• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.27-46
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• 2007

Teachers can maximize students' L2 learning by knowing preferred learning styles. This paper presents the results of a survey that asked 309 English learners to identify their perceptual learning style preferences. It further compared students' favored learning styles in terms of their gender and major field of study and explored a possible link between learning styles and English achievement. Collected data using Reid's (1995) questionnaire were analyzed by descriptive statistics, MANOVA, ANOVA, correlations, multiple regressions including squared partial correlations, and Cronbach's alpha. The results indicated that Korean students favored English learning in group regardless of gender, while their preferred mode of learning was significantly different in regard to their major field of study. Certain learning styles might be profitable for English achievement. Multiple regression analyses revealed that individual mode of learning was the best predictor of students' English achievement. It furthermore showed significant relationships between visual and individual styles of learning and English performance. The findings of the study reflected students' English learning context in which English native-speaking teachers frequently used communicative pair and small group activities for speaking practices that were consonant with students' learning styles.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.1-24
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• 2006

This study investigated differences in beliefs about English learning of 286 EFL college students and 52 English teachers in Korea. Data was collected using Horwitz's Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory and compared between students and teachers in beliefs. To address the research questions, the data were analyzed through descriptive statistics including frequencies, factor analysis, MANOVA, ANOVA, t-test, and reliability coefficients. The results showed four factors in student beliefs: Difficulty of learning English, nature of learning English, importance of correctness in learning English, and motivation and perceived importance of learning English. Clear differences were found in students and teachers' beliefs in English learning aptitude and importance of translation, error correction, and grammar rules. A few belief differences were also identified between Koreans and native-speaking English teachers related to the importance of vocabulary learning, pronunciation, and cultural knowledge. The findings of the study indicated that background variables such as gender and major field of study have an effect on student beliefs about L2 learning. The present study also provided pedagogical considerations to reduce mismatch between students and teachers beliefs and to improve the L2 planning and instruction.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.165-176
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• 2010

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between variables affecting learning effect and flow experience on an e-Learning English program. There are 4 independent variables; English thinking structure, self-efficacy in English and flow. The results are as follows: Firstly, there is statistically significant positive correlation between each variable of English thinking structure, pre English skill, self-efficacy in English, flow and learning effect. Secondly, it appeared that flow was affected by all three variables of English thinking structure, pre-English skill and self-efficacy in English. Also flow experience affected learning improvement. Finally, it is verified that there is a mediating effect of flow experience on the relation of self-efficacy in English and learning effect.

• 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.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.89-96
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• 2019

This study examines the impact of online collaborative English language learning to enhance learner motivation and classroom engagement in university English instruction. The role of learner motivation and classroom engagement has gained much attention under the premises of current constructivist framework of English as a foreign language education. To promote learner motivation and classroom interaction in English instruction, participants in this study engaged in integrative English learning activities through online group collaboration and peer-tutoring. They exchanged productive peer response and shared their learning experiences throughout the integrative English learning activities. Digital technology played an integral role in motivating the learning process of the participants. Data for this study were gathered through an online questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed based on the ARCS motivational model of instructional design to identify the motivational aspects of integrative English learning activities. This study reveals that participants of this study regarded online collaborative English learning activities as the positive and motivating learning experience. The online collaborative English reading instruction had positive effect on improving EFL university students' learning performance. Participants of this study also identified affective and metacognitive benefits of online collaborative EFL learning activities for learner motivation and classroom engagement. This study reveals that the social networking platform in online group collaboration played a crucial role for the participants in understanding the integration of online group collaboration as the positive and effective language learning strategy. This study may have implications in suggesting the effective instructional design for promoting learner motivation and classroom interaction in EFL education.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.75-94
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• 2009

This study was designed to assess demotivation factors and compare the factor between two secondary school student groups. It furthermore examined how the factors related to students' L2 proficiency. A 31-item questionnaire was completed by 407 junior (JH) and senior high school (SH) students. Five factors were extracted through the principal axis factoring: Teachers' competence and teaching styles, Dissatisfaction with English classes and grading system, Difficulty of learning English, Lack of motivation and interest in learning English, and Inadequate learning contents. Although both JH and SH students did not perceive their English teacher as a strong attribution of demotivation, Difficulty of learning English and Dissatisfaction with English classes and grading system were the two strongest demotivating factors. When compared the overall mean scores of each factor between JH and SH groups, significant differences were found in all factors except Factor 4, with SH students reporting stronger demotivation. JH students attributed their demotivation to Difficulty of learning English, while SH students attributed that to Dissatisfaction with English classes and grading system. Both groups tended to attribute their demotivation to external forces. The study also showed that several demotivation factors related negatively to L2 proficiency.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.127-142
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• 2004

This paper examines the relationship between children's English proficiency in grade three and English learning environment and experiences before entering elementary school. In English learning environment and experiences, three influences consisting of children, home environment, and environmental influences of English learning are used to find out which influences contributed to children's English proficiency in grade three of elementary school. The result of this study shows that children with high interest in English have higher proficiency in all language skills reading, writing, listening, and speaking than that of children with low interests. For parents' influences, parents' high interests toward their children's English leaning and high monthly income result in children's high English proficiency. For English environmental influences, children who start at the early age and continue studying English have higher English proficiency.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.131-152
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between the introduction order of 9 English morphemes in the English textbook used in the middle school and the learning order of the morphemes by the 7th graders learning English as a foreign language. The subjects are 139 students in two middle schools, who learn English with different textbooks. The introduction order of each morpheme in two textbooks was examined according to its quantity and frequency. Data on the real learning order were collected through the written SLOPE test, and each morpheme was ranked by its group score. The introduction order of each morpheme in the textbook and the real learning order were analyzed by Spearman rank order correlation. It was shown that the correlation between the two was very low. This means that those textbooks do not take the learning order of English morphemes into account. Also it was shown that in the earlier stage of learning English the introduction order of each morpheme in the textbook had much influence on its learning order, but in the later stage such influence reduced gradually. This means that the learning order of English morphemes approaches the natural order as time passes by.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.335-363
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• 2005

One of the most important features in the 7th National Curriculum of English is the introduction of the middle school multi-purpose English classes. Despite the importance of the classes, there doesn't seem to be enough studies of developing learning materials for them. The purpose of the current study is, therefore, to develop English learning materials for the multi-purpose English classes based on the Task-Based Learning framework. To do so, various tasks were collected and adapted for the classes, and different teaching techniques suitable for the tasks were designed. It is hoped that this research will help teachers prepare for teaching materials for the classes, and students recognize their interests in English and to improve their English abilities.

• Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.281-308
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of CMC-based English learning. In this study, CMC components were found to provide circumstances of facilitating interactions between student-student and student-student-teacher, which enabled students to accomplish language learning tasks. Findings of this study are as follows: First, CMC based language learning experience helps students have positive attitudes toward their English language learning. Second, student-student-instructor interaction group outperformed other groups in academic achievement and class activity participation. Third, cooperative learning groups more actively participated in the class activity than the individual learning group resulting in better academic performances. These findings supported the fact that cooperative learning with CMC components are useful in bringing more class participation and positive attitude that were believed to foster language learning than other groups in traditional language learning environments. This study suggests that the instructor needs to use instructional design strategies helpful to facilitate active interactions between instructors and students in order to achieve better effectiveness of English learning in a CMC based learning environment.