• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
• /
• v.3 no.3
• /
• pp.57-62
• /
• 2011

Focused items in English sentences are usually accompanied by changes in acoustic manifestation. This paper investigates the acoustic characteristics of $H^*$ in English utterances produced by natives speakers of English and Korean learners of English. To obtain more reliable results, the changes of the acoustic feature values (F0, intensity, syllable duration) were normalized by a median value and a whole duration of each utterance. Acoustic values of sentences with no focused words were compared with those of sentences with focused words within each group (Americans vs. Koreans). Sentences with focused words were compared between the two groups, too. In the instances in which a significant Group x Focus Location (initial, middle and final of a sentence) interaction was obtained, further analysis testing the effect of Group on each Focus Location was conducted. The analysis revealed that Korean learners of English produced focused words with lower F0, lower intensity and shorter syllable duration than native speakers of English. However, the effect of intensity change caused by focus was not significant within each group. Further analysis examining the interaction of Group and Focus Location showed that the change in F0 produced by Korean group was significantly lower in the middle and the final positions of sentences than by American group. Implications for the intonation training were also discussed.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.369-375
• /
• 2022

The educational environment of the era of age of uncertainty and human and disaster, where nothing is predictable, so it is bringing about many changes. The purpose of this study is to suggest the implications of Integrative arts therapy in the educational field of unpredictable times as a way to move the minds of people living in various educational changes. As for the research method, the characteristics of the integrative arts therapy shown in the previous studies were examined through the literature method, and then through the cases in the modern education environment practiced we propose three things. First, in the field of university education, students should have an integrative arts therapy approach in terms of teaching methods, and also, second, in order to recover from failure and frustration, continuous gratitude sharing training to discover and acknowledge positivity in the situation by changing perspectives should improve students' self-esteem and self-efficacy. Third, professors should play the role of facilitators and also coaches in knowledge transfer. Therefore the coaching process should be integrated into the process of sustainable education when the integrative arts therapy is approached from the pedagogical curriculum.

• International Journal of Contents
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.48-52
• /
• 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine 30 logical connectors in the essay writing of Korean university students for comparison with the use in similar types of native English writing. The main questions addressed were as follows: Do Korean EFL students tend to over- or underuse logical connectors? What types of connectors differentiate Korean learners from native use? To answer these questions, EFL learner data were compared with data from native speakers using computerized corpora and linguistic software tools to speed up the initial stage of the linguistic analysis. The analysis revealed that Korean EFL learners tend to overuse logical connectors in the initial position of the sentence, and that they tend to overuse additive connectors such as 'moreover', 'besides', and 'furthermore', whereas they underuse contrastive connectors such as 'yet' and 'instead'. On the basis of the results of this study, some pedagogical implications are made concerning the need for teaching of the semantic, stylistic, and syntactic behavior of logical connectors.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.1-18
• /
• 2011

The object of this study is to show some features of English, focused on such mechanics as punctuation and transition, in Korean presidential addresses transcribed in English which are different from those of the United States. Towards that end, the presidential addresses of the United States and Korea from January, 2010 to June, 2010 are collected, made into corpora, and analyzed. Through analyzing the corpora, this paper is to address the following research questions: (1) What features can be regarded as different in terms of punctuation and transition? (2) If there are any differences between the corpora, are they significant enough to pose any problems for Korean and American English users to communicate with each other? (3) If so, what can be done to solve the problems in regard to pedagogical implications? Overall, as for punctuation, both Presidents' addresses share a lot in common, even with some idiosyncratic variations though. However, there are some noticeable differences in transitional devices. It is not clear whether those should be taken as a sign of personal preference, though. Transitional markers are meant to be part of wording in writing. (196 words).

• English Language & Literature Teaching
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.139-160
• /
• 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
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.69-89
• /
• 2012

This paper explored the effects of extensive reading (ER) on Korean university students' L2 reading proficiency and reading rates. This study also illustrated how ER can be integrated into a university English reading class. Seventeen students who took a summer reading course participated in this study. Data were gathered through pre- and post- tests in terms of participants' reading comprehension proficiency and reading rates and post- questionnaire with regard to their attitudes toward L2 storybook reading after they have experienced it. The analysis was carried out using the Paired Samples t-test. It was revealed that ER has a positive effect on the enhancement of the participants' reading comprehension and reading rates. The participants showed their continued intention to read in English and a strong belief that persistent reading in English in the long run will help improve their English. The results of this study confirm the educational values of incorporating ER into university English reading classes. The pedagogical implications for EFL instructors are described.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.183-204
• /
• 2006

This study investigated the effects of rehearsed English drama activities on the learner variables and oral communication achievements of Korean elementary school students. Forty children in the treatment group participated in the drama activities while forty-two children in the contrast group participated in the regular classes. The results of the study are as follows: the treatment group showed significant differences between the pre-tests and the post-tests in language learning strategies, motivation, confidence, perceived competence, willingness to communicate, and listening and speaking achievements; the students in the treatment group progressed in their attitudes toward and participation in the classroom activities. Based on the findings, it is concluded that the rehearsed drama activities positively affect the learner variables and oral communication. The pedagogical implications are discussed in the conclusion.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.57-75
• /
• 2007

This small-scale research project attempts to describe and explore the Korean students' perspectives on oral classroom interaction in a second language classroom in a graduate course in America. Based on the interpretist paradigm, this study employed the qualitative research methodology, triangulating the following methods: class observation, interviews, and document analysis. The findings are that the Korean participants perceived the importance of oral classroom interaction in an American classroom, and that there were shared several factors which influence their participation such as socio-cultural differences, course content, English skills, course requirement, and classroom activity types. Based upon the findings, pedagogical implications are provided for the teachers to help Korean students achieve academic success in American universities.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.209-235
• /
• 2005

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of reciprocal teaching procedure for improving Korean college students' reading comprehension of English text. In particular, this study sought to explore the qualitative features, if any, in students' use of reading comprehension strategies presented in the process of Reciprocal Reading Procedure (RRP). In order to accomplish the goal of the study, transcripts of the students' dialogues, open-ended questionnaires, and researchers' observation notes were examined. The results of the study showed that the participants used different four kinds of reading strategies in the process of RRP (questioning, clarifying, predicting, summarizing). The findings also suggested that the readers with limited knowledge of vocabulary had difficulty in moving on to the next level. Additionally, future research direction and some pedagogical implications are presented for the practical EFL classroom.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
• /
• v.1 no.4
• /
• pp.39-46
• /
• 2009

This study compares the perception of English high tense and lax vowels (/i, I, u, $\mho$/) by English speakers and Korean speakers of English. The four vowels were produced in /hVd/ context by a native speaker of English, and each word's vowel duration was manipulated to range from 170ms to 290ms in 30ms increments. Two English speakers and six Korean speakers of English were asked to listen to pairs of tense and lax vowel words with manipulated vowel durations and to identify the pair by choosing either heed-hid or hid-heed for front vowels and either who'd-hood or hood-who'd for back vowels. The results show that English speakers distinguished tense vowels from lax vowels with 100% accuracy regardless of the different durations, compared to 62% accuracy for Korean speakers of English. Most errors occurred for lengthened lax vowels and shortened tense vowels. The results of this study demonstrate that Korean speakers mainly rely on vowel duration as a cue to discriminate the tense and lax vowels. The theoretical and pedagogical implications of this finding are discussed.