• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.157-175
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to compare learners' view on Korean and native teachers of English with regard to competence of teaching skills. A total of 166 high school students attending the same high school in Korea participated in a questionnaire survey. The students were asked a series of questions about their five Korean teachers of English and three natives. The analysis of the results indicates that the learners believed Korean English teachers would be better in teaching vocabulary, grammar and reading than native English teachers. The learners answered native English teachers would be better in teaching speaking, listening, and writing. In the areas of the accuracy of classroom language, the level of teacher-centeredness, and the amount of cultural information given in a classroom, there were no significant differences in the learners' responses between Korea and native teacher of English. By recognizing the differences of the learners' views on two different types of ELT teachers, we suggest that it would be beneficial for learners if we would utilize their views in designing and administrating a team-teaching program.

• Child Studies in Asia-Pacific Contexts
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.133-144
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• 2012

Research has shown that mothers' attitudes towards early English language and literacy learning are important for children's English language development. Some researchers have indicated that in Taiwan most parents have a positive attitude towards English instruction and are motivated to teach English at home to their preschoolers. There is, however, little current data available to explain the motivations behind such parents' decisions to teach English to their child in the home before the commencement of formal schooling. We conducted a thematic analysis of the written survey responses of 263 Taiwanese mothers who explained why they taught their preschool children English at home. The findings indicate that English is highly valued for children's school readiness, future career opportunities, and because of its status as a global language. The mothers' motivations for teaching English include the desire to cultivate the child's interest, a belief in 'the earlier the better" for second language learning, and a belief in the need to review and practice English. These findings have the potential to inform educational policies and implementation strategies, as they can reveal whether mothers' motivations align with national priorities for English language education.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• no.4
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• pp.131-178
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• 1998

English teaching in the elementary school of Korea had been put into practice as an extracurricular activity from 1982 till 1996. But a TEFL program as a regular course in the elementary school of Korea has been practiced since 1997, according to the language policy to establish early English education in all the elementary schools of Korea. The purpose of this study is to identify the current state of English teaching in the elementary school of Korea, to investigate its problems and to suggest some remedies for its improvement. For this purpose this study includes the analysis and result of the survey. The survey result points out that English teaching in the elementary school of Korea is not satisfactory and has some problems in many fields. In this connection the present study suggests some remedies for the improvement of English teaching in the elementary school of Korea.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.203-224
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to justify the effects of role play with respect to speaking and listening functions and to provide the strategic methodology for improving English communicative competence of fifth grade primary school students. We can expand role play as a strategic teaching method to develop English learning models, so that English can be more easily acquired to the students who are in the critical language acquisition period. Strategic role play reflects the events and experiences of many kinds of people in everyday life. It is suggested that one of the best methods to improve English communicative competence in the primary classroom is through role play. Students can develop meaning for language patterns by portraying situations in which these instances in language would be used. This study proposes to facilitate English communicative ability using various student-centered role play strategies. It is concluded that the student-centered activities using strategic role play help the students to improve their English communicative competence. This is done by deriving their own creative dialogues and presenting the role play with their interests in learning English and with subsequently positive learning effects.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.91-114
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers' perspectives on content-based instruction (CBI) in English at a higher education in Korea. Based on the assumption that content-based instruction programs could be successful if teachers were actively involved not only in transmitting the content knowledge but also in students' development in the second or foreign language competence, the study explores teachers' treatments of language in relation to the students' language development in CBI classes. Research questions were related to five areas such as (1) the goals of CBI programs, (2) difficulties in CBI classes, (3) the use of native language, (4) teaching strategies and techniques, and (5) factors that affect the success of the CBI programs. Data gathered from 24 college instructors from a large university located in the metropolitan city of Korea. Results of the study indicated that college instructors of CBI programs had keen interest in developing students' language competence, experienced difficulties in designing course syllabus for mixed leveled group of students, rarely used Korean in class and used successful teaching strategies. Also factors needed to improve the CBI programs were recommended at the end of the study. Results of the study implied that teachers needed to be more aware of the students' learning process of English and to be more communicative with students in English in class. Further studies were needed in relation to the CBI courses for students of different age levels.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• no.6
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• pp.49-73
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• 2000

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• no.4
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• pp.53-84
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• 1998

The purposes of the present study were to give the new direction of teaching English based on the 7th English curriculum, and to show some useful insights on English teaching in the 21st century. The 7th English curriculum was developed in two parts: as a required subject and as an elective subject. As a required subject, the English curriculum applies to the third grade of elementary school through to the first grade of high school. The elective subject of the English curriculum applies to the second and third grades of high school. In the 7th curriculum reform, a proficiency-based language program will be applied in the form of intensive and supplementary courses at the same levels irrespective of differences based on students' abilities, schools and regions. Linguistic functions, communicative functions, subject matters are included in the content area in language organization. Limiting the length of sentences is applied at elementary school only and is not applied at higher levels.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.167-186
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• 2006

We live in a global village that requires a language with a genuinely global status as a means of communication. During the twentieth century, English has clearly emerged as the lingua franca owing to both past British political imperialism and the more recent superpower status of the United States. Further contributing to world domination of the English language is the fact that the computer and Internet sprang from the US. Whether you like it or not, you are destined to learn English at least to some extent in order to live in this global village. For the last two decades, one of the most mistaken ideas a number of Korean English teachers have had is that speaking and listening are the primary forms of language, while reading and writing are secondary. In fact, reading is regarded as a skill of much consequence to us since it provides us with access to a huge quantity of information on the Internet, of which at least 80% is written in English. Writing, too, deserves a great deal of attention because we are increasingly called upon to use standard English expressions. As diligent learners of English, we had better not forget the place accorded to language not only as a medium for exchange and constructing information but as a tool for thinking. So we should try to think in English to the point where we have thinking-in-English as a habit, thereby leading to increased familiarity with the language. Such familiarity entails, above all, possessing a command of English.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.105-127
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• 2009

This study investigates effective models of team teaching in Korean middle school classrooms based upon a questionnaire survey and two English listening tests. The data from 349 first year middle school students from 3 different middle schools were collected and compared between team teaching (TT) types in terms of participants' background language learning methods and their opinions about TT. The findings of the present study indicate that students appear to have different opinions about TT according to the TT types. Also the results of the English listening tests between students who took TT and those who didn't take TT show significant differences between TT groups. This study gives both native English teachers (NETs) and Korean English teachers (KETs) the perspectives about effective TT type and the opportunities that both types of teachers could reconsider their TT in order to develop students' English communicative competence more successfully.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.395-411
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to explore the elementary English conversation instructors' perception on their professionalism and the needs of teacher training program. The survey data were attained from 136 elementary English conversation instructors. Descriptive statistics were employed to discuss the result of the survey response. The results of this study revealed that the elementary English conversation instructors perceived the need of in-service training program for their professionalism improvement, especially in teaching techniques for four language skills. The result also revealed that the instructors need to be more equipped with the knowledge of elementary learners' developmental psychology and L2 learning process. The study concludes with several suggestions for elementary English conversation instructors' improvement of teaching professionalism and in-service training program.