Content-Based EFL Instruction Using Scaffolding and Computer-Mediated Communication as an Alternative for a Korean Middle School

This case study explored the potential for implementing content-based English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction in a Korean middle school facilitated by computer-mediated communication (CMC). The instructor scaffolded the student participant's language learning online, helping her to produce English output on her own. While experimental social studies lessons on the topic of stereotyping were taught, data were collected on the student's online exchanges with her counterpart in Iran about their respective cultures. Findings show that the student from Korea was able to better understand her own culture as a result of the online experience. This interaction and the in-class lessons have demonstrated that content-based EFL instruction is a viable alternative to the school's existing curriculum.