• 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.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.549-553
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• 2014

This study is a report of an intensive ESP(English for Specific Purposes) program conducted for the College of Economic students in Korean University. This is planned for the students to enhance their English achievement in comprehending the subject contents which they would learn in the near future. In order to determine whether the course helped the students enhance their English achievement or not, a pre and post test were taken, one at the beginning of the semester and the other at the end of semester. The result of the test shows that this program benefits relevant students, especially lower level students. In accordance with a general accepted view, the English for Specific Purposes(ESP) program is generally targeted for students who expect to learn the basic knowledge of English through mediated courses. Since students already have specific purpose of studying for their major courses, their motivation and interest in the course are higher than the students who don't have any specific purpose. Therefore, this study shows that the students who took English for Specific Purposes(ESP) had higher motivation and interest to study English related to their major courses as the test results were higher than before they had taken the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.129-150
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• 2009

This paper attempts to examine the effect of children's English stories on the development of Korean EFL primary school learners' listening and speaking competences and their motivation to learn English. This paper also discusses factors of English children's stories that make EFL learners' language learning efficient. Participants were 120 primary school students who attend one of the elementary schools in Chungnam province. They were randomly chosen and divided into two groups: experimental and control groups. In order to collect data, students' listening and speaking proficiency pre- and post-tests and the pre- and post-questionnaires regarding the participants' motivation to learn English were administered. The data were analyzed by ANOVA. The results indicate that the application of English children's stories to EFL learning settings can be an efficient way to improve EFL learners' listening and speaking competences and motivation to learn their target language. The findings of this study suggest that English children's stories provide language learners with interest, meaningful and authentic contexts and enjoyment. The pedagogical suggestion and implications are provided for EFL educators and teachers.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.113-137
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• 2001

English has been taught as a compulsory subject at elementary schools since 1997 starting with third graders, to sixth graders. We have seen active research on teaching methods for elementary English, but little has been done from the learners' perspective. It is very proper time for English educators to review what the elementary students think about their English classes. The purpose of the present study is as following. First, we tried to find out how the students' attitude toward and interest in English have changed over the four-year English education. Second we attempted to suggest the ways to promote the students' interests, and to increase understanding and participation in English classes. We also suggest that curriculum developers need to consider the students' lower interests and understanding in English classes as they move to higher grades, and that classroom teachers need to have a better understanding of what their students do and feel in the English classes.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.149-170
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• 2012

The purpose of the present study is to examine the degree to which the writing instruction using animations has effects on the writing performance of $4^{th}$ year elementary school students. This study also examined the effects of the animation-based writing instruction on the interest and confidence of those students. To this aim, the present study utilized a set of writing tests and questionnaires before and after the instruction. The data were collected from 63 elementary school students. The data were then analyzed using a series of statistical analyses. The results suggested that the students who received the writing instruction using animations performed significantly better on the writing test than those who received the textbook-based instruction. The results also suggested that those who received the animation-based instruction showed more positive interest and confidence on English and English learning. Finally, limitations of the present study and suggestions for further studies are discussed at the end of the paper.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.121-127
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• 2023

The purpose of this pilot study is to examine the responses of middle school students to English learning after conducting English writing activities using DALL-E2, an image-generating artificial intelligence tool. To this end, an experimental class was conducted for 3 weeks for 15 middle school English learners, and the results are summarized as follows. First, as a result of a survey on English writing activities using DALL-E2, it was found that confidence, interest, and awareness of writing using artificial intelligence-based tools changed positively. In addition, it was confirmed that there was a statistically significant difference, which meant that learning using artificial intelligence had a positive effect on English writing and overall English learning. Second, as a result of analyzing the English writing activities using DALL-E2, core themes could be extracted into three (cognitive, affective, and psychodynamic characteristics), and the use and implementation of artificial intelligence-based DALL-E2 in English learning showed potential to increase learning interest, challenge, will, and desire in learning and ultimately contribute to enhancing productive skill.

• Educational Technology International
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.141-166
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using visual stimulation and gesture, namely embodied language learning, on learning achievement and learner's course interest in the EFL classroom. To investigate the effectiveness of the proposed purpose, thirty two third-grade elementary school students participated and were assigned into four English learning class conditions (i.e., using animated graphic and gestures condition, using only animated graphic condition, using still pictures and gesture condition, and control condition). The research questions for this study are addressed below: (1) What differences are there in post and delayed learning achievement between imitating gesture group and non-imitating one and between animated graphic group and still picture one? (2) What differences are there in course interest between imitating gesture group and non-imitating one and between animated graphic group and still picture one? The Embodiment-based English learning system for this study was designed by using Microsoft's Kinect sensing devices. The results of this study revealed that students of imitating gesture group memorized and retained better words and sentence structure than those of the other groups. As for learner's course interest measurement, imitating gesture group showed a highly positive response to attention, relevance, and satisfaction for curriculum and using animated graphic influenced satisfaction as well. This finding can be attributed to the embodied cognition, which proposes that the body and the mind are inseparable in the constitution of cognition and thus students using visual simulation and imitating related gesture regard the embodied language learning approach more satisfactory and acceptable than the conventional ones.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2010

This paper is a research to know how to influence english lessons in a elementary school, when the class uses both video UCC and PPT to understand for an american culture and english lessons. We study 68 students in the 5th grader for 5 months. The results of the experiment research are as follows. Students of an experiment group show the advanced increase than a control group in understanding. We measure the degree of interesting about English lesson. The motive and interest in english lessons of an experiment group show the developed result. We put a question the experiment group on their opinion in video UCC utility. The experimental group answer the ratio of very positive opinion in usefulness and interest.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.151-164
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• 2010

This study utilized SPSS and AMOS program to research a process of learning satisfaction of learners, who used Ubiquitous Living English Experience Learning Center. The following results were found ; First, there was a positive correlation between learning setting and learning interest, between learning setting and learning satisfaction, between confidence and learning interest, between confidence and learning satisfaction, and between learning interest and learning satisfaction. Second, the process of the research model was meaningful in various ways: learning setting ${\rightarrow}$ confidence, learning setting ${\rightarrow}$ learning interest, learning setting ${\rightarrow}$ learning satisfaction, confidence ${\rightarrow}$ learning satisfaction, learning interest ${\rightarrow}$ learning satisfaction. Finally, learning setting had a direct influence upon learning interest and learning satisfaction.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.141-159
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• 2011

This study examined the effects of collocation-based instruction on L2 vocabulary acquisition and learners' interests in it. Fifty one students were randomly assigned to the experimental group (collocation-based instruction group) and to the control group. The participants' English vocabulary capacity was checked through pre and post tests, and two surveys were used to probe the learners' vocabulary learning behaviors and their interests in English vocabulary learning respectively. To better understand the participants' opinions and feelings on the collocation-based learning, follow-up interviews were also carried out. The results showed that second language (L2) learners' vocabulary capacity was significantly improved through collocation-based instruction. However, the participants' degree of interest in vocabulary learning did not reach our expectation partly because of external factors such as the Test for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) and lack of familiarity of collocations. Such results indicate that the high school students' rooted perception of putting importance on test-based language learning could not be easily changed since it is closely related to their immediate needs. Based on the results, this study suggested how to implement collocations into L2 classrooms effectively.