• 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.17 no.2
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• pp.139-160
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• 2011

This study examines correlations between affective variables and English learners' achievement in native teachers' classes. Specifically, it aims to study the relationships among Korean college students' English learning motivation, anxiety, WTC (willingness to communicate) and their English achievement scores. For the purpose, the questionnaire surveys were conducted, and the students' English scores were analyzed and compared. The participants were 216 university students taking the general English courses as a requirement for graduation. The results indicated that although the students had high level motivation to learn English, especially for social reasons, their WTC in and outside the classroom was low. Also, unlike the previous studies on foreign language anxiety, their anxiety level was not significant. Anxiety and motivation were negatively correlated; WTC and motivation were positively correlated. However, according to the regression analysis, the explanatory power of the three affective variables was not significant for the students' achievement scores. Several possible reasons and some pedagogical implications are provided in the conclusion.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.211-234
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• 2006

The purpose of the present study was to investigate how two types of cooperative groupworks will affect learners' academic self-efficacy and English achievement in the first graders of Middle school. Experimental class A was done by similar-level groupwork, experimental class B by differential-level groupwork, and controlled class C by whole classwork. In order to accomplish the goals of the study, questionnaires on learners' academic self-efficacy were examined before and after the experiment. Also English achievement tests were done during the experiment. The analytic results of the questionnaires and English achievement tests were like the following conclusions: First, two types of cooperative groupworks were more effective on improving learners' academic self-efficacy than the whole classwork. Second, two types of cooperative groupworks were more effective on improving two levels' (higher and medium) academic self-efficacy. Third, among three types of classworks, differential-level groupwork was the most effective on improving learners' English achievement. Fourth, in case of medium-level learners, differential-level groupwork was more effective on improving their English achievement than similar-level groupwork.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.19
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• pp.313-338
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• 2010

Attitudes toward target language culture and motivation have been known as important factors in second or foreign language learning. In this study, cadets' attitudes toward the target language community and culture were investigated to find out any relationships with English achievement. Integrative or instrumental motivation in foreign military context was investigated to determine which motivation was more positively related to English proficiency. Cadets' responses were shown highly positive and internally consistent in most cases. Military cadets' attitudes toward American culture were statistically significant and could predict their English achievement. Even though integrative motivation was statistically significant, correlation with English achievement was low. However, instrumental motivation was not significant. This result implies that attitudes toward culture is an important factor in foreign language learning and integrative-instrumental motivation dichotomy might not be enough to explain specific context like cadets' English learning situation at Korea Army Academy at Youngcheon.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.16-23
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• 2011

As a basic study on an effective operation of EMIs (English Medium Instructions) gradually expanded by social needs, the research analyses the effects of English competence, motivation, achievement, and self-confidence on learners' satisfaction and cognition of effects of EMI. Sixty-seven students (55 male and 12 female students) of the department of Civil Engineering in University A participated in the research. First, the analysis results indicate that participants evaluated their own English competence and self-confidence below average but evaluated English motivation and achievement above average. Second, participants' satisfaction with EMI was above average but they cognized its effects below average. Third, English motivation and self-confidence influenced on learners' satisfaction and cognition of effects of EMI in a meaningful way. Especially, English self-confidence influenced relatively more on the two dependent variables. Based on those result, the implications were suggested.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.253-273
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• 2007

This study explores issues on how students' variables are related to their educational achievement in English subject. The National Assessment of Educational Achievement (NAEA) is conduced every year to measure educational progress and achievement, and to monitor the quality of education at the national level and appropriateness of the national curriculum. It also serves the purpose to collect background information affecting educational achievement. The background information is gathered by using questionnaires for students, teachers and school administrators. Among the student variables in the national level educational achievement assessment is self-regulated learning, which is composed of self-efficacy, self-control and learning strategy. In the NAEA in 2005 it was found that the features of self-regulated learning were significantly correlated to test scores in English. The findings from the analysis of the trends of the relationships between test scores in English and information on students' self-regulated learning provide implications for the national curriculum as well as for learning and teaching.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.139-166
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• 2005

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of remedial instruction on self-efficacy improvement in elementary school students with low self-efficacy, which may have been formed through negative experience with learning such as poor performance and poor grades. Nine 6th grade students with low self-efficacy were selected for the present study. A remedial class was set up and instruction was given once a week for 14 weeks. The purpose of the remedial class was to give the students a positive experience with English learning and have students reflect on their achievement. The contents and class activities were adjusted to the subjects' English abilities and also closely related to those of the regular classes so that students could have more confidence during regular English classes. The data were collected from a test of self-efficacy in English learning, achievement tests given before and after the experiment, achievement tests after each lesson, a general self-efficacy test, a basic questionnaire, interviews, journals, and students' self-evaluation. The results showed that the remedial instruction was very successful in providing students with a sense of achievement and improving students' self-efficacy in English learning. However, this study failed to find significant improvement in general self-efficacy tests and achievement tests given before and after the experiments. A longer period of remedial instruction may have been necessary to obtain more concrete results from the variety of data collected.

• Korean Journal of Comparative Education
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.1-18
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• 2013

Self-theories regarding general intelligence and English ability were measured from two countries (Korea and Pakistan) and their relationships with self-reported overall academic achievement and English language achievement were examined. No significant mean differences between the two countries were found regarding college students' self-theories. There were significant mean differences in overall academic achievement and English achievement between the two countries. Both the overall academic achievement and English achievement were significantly correlated with various self-theories while taking both samples together. Achievement measures were predicted by self-theories of general intelligence and English language ability. The current study highlighted the relationship between self-theories about general intelligence and English language ability and their relationship with self-reported achievement in two cultural contexts. This research also introduced new instruments to measure self-theories that can be used in studying self-theories in different domains.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.719-730
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• 2013

The English Conversation class as a required course in S university is designed as blended learning to reinforce English education. To identify the influence of this blended learning on its students' achievement, the research about what variables are related with it was conducted. Data analysis indicates that gender, major, military service, overseas stay, face-to-face attendance, quiz, and online attendance have an effect on the student achievement. However, the students' style of online learning--study place, study time, and study frequency--doesn't have any relationship with their achievement. Their satisfaction with the online study was questioned in the three areas such as instructor, contents, and system, among which only the 'system' area has an influence on their achievement.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.62-71
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the level of communication, problem-solving, and self-directed learning competencies, academic and English achievement of healthcare major students in university and to determine the effect of three main competencies on their academic and English achievement. Methods: The participants were college students studying in health care related major at a four-year university in D-city who agreed to participate in this study. Some of their data were intentionally excluded as their answers were incomplete or missing and finally 272 surveys were analyzed. Results: It was found that they have high level of general life competencies of which the subcategories are communication, problem-solving, and self-directed learning competency. GPA and TOEIC score which are the indicators of academic and English achievement were found to be correlated with the level of three competencies. Self-directed learning competency is assumed to be main cause variable of these achievement. Conclusion: As those students who have higher academic and English achievement also show high level of communication, problem-solving and self-directed learning competency. It is argued that a new curriculum that can contribute to improve communication, problem-solving and self-directed learning competency should be developed and implemented.