to the encouraging class environment and a team-based scoring system. Thus, according to the current results, the use of the ICT-based PPS is highly recommended as the ICT tools are further integrated into classrooms.

participation point system, ICT, participation, interest, confidence, motivation, anxiety, affective factors

조영우 Cho Young Woo

DOI: Vol.23(No.2) 260-299, 2020

Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented level of technological advancement conducive to individualizing language learning. This situation urges language instructors to upgrade their roles from teachers and trainers to coaches who facilitate individual language learning in a technology-supported environment. Despite its potential, however, coaching has not received due attention in previous language learning research. Thus, this study investigated the feasibility of coaching embedded in the TTC (Teaching, Training, and Coaching) Model for improving EFL learners’ self-directed English learning capacity. Seventeen English majors at a university in Korea participated in face-to-face and mobile text-based coaching via KakaoTalk after receiving teaching and training for self-directed English learning in a regular 15-week course. The results from immediate and delayed exit questionnaires revealed predominantly positive evaluations of the TTC model, with one-on-one face-to-face coaching given the highest marks. More specifically, face-to-face coaching was viewed as helpful for sustaining smooth interaction and getting instant feedback whereas mobile text chat coaching was seen as useful for reviewing coaching chatscripts and overcoming time and space constraints. Further research is needed to reveal the intricacy of learner and contextual variables in determining the effectiveness of coaching embedded in the TTC model.

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