• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.91-110
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• 2005

Many Korean EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students do not have sufficient opportunity to develop cultural knowledge and information in their classrooms. EFL teachers also tend to ignore the teaching of culture. Even though culture is taught, it simply tends to deliver "fact-only" information from the viewpoint of a "tourist level rather than cultural awareness by comparing native with target cultural references. Teaching target cultural knowledge and information should be delivered within the native cultural frame, and teaching of culture must be an integral part of teaching and learning English. The research methodology was quantitative. Quantitative data was gathered from 83 Korean EFL teachers and 286 EFL students by questionnaire. Findings indicated that three of these independent variables (cultural inequality, English-only instruction, and Unoism) were significantly and inversely related to integration of culture.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.283-300
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• 2009

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a model for an English learning web-site using Korean folktales to stimulate the interest of beginners learning English, (elementary and early middle school ages) and suggest an integrated way of teaching 4 skills. The study first reviews the theoretical and historical backgrounds of storytelling using Korean folk tale, WBI (Web Based Learning), and learner-centered learning. Storytelling using Korean folk tale is an interactive way of teaching English through the use of words and actions from Korean traditional culture. The students can take pride in their own culture while learning a foreign language since they are familiar with the stories and the culture. Nowadays multicultural education is one of the big features of global education. Therefore there are benefits of studying English through Korean folktales. The websites can help students learn English ubiquitously with a learner-centered focus. For the study, we analyzed several digital English storytelling websites. The paper concludes that digital English story books need to improve their interactive ways of teaching for more effective learning. The authors created an integrated English learning website model using Korean folktales for beginners. We hope to introduce this type of learning through the website for higher level students in middle school. Further study should be conducted in order to make the websites more meaningful and useful for Korean students learning English.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.24
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• pp.120-131
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• 2011

South Africa is a multiracial country where different cultures and languages coexist. Culture can be conveyed through language. Language conditioning is also social conditioning, and through words we make sense of our own and others' experience. In this paper I investigate the meaning of two culturally significant words: (English) peace and (African) ubuntu. Data findings will show how L2 speakers of English, when asked to define peace, promptly operate a process of transfer of the meaning from their mother-tongue Xhosa equivalent - uxolo - to its English equivalent. Ubuntu, an African word which encompasses traditional African values, has no counterpart in English. I will also argue how, in the ongoing process of globalisation, English is playing a predominant role in promoting cultural homogenization.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.496-504
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to guide efficient ways to teach cultural aspects in Korean elementary English education through analyzing many studies on elementary English culture education. In global era, English education must be performed based on understanding of other various cultures for authentic communication. However, Korean elementary students have difficulty to approach or to be exposed to the culture of English speaking countries. Elementary English culture education is neither well organized nor performed for some reasons. The reasons are as follows. Frist, English teachers are not confident with the culture and they consider themselves not having enough experiences and knowledge to teach. They were not taught cultural aspects and the cultural aspects were not emphasized. Second, there are not appropriate culture related teaching materials in the textbooks and teachers' guide books. Therefore, necessary cultural aspects should be selected by English education experts and provided in the textbooks and teachers' guide books. Those two books should be systematically connected. Elementary English teachers should have more opportunities to understand and experience other various cultures. Language is a part of culture and culture is a part of language. Acquiring the second language is acquiring its culture. The culture education for authentic communication is accomplished from managing cultural aspects in textbooks and cultivating English teachers with experience and understanding of target culture.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.99-106
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• 2020

The aims of this study were to analyze the cultural contents of 5th and 6th grade English textboooks written according to 2015 Revised National Curriculum, and to examine how much suggestions from preceding studies were reflected in the English textbooks. This study also aims to seek directions for desirable culture education in Elementary English textbooks. For this purpose, the culture content in 5th and 6th grade English textbooks were analyzed according to the types, materials, and background. The results show that the current English textbooks still has an imbalance by culture type, material, and background. Futhermore, the suggestions from previous studies were not fully reflected to new English textbooks. Therefore, cultural contents in textbooks should include more varied and balanced culture types, materials, and background in order for effective cultural education. Based on the findings, several suggestions are made for future research.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.127-152
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• 2007

