• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.17-36
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• 2007

This study examined educational and career backgrounds of 180 early childhood English teachers and curricula of training courses for early childhood English teachers in continuing education centers across 6 areas in Korea. Data analyses showed that (1) curricula for early childhood English teachers consists of basic practical conversation, English teaching skills, understanding early childhood education and general English knowledge. (2) Most teachers are women between 30 to 40 years of age, university graduates with majors in English literature, English education and/or early childhood education with confidence in speaking in and listening to English. (3) They were satisfied with their retraining courses. (4) English pronunciation skill was not always related to English conversation skill, but clarity of pronunciation influenced teaching confidence.

• Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.133-155
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• 2003

The purpose of this paper is to survey the definition and scope of English Education as an academic discipline or science, relating to English linguistics, linguistics and applied linguistics. English Education has come to be regarded as fulfilling its true function when it is based on the solid scientific principles and methods of such related sciences as linguistics, English linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, sociology, psychology and pedagogy. English Education is, therefore, an independent and specialized applied science, interrelated with the sciences mentioned above. Thus, English Education is defined as an academic discipline which is concerned with the concrete teaching and learning of English, and which is based on the scientific methods, applications and evaluations of English. As a science, English Education has three elements: content, process and methods. Content, which concerns input, consists of the fundamental interrelated sciences and English language skills. Process refers to research methodology and analysis. Methods are the application of the theories and the processes.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.22-33
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• 2014

This paper presents a comparative study on the effectiveness of teaching an engineering course using English with Specific Purpose(ESP). A study was performed using student groups; one class using ESP, and one class conducted in English with an English text. The course conducted using ESP showed the greatest improvement in English writing and conversation, and the students reported a greatly increased confidence in their ability to function professionally using English. A self-assessment of each student was conducted before and after the courses. Prior to the course less than 10% in each group felt that they are able to: a) understand a textbook, b) write an email, c) generate a project report, or d) follow a lecture given in English. The survey at the end of the course showed that the ESP teaching style resulted in significant improvements in students ability and confidence with writing and speaking in English, whereas reading skills were similar for both groups. This is due to the ESP method, in which students are required to give presentations and keep journals in English. After a brief review of the ESP principles and a discussion of how they were implemented, the background data of the participants(students) are described. Finally, the end-of-semester survey highlights the efficacy of the ESP approach.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.133-151
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• 2012

This study investigates Korean university students' perception of TOEIC courses taught by Korean and native English teachers and test results in an effort to identify better methodologies to teach TOEIC. To find out the student's perceptions of TOEIC classes, a survey was conducted. The one hundred sixty students who attended the TOEIC courses participated in a questionnaire survey at the end of the semester. Based on a survey of students' assumptions toward TOEIC classes and teachers, this paper discusses the skills students feel important to improve their TOEIC scores and what their actual scores show. The research questions were: 1) what are some of the benefits of having a Korean or native English teacher for TOEIC courses? 2) what are some of the drawbacks of having a Korean or native English teacher for TOEIC courses? The results indicated that Korean and native English teachers have an equal chance to become successful teachers, but the methods used by the two groups are not the same in the context of teaching TOEIC courses; in the short term, direct test preparation, dictation and repetition by Korean or native teachers might be good methods for TOEIC courses, however, in the long term, conversation and discussion performed by native teachers may affect scores in a positive way.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.259-281
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• 2009

The ICELT(In-Service Certificate in English Language Teaching) is a highly practical course-based English teacher education program which integrates classroom teaching and off-site teacher training. This case study analyzes the three-year implementation of the ICELT program in Korea and discusses its effects and the implications for improving the inservice English teacher education system. It has been found that the course participants were satisfied with the quality of its execution, thinking that it contributed to their professional development in the areas of teaching practice, methodology and language competence. The study has identified several success factors as shared program goals among the course participants, including systematic selection of course participants, well-qualified tutors and the proper provision of resources including syllabus, teaching materials and course assessment system. Nonetheless, it has been suggested that attention needs to be paid to generalized application of the ICELT for English teacher education due to the limitations such as the heavy workload caused by the program, lack of course participants' collaboration with other teachers at their schools and tutors' poor understanding of the Korean education context. Bearing this in mind, the implications for improving the inservice English teacher education system in Korea have been discussed. Finally, further studies have been suggested, which are concerned with in-depth investigation in exploring the division of roles between native English speaking tutors and Korean ones and the impact of the program on the sustainability of course participants' professional development and the impact on schools.

• 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.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.263-291
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• 2003

This paper is to help the students in elementary schools develop and improve their English listening and speaking skills by presenting effective teaching and learning techniques using puppetry. It is absolutely obvious that listening and speaking are very important skills for most EFL students. Using puppets in the classroom is a creative English teaching technique which can involve authentic, communicative language situations. Moreover, puppets appeal to children and can aid in lowering affective filters thereby creating a more comfortable learning environment. The study clearly showed that using puppets is feasible and enjoyable in elementary English classes. However, caution must be exercised in drawing and generalizing conclusions from this experience. The results of the experiment are as follows: First, using puppetry in the English class was found to have positive influence on students' affective domains (interst, attitude). Second, using puppets in the English classes was found to be efficient for improving students' English listening and speaking skills. Third, appropriate materials should be selected and well thought-out plans should be made to be successful English class using puppetry. Perhaps the most interesting line of future research is to use qualitative research to examine the effect of this technique on the teacher variable. Further research is recommended, especially on using puppetry for speaking proficiency and creating affectively comfortable learning atmospheres.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.261-286
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• 2005

Lately, teaching methods and instruments have become student-centered and are directed towards developing a communicative competence of learners. However, compared with that of other countries, the level of our students English is not very good. I guess the reason is that our English education is focused on the uniformal teaching methods regardless of the differences of intelligence, affective domains and study time. I tried to find the relationship between these factors and the students' English accomplishments. So I divided the students into 2 groups of superior and inferior students by the standard of intelligence, affective domain and study time and compared the scores between the groups in the fields of reading comprehension, grammar, pronunciation, accent, vocabulary, and listening. These were the results that followed: First, intelligence has a great influence students' English accomplishment in all fields. Second, affective domains such as motivation, anxiety, attitude, confidence, and studying time also have some influence on the students' English accomplishments. Third, the sequence of these factors according to their influence force are as follows: study time, anxiety, intelligence, motivation, attitude, and confidence. So we can conclude that we should teach English according to our students' ability in the field of intelligence and affective domains and should not ignore the individual differences they have.

• 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.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.207-229
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• 2010

The present study has sought to explore the critical issues of English immersion education through the voices of the four elementary teachers who have recently taught at immersion programs under the guidance of Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education. The interview data with three teachers and the teaching journals of one teacher were analyzed and categorized into two emergent themes: (1) current difficulties in the immersion programs and (2) possible problems with the implementations of immersion programs in all public schools. Specifically, the first issue included teachers' inadequate teaching skills for immersion programs, accumulated learning losses, and lack of immersion class hours. The second issue included workload imposed on immersion program teachers, promotion of private education, learning losses of other subjects, and administration for show. Finally, pedagogical implications are suggested.