• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.23-43
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• 2012

This study investigates the effects of three different types of instruction, namely form-based, comprehension-based, and production-based on the development of Korean university students' (n=137) comprehension and production of English relative clauses (RCs). The extent of improvements was analyzed by administering pre-and post-tests consisting of two comprehension tests (selecting the right form of RCs and the right picture descriptions) and one production test (combining two sentences). Findings of this study suggest that all three types of instruction increased participants' comprehension and productions of RCs. However, there appeared differential effects by the instruction type. It was found production-based instruction was most effective in promoting comprehension, followed by comprehension-based instruction. Comprehension-based instruction worked best with the development of production, suggesting that the effects of comprehension training did not only work for increasing comprehension skills, but also transfer to production skills. The type or level of tasks employed for each instruction appeared to play an important role in causing such results. Form-based instruction displayed the lowest improvements in both comprehension and production of RCs. A sentence-combination task employed for form-based instruction appear to result in mere explicit rule explanations without chances to notice rules in context or use their knowledge in practice.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• no.6
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• pp.1-24
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• 2000

Listening comprehension is an integrative and creative process of interaction through which listeners receive speakers' production of linguistic or non-linguistic knowledge. Compared with reading comprehension, it may arouse difficulties and thus impose more burdens on foreign learners. The Audio-Lingual Method focused primarily on speaking. Mimicry, repetition, rote memory, and transformation drills actually interfered with listening comprehension. So learners lost interest and were not highly motivated. Improving listening comprehension requires continual attentiveness and interest. Listening skill can be extended systematically only when students are frequently exposed to a wide range of listening materials with an affective, cultural, social, and psycholinguistic approach. Therefore, teachers should help students learn how to comprehend intactly the overall meaning of intended messages. The literature on teaching listening skill suggests various useful activities: TPR, dictation, role playing, singing, picture recognition, completion, prediction, seeking specific information, summarizing, labeling, humor, jokes, cartoons, media, and so on. Practical classroom teaching necessitates a systematic procedure in which students should take part in meaningful tasks/activities. In addition to this, learners must practice listening comprehension trough a self-study process.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• no.1
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• pp.69-108
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• 1995

Listening comprehension can be defined as a process of an integrative, positive and creative activity through which listeners get the message of speakers' production using linguistic or non-linguistic redundancy as well as linguistic or non-linguistic knowledge. Compared with reading comprehension, it has many difficulties especially for foreigners. while it can be transferred to the other skills: speaking, reading, writing. With this said, listening comprehension can be taught effectively using the following teaching strategies. First. systematic and intensive instruction of segmental phonemes, suprasegmental phonemes and sound changes must be given to remove the difficulties of listening comprehension concerned with the identification of sounds. Second, vocabulary drill through various games and other activities is absolutely needed until words can be unconsciously recognized. Without this, comprehension is almost impossible. Third, instruction of sentence structures is thought to be essential considering grammar is supplementary to listening comprehension and reading comprehension for academic purpose. So grammar translation drills, mechanical drills, meaningful drills and communicative drills should be performed in succession with common or frequently used structures. Fourth, listening activities for overall comprehension should teach how to receive overall meaning of intended messages intact. Linguists and literatures have listed some specific activities as follows: Total Physical Response, dictation, role playing, singing songs, selective listening, picture recognition, list activities, completion, prediction, true or false choice, multiple choice, seeking of specific information, summarizing, problem-solving and decision-making, recognization of relationships between speakers, recognition of mood, attitude and behavior of speakers.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.19-36
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• 2007

This study explored proverb comprehension and use in elementary school children by familarity and concreteness of proverbs and children's age, sex, experience of living with grandparents. The 529 fourth and sixth grade participants completed a questionnaire probing knowledge of 16 proverbs; 4 each in four categories(familiar-concrete, familiar-abstract, unfamiliar-concrete, and unfamiliar-abstract). Results showed highest comprehension scores for familiar-concrete proverbs. Sixth graders obtained higher comprehension score than fourth graders in all four proverb categories. There was no difference between grades in frequency of proverb usage. An interaction effect between grade and sex showed that female sixth graders had the highest comprehension score. These results suggest a possibility of relationship between figurative language and cognitive development related to abstract thinking in late school-age children.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.207-221
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• 2012

