• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.107-131
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• 2010

The goals of the present study are two-fold: 1) to examine NNS teachers' needs for training period in improving their general communicative competence and classroom communicative competence, and 2) to explore the relationships of teachers' needs for the training period, and their current levels of general/classroom communicative competence and other background variables. Data was collected from seventy primary and secondary school English teachers (N=70) who participated in the six-month intensive teacher training program in South Korea. The teacher trainees responded to four questionnaires of 1) the self-diagnosis of their current levels of four language skills (L/S/R/W) in both general/classroom communicative competence, 2) the training period required to improve their general/classroom communicative competence for teaching both English and other subjects through English, 3) the period of their English teaching, and 4) the proportion of their English use in class. The data analysis has shown that there were the strong relationships between trainee needs for the training period and their teaching period, and the proportion of their English use in class. In terms of trainees' communicative competence, the significant relations of both their general/classroom communicative competence and their needs for the training period were found. Implications of the findings are discussed.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.87-100
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• 2020

This research explored the impact the thoughts and opinions of lecturers teaching university general English courses have on their virtual classes and discussed the differences and similarities in their perspectives. As a research methodology, the Q-method was used, which usually consists of five steps: Q-population, Q-statements, Q-participants, Q-sorting, and factor analysis using PQMethod, a computer software program. A total of 30 statements were finally selected and 26 people directly involved in teaching online university general English courses were selected as participants in this study. Based on the results of the factor analysis, this research discovered three different factors, which were interaction & content-oriented, online teaching favored, and content-oriented. The results of this study can contribute to developing the future directions of virtual university general English classes to help learners improve their English skills and prepare lecturers for the future.

• Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.417-435
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• 2001

The aim of this paper is two-fold. First, it examines the romanization of personal names of the teachers who teach English at a university and compares it with the romanization of the general public to see whether there is a unity between the two groups. Second, it explores whether the teachers romanize their personal names consistently and, if they don't, how differently they romanize their names. The data used in this study are the romanized names of the 313 authors who published their articles in The Journal of English Language and Literature from 1991 to 2000. The study shows that the English teachers and the general public differ in the order of the given name and surname as well as formatting. Most of the English teachers prefer to put their surnames last while the majority of the general public put their surnames first. The English teachers opt Gn-Gn and Gngn whereas the general public select Gn Gn for their given names. However, both groups, in general, spell the surname with the same Roman alphabets. The study also shows that the English teachers frequently reverse the order of the given name and surname, and change the formatting of their given names. They, however, spell their names rather consistently. This result indicates that Koreans may be lenient with the order of the given name and surname and formatting of their given names. However, they will unlikely change the spelling of their names even when a new policy on personal names is promulgated.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.189-208
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to investigate knowledge and use of English collocations in their relation to Korean college students' general English proficiency and writing abilities. Participants in the present study were 203 Korean college students. Their knowledge and use of English collocations were measured by a self-designed collocation test and an essay writing test. The findings were as follows: First, there was a significant difference in students' knowledge of collocations according to their general English proficiency. Students' performance in the collocation test increased as their level of proficiency increased. Second, there was a significant difference in students' knowledge of collocations according to their writing abilities. Students showed better performance in the collocation test as their level of writing abilities increased. Third, there was a significant difference in students' use of collocations according to their writing abilities. Students' collocation use in the writing test increased as their level of writing abilities increased. Fourth, there was a strong relationship between the students' knowledge of collocations and their general English proficiency and between the students' use of collocations and their writing abilities. Pedagogical implications of the study and suggestions for further research were discussed on the basis of the research findings.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• no.5
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• pp.79-101
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• 1999

With the advent of the 6th and the 7th national educational curricula in Korea. English language teaching in communicative perspective has been highly recommended and widely practised in that context. The aim of new approach is to enhance the students' general communication abilities in English. However, English teachers still find it very hard to improve the students' communicative competence in English since English remains to be taught as a school subject. In so far as English is taught as a school subject, students' attention is paid to the formal elements of English and the increase in communicative competence in English is hardly expected Only when the students' attention is paid to the content, their communicative competence is expected to increase. The best way to shift the students' attention from formal elements to content is to teach other school subjects in English, that is, English immersion education. To introduce immersion education to Korea, the two most successful examples of Singapore and Hong Kong are reviewed in terms of language policies and general practices in their primary and secondary schools respectively. To implement the program into Korea, extensive research on it is expected henceforth.

