• Journal of Korea Game Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.7-16
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• 2016

This research aims to suggest a gamified smart learning design for Korean EFL young learners' speaking proficiency. Gamification is the use of game-thinking and game mechanics in non-game contexts to engage users in solving problems. Thus, the gamified smart learning as gamification in education is designed not only to elicit students' participation but also to enhance speaking skills. Especially, this research based on the results of a pilot study is focused on easing the burden of homework as well as engaging the speaking English game for the primary students with a relatively short attention span. The game elements utilized in this study are competition, rewards, customized characterization and so on. Kakao Talk is selected for this gamified smart learning research because of its ease of accessibility, and multiple applicable functions for language learning such as voice recording, text messaging and sharing videos or photos. Gamification in smart learning can be a means of productive approach to contemporary EFL teaching and learning.

• Proceedings of the KSPS conference
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• 1997.07a
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• pp.230-241
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• 1997

효과적으로 외국어 교육을 하려면 학습자가 지속적으로 흥미를 갖고 수업에 임하게 하고 이미 학습한 내용을 자연스럽게 직접 사용해 봄으로써 강화할 수 있도록 유도하여야 한다. 노래와 첸트, 게임은 특히 초등학교 영어교육시 중점적으로 사용하고 있는데 보다 많은 교육효과를 내기 위해서는 이들을 보다 체계적인 방법으로 활용할 필요가 있다. 이에 본 워크샵에서는 초등학교 어린이를 대상으로 영어에 대한 흥미를 북돋우면서 효과적으로 영어발음을 지도하기 위하여 어린이들에게 맞는 영어노래와 게임을 사용하는 방법 즉 노래와 게임을 이용한 학습목표 세우기, 노래 및 게임 고르기, 노래와 게임 소개하기, 여러 가지 수업활동과 접목시키는 방법 둥을 소개하고 한국인 초등학교 영어교사들을 위해 노래와 게임을 지도할 때 사용함으로써 자연스럽게 어린이들의 영어듣기 및 말하기 능력을 신장시키는 데 필요한 영어표현을 소개한다.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.797-802
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• 2023

In an environment where English is a foreign language, English learners can use AI voice chatbots in English-speaking practice activities to enhance their speaking motivation, provide opportunities for communication practice, and improve their English speaking ability. In this study, we propose a teaching-style AI voice chatbot that can be easily utilized by lower elementary school students and enhance their learning. To apply the Teachable Agent system to language learning, which is an activity based on tense, context, and memory, we proposed a new method of TA by applying the Teachable Agent to reflect the learner's English pronunciation and level and generate the agent's answers according to the learner's errors and implemented a Teachable Agent AI chatbot prototype. We conducted usability evaluations with actual elementary English teachers and elementary school students to demonstrate learning effects. The results of this study can be applied to motivate students who are not interested in learning or elementary school students to voluntarily participate in learning through role-switching.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.435-444
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• 2014

As vocabulary acquisition has become one of the emerging key issues in the foreign language education field, interest in vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) has also increased. However, little has been done to investigate the vocabulary learning strategies of young learners. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate VLS use in elementary school English language textbooks. A total of three fifth grade English textbooks and teachers' guidebooks were chosen and analyzed with the vocabulary learning strategies taxonomy suggested by Scbmitt (1997). The researcher identified there were only a limited number of vocabulary learning strategies in the textbooks and most of them were consolidation strategies. It was concluded that a variety of VLS should be introduced in multiple ways in consideration of learner preference, styles, culture and level of English proficiency. Some implications for the teaching and learning of vocabulary for EFL instruction amongst young learners are discussed.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.181-197
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to measure how English immersion classes affect students. This study seeks to answer two questions. First, will the young learners gain an international sense? Second, will the students learn English naturally without having to be sent abroad to an English speaking country? Several kinds of immersion programs have been designed and implemented in Korea. However, many students have felt great stress and mental pressure in the immersion programs. Students find the programs stressful because English must be used at all times. In this paper, two groups of elementary school students are compared: one being the control group and the other being the experimental group, an immersion class. The results show that the mental health problems, sensitivities, and rates of depression in the immersion group are greater than those of the students in the control group. Therefore, the immersion students' overall mental health is substandard. The negative effects of lethargy and depression are made worse when they are placed in English only environments. The results indicate more attention should be focused on respecting and understanding the students' overall mental health when teaching them English.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.121-128
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• 2024

With the recent rise in the use of AI-based online translation tools, interest in their methods and effects on education has grown. This study involved 30 prospective elementary school teachers who completed an English writing task using an AI-based online translation tool. The study focused on assessing the impact of these tools on English writing skills and their practical applications. It examined the usability, educational value, and the advantages and disadvantages of the AI translation tool. Through data collected via writing tests, surveys, and interviews, the study revealed that the use of translation tools positively affects English writing skills. From the learners' perspective, these tools were perceived to provide support and convenience for learning. However, there was also recognition of the need for educational strategies to effectively use these tools, alongside concerns about methods to enhance the completeness or accuracy of translations and the potential for over-reliance on the tools. The study concluded that for effective utilization of translation tools, the implementation of educational strategies and the role of the teacher are crucial.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.33-40
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• 2020

The purpose of this research was to find out the relation between Korean learners' English proficiency and the ratio of the length of the stressed vowel in a monosyllabic noun to that of the unstressed vowel in an article of the noun phrases (e.g., "a cup", "the bus", etcs.). Generally, the vowels in monosyllabic content words are phonetically more prominent than the ones in monosyllabic function words as the former have phrasal stress, making the vowels in content words longer in length, higher in pitch, and louder in amplitude. This study, based on the speech samples from Korean-Spoken English Corpus (K-SEC) and Rated Korean-Spoken English Corpus (Rated K-SEC), examined 879 English noun phrases, which are composed of an article and a monosyllabic noun, from sentences which are rated on 4 levels of proficiency. The lengths of the vowels in these 879 target NPs were measured and the ratio of the vowel lengths in nouns to those in articles was calculated. It turned out that the higher the proficiency level, the greater the mean ratio of the vowels in nouns to the vowels in articles, confirming the research's hypothesis. This research thus concluded that for the Korean English learners, the higher the English proficiency level, the better they could produce the stressed and unstressed vowels with more conspicuous length differences between them.