This study examines the importance of learning language and cultural integration in general English class focused on TOEIC reading comprehension. The understanding of cultural learning and learners' cultural awareness has long been a subject of debate. This study was not only to analyze the improvement of students' interest and reading comprehension ability of TOEIC through cultural learning, but also to ensure students who learn American culture overcome cross-cultural miscommunication and improve their English reading comprehension skills. Pre-post surveys and the pre-post TOEIC tests were used to measure language proficiency and American cultural knowledge to two groups: the experimental and control group. The results from the study were as follows: First, students had better TOEIC scores with improved motivation after understanding American culture relevant to the lessons. Second, reading comprehension skills with regards to TOEIC also improved, compared with the students who were not exposed to American culture due to lack of opportunity.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.31-46
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• 2004

This study of 322 elementary school children examined the interrelatedness of internet preference, frequencies of internet activities, usage of children's popular internet sites, knowledge of internet sites, and children's reading abilities. Usage of children's popular internet sites and knowledge of internet sites are interrelated with decoding and comprehension. Age, knowledge of internet sites, and sex predicted children's reading abilities. The extent of exposure to various internet activities differentiated children's reading comprehension. Results show that processes of reading text information and multimedia materials through the internet involve not only the skills of reading traditional printed texts but also new reading strategies.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 1991

This study pursued to find out the degree to which educational objectives are pursued in the 3rd and 5th grade science instructional of an elementary school. Twenty science instruional hours are observed during two month from May to July, 1989. Klopfer's science educational objectives system is used as the tool of objective analysis. Questionnaires for the ideal proportions of the educational objectives are answered by the professors and elementary school teachers. The writers regarded those results as the ideal proportions of the educational objectives. Results from the analysis of the instruction are as follows : 1. Results from analysis of the instruction in the third grade are as follows : knowledge and comprehension (A. 0) objectives are found to be pursued. about 40%. scientific inquiry process(B. 0-E. 0) objectives, about 29%, application of scientific knowledge and methods(F. 0) objectives. about 10%, manual skills(G. 0) objectives, about 11%, scientific attitudes and interests(H. 0) objectives, about 10% and orientation(I. 0) objectives is not pursued. 2. Results from analysis of the instruction in the fifth grade are as follows: knowledge and comprehension(A. 0) objectives are found to be pursued. about 31%, scientific inquiry process (B. 0-E. 0) objectives. about 38%, application of scientific knowledge and methods (F. 0) objectives, about 13%, manual skills(G. 0) objectives, about 7%, scientific attitudes and interests(H. 0) objectives, about 10%. 3. Results from the ideal proportions are as follows : Knowledge and comprehension(A. 0) objectives, 20.5%, scientific inquiry process(B. 0-E. 0) objectives, 46.5%, application of scientific knowledge and methods(F. 0) objectives. 8%, manual skills(G. 0) objectives. 9.5%, scientific attitudes and interests (H. 0) objectives, 9% and orientation(I. 0) objectives, 6.5%. 4. "You ideality index" is 29 in the third grade and 23 in the fifth grade. Science instruction of the fifth grade can be interpreted to be nearer to the ideal instruction in terms of educational objectives.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.23-36
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• 2003

A comprehension-based approach to learning assumes that incoming information and background knowledge are integrated to form a mental representation which is subsequently used to incorporate new knowledge. It is demonstrated that this approach can be validated by comparing human and computational model performance in the prompt learning context. A computational model (ADAPT-UNIX) based on the construction-integration theory of comprehension (Kintsch, 1988; 1998) predicted how users learn from help prompts which are designed to assist UNIX composite command production. In addition, the comparison also revealed high similarity in composite production task performance between model and human. Educational implications of present research are discussed on the basis of the fact that prompt instructions have differential effect on learning and application as background knowledge varies.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.47 no.9
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• pp.37-53
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a children sexual abuse (CSA) parental training program with applied developmental bibliotherapy on parents. Subjects were 54 mothers, 24 of whom participated in the program which included 8 sessions for 4 weeks. Four dependent variables were subjected to analysis of covariance (ANCOVA); mothers’ knowledge, myths and stereotypes related to CSA, and their children’s levels of prevention concepts comprehension and self-protection skills of CSA. The results showed that the program increased mothers’ knowledge of CSA and decreaesd their beliefs on myths and stereotypes, and also increased their comprehension level of CSA prevention concepts and their level of children self-protection skills. These positive effects of the program show that the program can be incorporated into early childhood education practices. We are also pursuing the development of other research programs on this subject.

• Journal of Korean language education
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.149-179
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to establish a Korean reading ability assessment category based on a reading comprehension theory, and to establish an evaluation framework for Korean reading ability after creating the evaluation factors corresponding to each category through expert Delphi survey. The three levels of reading comprehension that were constructed are the following: language knowledge, text comprehension, and interpretation and comprehension of new ideas and application. This study suggested that constructs of Korean reading assessment reflected reading theory. This study has meaningful consequences which suggest verified constructs through Delphi surveys.