• Journal of English Language & Literature
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.821-841
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• 2009

This paper explores the ways to reshape humanistic values of the curriculum of the English department of Korean universities. The English curricula are usually composed of three fields of literary studies, general education, and English proficiency, whose conventional humanistic values have been currently dwindling. As for literary studies, teaching literature still hovers over the canonical works of past decades, not allowing students to access the canon with their own ideas and ending up with authoritative monologues. The general education field leans toward edited texts rather than authentic ones, which ignores a genuine path of communication between the author and its readers. Subjects for English proficiency such as "TOEIC" tend to be taught online with no teacher's presence for the nominal purpose of optimizing economic efficiency in teaching. All these testify to the attenuation of humanistic values in the curriculum, which motivates us to suggest some ways to reshape the values. Authoritative monologue in teaching literature can be shifted to the open-ended conversation by using role-play methods as well as accepting extra-canonical works into the curriculum. Authentic texts for general education prove to be preferred by students with the successful result of our experiment. Lastly, it is teacher's presence in the class that helps get higher achievement of "TOEIC" than some online classes. As suggested above, open-ended conversation, wider communication between author and readers, and human presence of the class will help reshape humanistic values in the English curriculum.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.36
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• pp.173-194
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• 2007

The purpose of this article is primarily to give prominence to the importance of International Business English education. Although English is one of the most crucial parts in international business transaction it has not been treated as one of academical sciences. As English is a main language when the international business transaction is done International Business English should be studied by scholars who majored in international business area. It is true that there has been no study at all regarding International Business English(in this article, it does not mean General International Business English) so far. Anyone who does and learn the international business should have some opportunities to have a contact towards international business correspondence and other documents before they do in reality. However, in Korea, most English education has been focused on general English and English certificate tests at universities. At universities' level, it is certainly a scholars' task to study International Business English education in order to provide decent education to the students. For doing so, this article examine, focusing only on reading part, how International Business English should be taught and especially, how reading skills should be activated and integrated with other language skills. This objective will be fulfilled by asking, what reading means in International Business English, as well as what role reading plays in International Business English education.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.71-90
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to analyze the improvement of students' interest and general proficiency of English through cultural understanding. To achieve this purpose, two classes of the 2nd grade in the informational high school were divided into the experimental class and the control class. The Grammar-Translation Method was used for the control class and a cultural learning - compare and contrast Korean culture and American culture - was taken for the experimental. After various cultural differences were studied, surveys of students' attitude and reading and listening test were taken. The results from this study were as follows: Firstly, students' interest in English was improved through learning the American culture that was related to the content of each lesson. Secondly, English reading and communicative skills were improved by learning about cultural aspects. Therefore, it can be said that teaching culture stimulates students' interest and motivation for learning English and helps students retain such affective attitudes. And English communicative skills were improved as well.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.213-235
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• 2011

The aim of this study is to present preliminary results from an ongoing large-scale study of English-language future goal orientations held by Japanese university students. The work here involves an investigation of learners in multiple disciplines, from five universities, both public and private, in the Kanto-region of Japan, and their perspective on their future use of English. The results summarize written essays on L2-goal orientations. Preliminary results indicate Japanese learners (n = 629) as a whole have disparate L2-learning goals; however, these can be summarized into four broad categories: career, personal life, study, and general; and early findings indicate that most learners (63.56%) are oriented to career or personal goal orientations, while others are oriented to study and general. These early results help us to gain a better understanding of the future goals of Japanese university learners and their views of English usage in the future.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.585-599
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• 2020

This study investigated children's interests in learning English, affected by educational activities in and out of institutes, and mothers' perceptions regarding early childhood English education. We recruited, 253 mothers of 3- to 5-year-old children in either general kindergartens or English immersion institutes. They answered questions on socioeconomic status, perceived interest in English by their children, their perceptions regarding early childhood English education, and English education outside institutes. In addition, 42 English teachers provided information within institutes such as class time per week, teacher-pupil rate, and language use policy during class. The collected data were analyzed through SPSS 22 for frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The major findings are as follows. First, the two groups were in distinct learning environment. Second, mothers' perceptions and outside-institute activities were significantly different between the two groups. Third, the English interests of children at both institutes were influenced by mothers' worries and at-home English interactions. Fourth, education within institutes did not affect both group's English interests. Fifth, private education and socioeconomic status did not affect both group's English interests. Lastly, only the children's interests in English immersion institutes were affected by gender and mother's perceived necessities. Focusing children's interests, this study helps in understanding young children's affective aspects regarding learning English. The findings are expected to be a guideline for each home and institute to increase children's interest in learning English.