Recently, the number of students to choose to study in Australia has been increasing significantly. The purpose of this study is to examine how Korean primary school children perceive their own English language learning and cultural adaptation in Australia. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 34 Korean children aged 8-13 who were attending primary schools in Brisbane, Queensland. The study results show that they made diverse efforts to learn English language and culture in Australia, such as making English-speaking friends, watching TV/video/DVD, reading English books, and studying with a foreign tutor. Their English listening and writing abilities were thought to be improved most, followed by speaking, reading and cultural understanding after studying in Australia. The subjects were mostly satisfied with their study and life in Australia but they had difficulties with communicating in English, homesickness, foods, weather, insects, and discrimination. In particular, they had problems with understanding classes conducted all in English and participating in the classroom activities due to their low level of English ability and understanding of Australian classroom culture. The findings of this study have pedagogical implications for educators both in Australia and Korea.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.561-568
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• 2022

This study investigated how pre-service English teachers perceive the effects of machine teaching on their English writing competence. 35 Korean students who are majoring in English education participated in this study. The participants used machine translators for one of the required courses related to English composition. A survey and focus group interview were conducted at the end of the course. They were asked to answer to what degree they perceive the effects of machine translators on their writing in terms of lexical, sentential, and discourse levels. Furthermore, their perspectives on the effects of machine translation on English teaching including limitations of machine translators, were interviewed in more detail. The results show that the participants perceive machine translators quite positively in terms of improving their writing competence, but they also point out some critical limitations of machine translators. These findings have some pedagogical implications for English writing course instructors, English teacher educators, and program developers.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2020

We aimed to understand how English textbooks in Korea reflect English education policies for improving the English language learners' cultural ability. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, we used the method of analyzing English textbooks because English textbooks are an important tool that most specifically reflects the English policy of a country. This study analyzed middle school English textbooks currently used in Korea. We analyzed nouns/pronouns related to cultures presented in the reading section included in each unit, and compared cultural diversity and cultural identity included in English textbooks in Korea. As a result, it was found that Korea tried to introduce the diverse cultures from the world and promote Korean traditional cultures into the world. So the cultural policy of English education in Korea can be evaluated to be appropriate for cultivating Korea young learners with the cultural capabilities which are essential to be successful leaders in the globalized world.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.183-189
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• 2021

This study examines the effects of Korean college students' English proficiency and the English text types on their paraphrases. Korean college students with three groups of English proficiency (high, mid, and low) read two types of English texts, causal texts, and argumentative texts, and paraphrased them in English. Students' paraphrase text was evaluated in terms of content (idea exposition, idea development, and wrap up), organization (coherence and cohesion) and language use (grammatical accuracy), and analyzed by MANOVA. As a result, it was found that there was a significant difference in their paraphrase performance according to the participants' English proficiency levels rather than the types of English texts. The results of this study have educational implications for English paraphrase education to prevent plagiarism for Korean university students.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.1-29
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• 2006

The purpose of this paper is to present a qualitative case study on teaching English as an international language in Korean context. The researcher investigated the implementation process of the new elementary English program from the government to local schools to find out to what extent the symbolic value of English as an international language affect the implementation process of the elementary English program. The research result showed that the elementary teachers shared the different views of the status of English from those of government and the parents, and their differing perception of the role of English constantly affected their implementation efforts. The research findings also revealed that the public's concern of English dominance in Korean educational system resulted in the government's 'comprised curriculum' by lowering the learning goals of the English program. The findings also indicated that the introduction of the elementary English program accelerated English dominance in both teacher and student culture. The question of how to resolve the conflict between acquiring English proficiency and its negative influence on Korean culture remains a complex issue in implementing the new elementary English program.